'The story of my journey as a designer began when I was a child, living with my family on a wildlife reserve, Tower Hill, in western Victoria where I was surrounded by the beauty of nature and was first taught the importance of caring for fauna and flora.
While developing my aesthetic stye of design as a student at RMIT, I was introduced to the simplicity and symbolic detail present in Japanese design through my family connections and have since repeatedly visited, lived and worked in Japan.
These elements have influenced and inspired my work, combining familiar patterns of the Australian environment with many other everyday influences.'
Nicola grew up surrounded by nature and art in a landscape dominated by an ancient volcano, Tower Hill, in south west Victoria. Her father worked to bring native vegetation back to Tower Hill while her mother studied Fine Art majoring in Printmaking. In the 1950’s & 60’s Nicola’s great aunt and painter, Joyce Thompson freelanced as a Textile Designer in Melbourne’s thriving textile hub, Flinders Lane, which would later become Nicola’s home and studio.
These early influences collided and Nicola set off to study Textile Design at RMIT with a passion for all things natural. Her childhood experiences immersed in nature inspired the designs adorning her signature handbags and became a zeitgeist in Melbourne’s alternative fashion scene.
Combining a unique Australian style while drawing on the simplicity of the Japanese aesthetic, Nicola’s philosophy emphasizes beauty, practicality, high-quality, natural and durable materials, locally made where possible, with an ethical and environmental conscience. By utilising natural elements, patterns and materials, Nicola’s work creates a distinct sense of place and connectedness.
‘Infusing natural themes into our lives and surrounding ourselves with elements and images of nature has been shown to improve people’s well-being, having a biophilic effect’
Her immediate surroundings, love of nature, travel and passion for Australia’s native flora and wildlife are a never-ending resource and inspiration.
Nicola has collaborated and licensed designs for a range of products with companies including The Rug Collection, Zaishu and Ashdene. Get in touch if you have a licensing project in mind!
Nicola brings a breadth of experience an across a number of mediums, including design, fabrication and visual art.
‘I love creating work for a range of applications. From product design to works on an architectural scale, the principles of design are the same’
Large scale artwork and design concepts have been produced for architects, public and private clients such as Meriton and Barwon Health. Nicola works closely with clients to create rich, engaging concepts while understanding the importance of meeting the practical requirements of each project. Design projects are informed by research into the site and environment, along with meaningful consultations with local community and the project’s stakeholders.
Get in touch if you have a project in mind or click through to Projects for more examples.
Since 1989, with over two million trees having been planted, TreeProject is sowing the seeds for a sustainable future.
TreeProject is a non-profitable (Charitable), non-government, volunteer-based organisation leading the way in sustainable re-vegetation throughout Victoria by providing low cost indigenous seedlings to landholders.
Since 2003, we have supported Tree Project and land re-vegetation in Victoria.
BUSINESS
- Nicola Cerini Australia– design and manufacture of hand bags, fashion and homewares.
- NCA brand licensed extensively in gift and homeware markets.
AWARDS/ RESIDENCIES
- Australia Council Residency; Barcelona, Spain
- Finalist- Cecily and Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award, NGV
- Broken Hill Residency, Regional Arts NSW
- The Fabric Workshop, Philadelphia USA: Summer Apprenticeship
COLLECTIONS
- National Gallery of Victoria
- Museum Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
EXHIBITIONS
- Freestyle: New Australian Design for Living, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Italy
- Cecily & Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award, NGV, Melbourne
- Australian Fashion & Textile Design Exhibition, Korea
- Putting it in Print, Canberra, Adelaide, Japan
LECTURING/
MENTORING
- Lecturer RMIT & Melbourne College of Textiles: Screen Printing
- Mentor to undergraduate students and interns
- Screen Printing Workshop Series, Abbotsford Convent & Meat Market Craft Centre
- Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada: Assistant to Inuit Artists from the North West Territories, Summer Residency Program. Worked with artists to translate drawn images into the medium of printed textiles
- Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada: Arts Studio Assistant. Worked directly with resident international artists in the realisation of a myriad of artistic projects.
INNOVATION
- Experimental background with materials and manufacturing processes.
- Introduced the original concept of combining PVC with printed fabric in the manufacture of bags.