Grand Pacific Customs

Ahead of their second birthday in December, Grand Pacific Customs have launched their latest collection of coastal-inspired tees designed at their Thirroul HQ and handprinted in the Illawarra.

Founded by Gideon Rogers – who, by day, serves the community as a firefighter – the streetwear clothing brand is a true passion project built upon the idea that “the Illawarra is one of the greatest places on earth”, Gideon says. “Not just because of the natural beauty and the amount of surf breaks and great road twisties, but because the community is so creatively productive.”

Grand Pacific Customs’ latest drop features the address tee, beginning with their HQ town of Thirroul (with pre-orders for more Illawarra suburbs available online), tees with a revamped 70s-style take on their logo, and the AMPED tee that has been donned by DJs in places as far-flung as Europe. Gideon says that each design pays
homage to our unique region.

“There are a lot of great companies here generating their own streetwear, the artists are awesome, but there wasn’t one approach that galvanised the whole of the region from the city limits to the Sapphire Coast,” Gideon said.

“Byron has a streetwear brand that symbolises their vibe, but there wasn’t one for the Illawarra that was inclusive of the moto, surf and skate and creative communities.

“We just had to capture that vibe because there is nowhere as cool and as laid-back as the Illawarra.”

Visit grandpacificcustoms.com or follow @grandpacificcustoms on Instagram, Facebook

Northie

Late last year, Helensburgh’s Jessica Peach not only recognised a gap in the local clothing market but a great opportunity to bridge it, rushing to pitch a business idea to her obliging dad, Tom.

Inspired by the lack of keepsake gift options in the northern Illawarra, Jessica came up with the idea for an apparel brand and launched Northie last November. With Tom’s help, she set up an online Shopify store to sell her designs and bring her small business dream to life.

The real surprise is that Jessica, who heads the design and social media marketing of Northie’s products, is only 15 years old.

“I have grandparents overseas and they love when they come down here, buying things that they can then take back and be like, ‘Look, we got this here’,” Jessica said.

“You’ve got all this stuff for like Bondi and Manly, and even Cronulla has heaps of merch for it, but you go further [south] and people just have no idea what you’re talking about.

“We want to do that for our area as well.”

Northie’s collection spans from graphic tees, hoodies and headwear to dog bandanas, beach towels and key rings – all emblazoned with the names of northern Illawarra suburbs.

Jessica says new designs and an expansion to Northie’s clothing range, which will incorporate more suburbs, are in the works.

View the full Northie range at northie.com.au. Follow @northie_shop on TikTok