Carpenter's Daughter

Camille Moir-Smith is a carpenter’s daughter. She grew up in a creative family, and spent many hours in her father’s workshop alongside his apprentices, listening to blues music and smelling the wood curls. As a child she was determined to turn all her wild ideas into tangible inventions, and now at 25 years old, she has continued to live by this approach. Today, Camille creates a range of bespoke leather aprons under the name Carpenter’s Daughter, which have gathered a loyal following amongst local florists, artists, makers and trades people.

Originally studying commercial cookery, business management and visual communication, upon graduating Camille worked in creative direction and graphic design for a string of hospitality clients. However, it didn’t take long before Camille developed an itch for a more hands on creative profession. ‘This is when the idea for Carpenter’s Daughter started, and I think the core motivation of it all was to allow myself to connect with a variety of industries and interests through a product’ says Camille.

Having spent much of her young adult career designing for local hospitality businesses, Camille saw the appeal of creating a ‘uniform’ type product to connect individuals to a larger community. To Camille, the apron was the perfect embodiment of this idea. ‘I think the aprons make people to feel connected to a larger professional tribe, and to allow themselves to mentally arrive at work when they put their aprons on and get into the zone,’ explains Camille.

Influenced by a childhood spent in her father’s workshop, Camille set up a studio in Pop & Scott’s collaborative space in Northcote, and began experimenting with leather and developing apron prototypes. Eventually, she had designed an entire range of aprons for people who like to get their hands dirty. She wanted the aprons to look good, but more than that, she wanted them to be robust and built for everyday use. ‘I enjoy working with leather. I love knowing it will last and age well over time’ she says.

This year Camille hopes to add a few new products to the Carpenter’s Daughter line-up, based on her current obsession with indoor plants and the outdoors. ‘I’m thinking some hemp aprons for artists, and cactus gloves and other playful natural things for the garden!’

Carpenter’s Daughter products are designed and made in Northcote, and are available for purchase at Pop & Scott and After Store in Melbourne.