Elke Kramer is one of Australia’s industry leaders
in fashion, jewellery and design, and she launched her self-directed, eponymous label 10 years ago, in 2004. Since then it has generated a cult following and is
stocked in boutiques around the world. A creative-director, as well as
innovative jewellery designer and illustrator, Elke brings a vast reservoir of
creativity to each of her artistic endeavors… But now she tackles something
much bigger!
This April. Elke will be pushing her limits on trek to base camp of Mount Everest for Sunnyfield's 'On Top of the World' Campaign, with Cheif Financial Officer of Sunnyfield, Annie Doyle. As well as joining Annie (who will be climbing the
entire summit of the mountain), Elke will be trekking with three other amazing
women: director of Hype DC, Cindy Gilbert, artist and former Olympian, Sophie
Cape, publishing entrepreneur, Melissa Bergin, and installation artist, Kate
Mitchell.
The campaign aims to raise $100k for Sunnyfield services, and Elke has
pledged to raise $10k in support of her ambassadorship for the charity. What
Elke is striving to highlight through her commitment to this trek are facts
about youth and intellectual disability, as a significant number of Sunnyfield
clients are still under 18, 60% of them having a moderate to severe
communication impairment.
We
are incredibly proud of the commitment Elke is making, and we would like to
express our full support for this incredible example of courage and
humanitarianism that these women are embarking on! And in a celebration of the strong, creative woman that Elke is, we wanted to pick her brain by way of an ever-intriguing Proust Questionnaire. She certainly is an incredibly inspiring person:
What do
you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
The absence of family. And ritual.
Where
would you like to live?
Under the sea.
What is
your ideal of earthly happiness?
To live in contact with those I love, with the beauties of
nature, with a quantity of books and music, and to have every single night a bath and a glass
(or two) of red wine.
To what
faults do you feel most indulgent?
My love of wine.
Who are
your favourite heroes of fiction?
The Wizard of Oz.
Who are
your favourite characters in history?
Luisa Marchesa Casati Stampa di Soncino and the beautiful,
extravagant and eccentric Italian heiress from the turn of the century, who
astonished society by parading with a pair of leashed cheetahs and wearing live
snakes as jewellery.
Who are
your favourite heroines in real life?
Mothers.
Your
favourite painter?
Cy Twombly
Your
favourite musician?
Abdelkader Chaou
The
quality you most admire in a man?
Hariness.
The
quality you most admire in a woman?
The ability to birth life.
Your
favourite virtue?
Generosity.
Your
favourite occupation?
I also wanted to be a florist,
Who would
you have liked to be?
A wine maker living in the south of France, with a pottery kiln,
bucket-loads of spare time and a large sailing boat.
Your most
marked characteristics?
You can’t get away with much with a head full of crazy curls – I
stick out like a sore thumb.
What do
you most value in your friends?
Creativity. All my friends inspire me with their wealth of
talent.
What is
your principle defect?
I am the world’s worst time manager and I get nothing done on
time. To quote a coin from my dear friend Georgia Ashdown; I am a ‘Time
Optimist’ that being I assume I have more then I do and as a result constantly
finish short of my expectations
What to
your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
To loose your sight, This world is a visual feast.
What
would you like to be?
Invisible.
What is
your favourite colour?
Rose gold.
What is
your favourite flower?
I currently am obsessed with Rhododendrons, and am excited that
they bloom into season just as I hit the great Himalayans trail up to Base Camp
Everest next week!
Rhododendrons have medicinal properties and Bees that harvest
pollen exclusively from these plants produce honey that is hallucinogenic
What is
your favourite bird?
At preschool, when I was five, my group of girlfriends allocated
everyone a bird, based on a reflection of their looks and nature. I was given
the Dodo bird, probably as a joke, but I think it has formed the foundation of
my sense of self in others eyes. Thus I love the Dodo bird in a way I have
learned to love myself.
Who are
your favourite writers?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Who are
your favourite poets?
Rumi, an Islamic love poet.
Who are
your heroes in real life?
Mid-wives
Who are
your favourite heroines of history?
Cleopatra
What are
your favourite names?
Dahlia, Juniper, Zivah, Myrtle, Saffron… My partner is scared if
we have any more kids it will start sound like we are spice merchants.
What is
it you most dislike?
Being inactive. Doing nothing. Stagnancy.
What
historical figures do you most despise?
Joseph Goebbels.
What
natural gift would you most like to possess?
Rhythm. And will power.
How would
you like to die?
Painlessly, at the tail of a rich and vibrant life.
What is
your present state of mind?
Content and excited.
What is
your motto?
‘Oh, The glory of now’ (care of my father)
If
you would like to show your support for Elke and for Sunnyfield, just visit her
Everyday Hero page to make a donation or write a motivational message. All help
will be greatly appreciated!
