• Just 5 cards...

    Mount Vic and Me started in 2013. Graphic designer, Kara Cooper, made the decision to stop working for others and finally design goodies for her own range.

    Having little money and no real business sense, she created 5 greeting cards and walked them around to see who'd buy at different shops and friends. When those sold, she bought more stock as business grew. The business has grown from cards to tea towels, Blue Mountains Socks, t shirts, mugs, rugs, bags, prints and more.

  • A little shop to a big shop

    In 2017 a little shop in Mt Victoria came up and was originally shared with another business. In 2019, the big shop next door came up for rent (old Mountain Top Café).

    Our studio shop is totally fun. It's quirky, outrageous, filled with treasures with themes including Australiana, political goodies, feminist and vintage finds.

    Mount Victoria is very much a ‘long weekend’ destination and a sweet little visit. Midweek it can be pretty quiet. That’s why the studio shop is not always open to the public. Here's when you can visit.

  • Work/life balance

    Kara is usually busy creating various fabrics and wallpapers, new t shirt designs and a lot of procrastination. She is working on her first childrens book.

    You'lll see Kevin at the shop on Saturdays. The whole family are involved in the business in the background, fulfilling orders and collating products into packaging. Sue (who used to work in the shop) creates the upcycled denim jackets you see instore under her label Will Thread and always happy to create something special for a customer.
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Drop down details - all about us

Learn more about Mount Vic and Me

Australian made

Our long-term goal as a small business is to contribute to re-growing Australian manufacturing, which in turn will open up more opportunities for effective green solutions and keeping jobs local.

To help ensure our products takes it easy on the environment, we keep as local as possible. The whole family helps out in packaging stock, sending out orders and helping in the studio shop too.

Australian Made campaign accreditation:

  • Blue Mountains Socks
  • Brooches
  • Greeting cards
  • Tea towels
  • Skirts

We have two incredible sewing manufacturer partners:
1. Le Pritchard in Victoria has the Ethical Clothing Australia tick of approval.

2. Country Womens Association (CWA) Bathurst Evening Branch. Our Blue Mountains Socks are manufactured in Victoria.

Our t shirts are printed in Australia but the t shirt itself is not manufactured in Australia.

We also showcase some other great Australians including jewellery makers, authors and illustrators and vintage Australian clothing labels.

Please note we did work with Corrective Services Industries a few years ag but after learning more about the programme, we decided it was not aligned with our ethos.

Being green at home

Mount Vic and Me® has always taken a sustainable approach to business. Kara Cooper’s previous business was Kara Smith Handbags, where beautiful bags were made from vintage and recycled fabrics, using up everything from
tiny fabric scraps to old buttons and buckles. Before that she had left the advertising & graphic design world behind and moved to the Northern Territory, where she was able to put my graphic design and illustration skills to use by taking up contracts with Parks & Wildlife.

Kara and Geoff's home features double solar panel system, battery back-up, four water tanks, lots of chooks and a herb and vegetable garden.

Being green at the studio shop

Recycling is a natural element of Mount Vic and Me’s everyday operations, and our small team is always on the lookout for even greener packaging and printing solutions. When it comes to stockists, we align with businesses that have a similar ethos.

Tea towels and greeting cards are wrapped in cellophane bags, a viable alternative to dreaded plastic bags. More than 500 billion plastic bags
are used around the world each year, mostly just once, before becoming landfill and litter. Cellophane is derived from biodegradable cellulose, usually from wood, but can also be produced from cotton or hemp.

Our packaging is hand-collated in our studio or by our sewing
manufacturers. Look out for our eco-friendly, 100% home-compostable shipping satchels. They are waterproof and durable, and they break down in 3-6 months when composted, compared to the 300 years it can take plastic bags. Cardboard boxes are used so things don’t get crushed, and where possible, we use recycled bubble wrap from people in the village of Mount Victoria.

Donations

We donate funds to organisations or donate goodies for organisations to raffle.

2021-now:
Aboriginal Legal Aid
Arts Law
bentART
Beyond Blue
Blue Mountains Frocktails
Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute
Bob Brown Foundation (monthly)
Canteen
Caritas Australia
Daniel Morcombe Foundation
Dog Rescue Newcastle
DV West
Full Stop Australia
Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species Ltd
Hawkesbury Headspace
Hawkesbury Helping Hands Inc.
Hotel Etico
Indigenous Literacy Foundation
Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre WA
Katoomba Rotary (fundraising effort)
Kids Cancer Project
Lymphoedema Association Australia
MYST Youth Services Team
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital
Rainbow Shoelace Project
Red Cross Türkiye-Syria Earthquakes Appeal
Red Cross
Science for Wildlife
ShelterBox
Shine for Kids
Support the Girls Australia Ltd
Team Wonder Women Mystery Box
The Gender Centre Inc
The Kids Cancer Project
The Smith Family
The Victorian Pride Centre
Wayside Chapel
Wear it Purple
WIRES
Women Sport Australia Advocacy and Programs

Do the politicians know you've drawn them?

Often we get asked do the politicians know about Mount Vic and Me. The answer is yes!

We send tea towels, socks, mugs, etc to them so they know they are featured. Some love to respond by sharing on social media, others we don't get a response at all. You can see some of the politicians and their designs here.

Check out our instagram reel on this commonly asked question too.

P.S. We would love Julia Gillard to respond but understand she chooses not to. We respect that. x

Drop-shipped items

As much as we would love to manufacturer every item, we simply can’t! We partner with drop-shipping companies in Australia and overseas for: T shirts & hoodies, shoes and boots, aprons, cushions, clothing, totes, mugs (and more!)

By creating on demand and not creating mass-produced items, we generate less waste and aim to keep environmental impacts within the apparel supply chain to a minimum. Except for our Australian made tea towels, brooches and socks, this means we don't buy bulk then sell mass quantities of items that could potentially become landfill if not sold.

Each product item will list whether it’s shipped by one of our partner manufacturers or via our studio shop. Because of the nature of ‘made to order’, some items will be at least 10 days-4 weeks delivery time to your door.

We are thrilled to learn our drop-shipping partner has created a Code of Conduct (late 2023) and is committed to environmentally and socially responsible business management: 'We expect the same commitment and conduct from all our Suppliers. Printify also requires Suppliers to respect the principles of environmentally responsible, socially responsible, and ethical conduct by integrating these principles into their company culture.'

Manufacturers overseas include China, UK and USA.

We are always looking for Australian manufacturers, so please contact us if you’d like to quote.

'Mens' and 'Womens' sizing?

Our sewing manufacturer in Victoria has the Ethical Clothing Australia tick of approval. As of August 2022, we are trialing sewing with the Country Womens Association (CWA) Bathurst Branch. We also sew a small volume at our studio shop.

Our Blue Mountains Socks are manufactured in Victoria.

Please note we did work with Corrective Services Industries for a short period but after learning more about the programme, we decided it was not aligned with our ethos.

Vintage finds

Kara's mum raised her kids on second hand goodies. She was a single mum and did markets across Sydney for 30+ years. Kara's love for vintage frocks started there. It's where she learnt how to repair clothes, washing clothes, darning buttons and turning up jeans and became a 1st class ironing whizz to earn pocket money.

As part of the slow down on fast fashion, we have always been big on recycling and reusing. Vintage clothing, homewares and other curated finds are part of Kara's life. Sourcing treasures, discovering their value and repairing items so they can have another life is all part of Mount Vic and Me.

You'll find a great range of upcycled denim jackets instore too. These have salvaged finds, finishing touches, tassles, brocade and more. Totally unique!

The studio shop in Mount Victoria is perfect for vintage and retro finds. You'll find a lot of it online too.

Meet the team

  • Kara

    Kara loves op-shopping and road trips, gardening and dreaming of the next big overseas adventure.

    In 2024, Kara Cooper was the first person to have ever drawn during Question Time in House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra.

  • Kevin

    You'll see Kevin in the shop each Saturday. He loves bushwalking, careing for our local wildlife AND dressing up for the shop!
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Fashion is for everybody

We believe ‘fashion is for every body’. If you love colour, sparkles and fun – we think we’ll have something for you. Discover a kaleidoscope of nostalgia, colour and all things quirky in the studio. There is nothing better than seeing people walk into the studio shop, clap their hands and said ‘I don’t know where to start!’.

With stockists all over Australia and the business sending out orders to our amazing customers every day, people often ask us ‘what’s next?’. Well, you’ll just have to wait and see! x

  • Your gender and sexuality are very much welcome here.

    No matter your gender, or your sexuality, you are welcome here. I invite you to express your gender and/or your sexuality however you wish. You will not be met with judgement.

    These gorgeous posters by incredible body activist and feminist Nic McDermid.

  • You are the expert of your own body!

    In this space, your lived experience of living in your body is of utmost importance. YOU are the expert, you always have been, and you always will be.

    Come visit.

    We still have some work to do trying to get better access to our historic building (2 steps at the front door) and are investigating how we can get wheelchair access happening. But we will do everything we can to help you! We have even brought outfits to waiting cars outside where gorgeous peeps just can’t come in.

  • Every BODY is welcome here.

    We celebrate ALL bodies, irrespective of body size, shape, gender, sexuality, race, ability, religion, socioeconomic, status or lived experience.

    Need some privacy?

    If you would like to shop in private for whatever reason – we are happy to work with you. Not everyone wants all our cool customers gushing over new outfits (though everyone is totally positive in our cool space). Just email for more info on how to set up an appointment.
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Membership

Mount Vic and Me is a proud member of Blue Mountains Tourism and ACON Welcome Here Project.
Our tea towels, greeting cards, Blue Mountains Socks and brooches are proudly licensed with the Australian Made Campaign.

This new website was created in May 2024. You will see our reviews have started 19th May 2024.
These were originally posted on our wordpress site over the years.