JULIE FARELLY Joint Owner
How did you get to work for Astratex?
I was seconded to do some contract work at Astratex whilst working for a chartered accounting firm.
What do you like about working in the fabric industry?
It's a creative environment.
What ideas, if any, do you have for the store?
Heaps. I'm always coming up with new ideas, some are acted upon and others are shot down before they get legs!
Describe your personal style.
Uninhibited.
Have you ever blown the budget on a wild indulgence?
Yes, buying Astratex!
What would you do if you had a $million suddenly pop into your bank account?
Give most of it away.
Name your fave music artist - Neil Young, John Lennon
Name your fave fashion designer - Hilary White, Taryn McLean


PAUL SPARKS Joint Owner
Describe your personal style.
Over the top.
What ideas do you have for Astratex?
To make it an absolutely mindblowing experience and a great place to shop.
Have you ever blown the budget on a wild indulgence?
Always.
What has been your defining moment to date?
Having dinner with every celeb in the world at the Tribeca Film Festival hosted by Robert De Niro.
Name 3 things would you take with you on a desert island.
Tweezers, sunscreen and hat.
Name your favourite book - The Story of Leigh Bowery.
Name your favourite music artist - Madonna.
Name your favourite fashion designer - Jean Paul Gaultier.


TARYN McLEAN
How did you get to work for Astratex?
Meeting Paul Sparks when I was fresh out of fashion school. We made each other laugh, and I was suddenly on the payroll.
What do you like about working in the fabric industry?
So many colours and textures to suit all my moods.
Describe your personal style.
Flighty, unreserved.
Who has had the most influence on you growing up?
My mum of course.
Name your fave book - Perfume by Patrick Suskind.
Name your fave film - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory.
Name your face music artist - anyone who makes me dance.
What makes you smile?
The rain


HILARY WHITE
What do you like about working in the fabric industry?
The endless re-inventions involved! Meeting folk who are creative. Home dressmakers are mostly a great bunch of people - they garden, read and don't shoplift or bounce cheques!
Describe your personal style.
Unpredictable.
What would you do if you had a $million suddenly pop into your bank account?
Rent the house, sell the car, and journey seriously. Read without guilt.
Name 3 people, dead, alive or imagined, who you would invite to dinner.
Daniel Day Lewis, Ernest Shackleton, Annie Proulx.
Name your fave book - The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
Name your fave film - Lawrence of Arabia
Name your fave music artist - Julian Bream
Name your fave fashion designer - Kenzo
What makes you smile?
Mr Bean, Jerry Seinfeld, and grandparents with small grandchildren.


TERESA REISS
How did you get to work for Astratex?
I was a customer and got the courage to ask for a part-time job. I was employed 2 months later and have been working for the past 10 months.
Describe your personal style.
Trendy, fashionable, and always in brown.
Who or what has had the most influence on you growing up?
My father, and later on in life, a friend who believed in me.
Name 3 things would you take with you on a desert island.
A tall, dark and handsome man - so I can survive, chocolate for my sugar fix, and I cannot live without water.
Name your fave music artist - Robbie Williams.
Name your fave fashion designer - Issey Miyake.
Name 3 people, dead, alive or imagined, you would invite to dinner.
Leonardo da Vinci, Sidney Poitier, Robbie Williams.


TIM TROPP
What do you like about working in the fabric industry?
Working with top-notch produce and people.
Describe your personal style.
A mix between the things I make and Dimmeys/Forges.
Have you ever blown the budget on a wild indulgence?
Yep, sneakers.
What would you do if you had a $million suddenly pop into your bank account?
Retire and move to Tijuana.
Name 3 things would you take with you on a desert island.
A coconut smasher, needle and thread.
What makes you smile?
Saturdays and funny people.