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![Young designer Kate Banks, Collie, always knew she wanted to do something a little different with her life. Picture by Elka Devney Young designer Kate Banks, Collie, always knew she wanted to do something a little different with her life. Picture by Elka Devney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/213265846/07a8b0aa-1611-4dfe-b702-8757e976405e.jpg/r0_118_2304_1418_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Growing up in Collie, heading down town to buy new clothes wasn't easy for Kate Banks, especially when the main street was actually a highway, home to the now famous Collie Hotel.
So, it was no surprise when her family travelled to Sydney or Canberra to visit relatives, all Kate wanted to do was go shopping, and you can't blame her.
"I always wanted to buy new clothes in the school holidays, but Mum would say no problem I'll buy you the patterns and fabric and you can make it yourself," Kate said.
"As a teenager I thought oh my god I don't want to do that, until one day I gave in and before I knew it, I thought it was actually pretty cool.
"Throughout high school I always wanted to be different, up until Year 10 I wanted to be a chef, so when I took a bit more notice in textiles class I thought studying fashion and being from a country public school would be awesome."
While studying textiles in Year 12, Kate made a dress covered with 3D printed objects for her major work and scored herself an interview at Raffles Design College in Sydney.
After graduation, Kate followed her dream to the big smoke where she studied a Bachelor of Design majoring in fashion at Raffles before relocating to Brisbane to finish her degree when the college closed.
Before long, Kate was designing check skirts from her study desk when a roommate encouraged her to have a crack at selling it.
"I started my Instagram page, By.Banks, where people messaged me asking about the skirt and the rest is history," she said.
"Soon after I graduated from university, moved home and started doing it more seriously.
"I launched a website in 2019 where I added a small number of multi-seasonal pieces every few months and it has just grown from there."
Now, from her farmhouse studio Kate lives her dream, creating ready-to-wear pieces and custom bespoke dresses with hopes of one day moving in bridal design.
"I always thought my customers would be locals but there are people from all over following and supporting me," Kate said.
"I even made a shirt for a girl who works on a station in the middle of the territory to wear to an event and I think it is so cool that my designs are being worn at a station party.
"Country people understand really well about where fibres come from, don't get me wrong lots of people from larger cities do as well, but out here they are more emotionally connected to it.
"They know a sheep or cotton farmer and how much the town is impacted by farming families so it means more to people."
Kate loves working with the structure of natural fibres and deeply values the quality of her materials.
![Kate Banks loves working with the structure of natural fibres and deeply values the quality of her materials. Picture by Elka Devney Kate Banks loves working with the structure of natural fibres and deeply values the quality of her materials. Picture by Elka Devney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/213265846/e41845c0-fda1-4198-b6b4-948fdd566065.jpg/r0_118_2304_1418_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"It is all about quality and how things feel...being able to know where the fabric is from is not just a selling point but it is about how the garment lasts and holds dye," she said.
"Every tiny little thing that you can think of, the quality of the fabric has an impact on.
"People want garments that they can wear forever and wash easily rather than hand wash or take to a dry cleaner."
Recently, Kate has pivoted her business to focus more on custom dressmaking and it has been an interesting experience thus far.
"I made a dress for a baby shower which was an overlay in tulle and I have never done anything like that before," she said.
"It was really different as I have sewn tulle but nothing like that so it was fun and I learnt so much.
"I'm excited to see who my customer becomes as I morph more into dressmaking as it is a whole new ballgame.
"A lot of it will involve people sending me their inspo and finding fabrics that will give a similar look."
When it comes to her work, Kate has always been inspired by rural women and said good old Australian gingham can never go out of fashion.
"I always think about how women that live out here want to dress, feel comfortable and stylish," she said.
"I love looking at colours and silhouettes as well as what is happening in New York and London to bring it back down to earth and adapt it to our people out here."
While designers based in the bush aren't as common as their city counterparts, Kate has certainly shown that they can have the best of both worlds.
"I can be out here, which is where I want to live and get my work done at the same time with the same quality as dressmakers and designers in the major cities," she said.
"There is nothing wrong with doing something a bit out of the ordinary, not everyone out here is a nurse or farmer."
To learn more about Kate's incredible work visit @_by.banks on Instagram.