For Tamsin Cooper, 2011 has been a whirlwind of fantastic opportunities and changes. Ellie Constantine talks to the designer about her homecoming and new projects.
Tamsin Cooper's new studio and workshop on Dunedin's Moray Pl is a hive of colour and activity.
When she is not busy with her summer collection, she is raving about how great it is to be home.
After leaving her hometown in 2002 to settle in Arrowtown, Cooper established her successful design business in 2003.
However, feelings of industry isolation and the tug of family ties brought her and her young family back in January.
She opened her first store a few months later and enjoyed her first iD Fashion Week collaboration with her sister Emily Cooper, of Silkbody, in April.
One of the many benefits of having her own store is that it sits directly below Silkbody, which allows her to see her sister and father on a more regular basis and to brainstorm with others in the retail game.
Another benefit is being able to offer a personal service to customers.
The store is open on Fridays and by appointment and Cooper says she likes having her entire range on display and being able to discuss how each piece was made.
Her new range, featuring hydrangeas, which "are huge in Europe", chrysanthemums and vine flowers in "very strong, bright colours", will be out in summer.
Her second collaboration with the Royal New Zealand Ballet will be launched in October.
The accessory collection, which includes coin purses, brooches, bags and a velvet eye-mask, is based on the ballet's production of The Sleeping Beauty.
She describes the pieces as "very intricate" with colours matched to each fairy in the show.
"This particular range is really targeted to young girls," she says.
The ongoing collaboration was "really satisfying and very, very enjoyable".
Another collaboration Cooper is working on is "something special" for the Rugby World Cup with other "old-quarter" businesses.
"This Moray Pl quarter I've come to work in is just great and everyone is really supportive," she says.
She is "loving" being back in Dunedin as its art galleries, museums and libraries are all "really inspiring".
"It is good being back in a city and I think Dunedin has a huge amount to offer, especially in the creative sector."
