All the possibilities of fabric and thread are explored by creators Christopher Arblaster, Angela Carrig, Lachy Lang, and Andrija Sala in their shared Cloister Workrooms space.

Brought together by a common appreciation for creating thoughtful work (and the need for 24hr access to industry-grade sewing machines), the Cloister Workrooms members have been sharing a studio on Pirie Street for a little more than a year. 

Angela Carrig, Andrija Sala, Christopher Arblaster and Lachy Lang

After working from different studios across the city and interstate, they found an availability in the Epworth Building, decided the natural light was sufficient, knocked down a partition, removed carpet tiles and the glue that was underneath them, painted, and moved in. Attention to detail clearly was, and still is, paramount.

Christopher, Angela, Lachy, and Andrija are all working on different projects connected by their appreciation of taking time to consider ideas, and by a common attention to the finer details.

Christopher Arblaster mentions different sewing techniques more than once during our conversation. We now know about patch pockets, flap pockets, and patch-flap-hybrids. He comments on the humming sound from the street that is muffled by the building, which creates a pleasant ambience, and he shows us his favourite place to sit and watch the sky. 

Angela Carrig knows the specific tone of magenta fabric the pizza bar requires for pockets on their new aprons will be quite hard to source, and she asks the others if they’ve seen it for sale anywhere. She is wearing a delicate linen robe of her own design and creation.

Lachy Lang acknowledges that they aren’t “churning out hundreds of things” from Cloister Workrooms. He tells us that although they don’t all have the same aesthetic disposition, nothing they make can be considered “so-2017”. They do their own thing.

Team work at the button-holer

Information to be passed on to the owners of Cloister Workrooms creations

And Andrija Sala is working on a pattern for a pair of pants, and uses an early sample to demonstrate the button-holer machine for us. She explains the two sides of fashion: fast fashion that trickles down from luxury collections, and the other side which is about enjoying and celebrating the process in the same way that people do
with art.

Workroom objects – functional and otherwise

Everything about the Workrooms has been slowly and carefully considered, and it shows. Good things take time, and we are happy to wait when waiting looks – and feels – this good.