Small Business Spotlight: Divinnity

Divinnity

Vinny Moore is a Creative Industries Student at Flinders who expresses themselves through colourful, and novel creations you can hang from your very own ear lobes. Being as lovely as their designs, Vinny spoke to ET ed Jess about how they got started, the fashion industry, and what inspires their pieces.

I started making designs for my business mid-2020 when I discovered artists in a similar medium. The ever curious mind I am, I decided to look into how they were made and to my surprise I discovered they could be made using software I was learning at the time through my studies - that’s when I thought “oh! I could do that.” I changed courses a few times during my time at Flinders University. At frst I was studying Costume Design… which I’m sure says a lot about my initial interest in fashion. However, I decided that wasn’t for me and as of now, have changed into studying a Bachelor of Creative Industries. Balancing my uni workload & running my store can be a bit of a challenge, especially while also having a disability. I’m not going to pretend it’s not. I think my advice to others in a similar position would be to know your limits and accommodate for yourself as much as possible. At frst, I was making only what I would describe as “fan merchandise” out of an intense love for some of my niche video game interests, primarily out of a desire to wear these items myself… That is something I would say I continue to embody in my designs - I love to create things that I myself would wear and not necessarily what is “trendy” in fast fashion. Although I still make video game inspired designs, I have been expanding my range to also include a lot of other cute, colourful & quirky designs.

I know that made-to-order items are out of the question for me, so I primarily create items in batches when I have time and when I feel like it. I also take an occasional hiatus when needed and batch pack orders on certain days while listening to my podcasts to relax. As much as I love to create, it is important to me that my health and wellbeing comes frst and that my store remains something that is a fun creative output – it is just a happy bonus for me that I get to share it & bring joy to others. One thing I really dislike about the fashion industry is “fast fashion” and the waste it produces. As a result, I try to use quality materials so that my products can be treasured for a long time. Most of my products are made of a type of plastic, while this isn’t the most eco-friendly, I have become effcient in laying out fles before laser cutting so that there is minimal waste. A little fun fact about my store is that a good amount of my packing supplies are also recycled - I have never once purchased bubble wrap for my store, it’s all hoarded from packaging from other purchases.

Instagram: @divinnitydesign Twitter: @divinnitydesign Etsy: Divinnity Design

My hope is that my store can remain a creative output & a source of joy for others for a long time to come. In the future, I would also love to do collaborations with other creators/brands as well as take on more commission work. I think there’s something really special about making something unique for someone else – and it’s not something I currently get to do often.