This Canberra start-up is saying what we’ve always wanted to.
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Yeah, yeah, we get it—you’re from out of town and think Canberra could use a bit more ‘sparkle’.
There’s so much more happening in your hometown, apparently, and you’re keen to tell everyone about it. Enter: the easy way to tell someone to ‘Say less, mate’—the ‘Canberra thinks you’re boring too‘ mugs and t-shirts from North/South Print Shop.
Founded as a way for couple Andrew Ly and Jennaya Montgomery to express their creativity, North/South’s Canberra pride runs deep— no surprise when you learn the couple moved halfway around the world to get here.
Andrew and Jennaya.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Andrew—a designer by trade—explains he and Jennaya’s book-worthy meet-cute started with a fateful Instagram DM.
“In 2018, Jennaya was moving to Canada for work and was researching the city she was moving to—Victoria, BC—which happened to be where I was living at the time. She came across my photos on Instagram and messaged me to tell me how much she liked my photos and we started talking and eventually agreed to meet when she arrived.”
Naturally, they fell in love against a backdrop of the Canadian wilderness, spending a few years travelling around the scenic country before settling in Canberra where they now live with cats Dumpling, Biscuit, Toastie and Bean (while also taking many a scenic road trip).
Jennaya and Andrew in Canada.
As for the name North/South, Andrew says his “instinct was to come up with a brand for our joint playlist cover image. Since I’m from the northern hemisphere and she’s from the southern hemisphere, North/South seemed perfect! It’s a little homage to our relationship.”
It’s not just Andrew who chose Canberra as a destination either—Jennaya, a federal public servant, grew up in Sydney, moving to Canberra after university.
Being new to Canberra has also given the couple insight into outside perceptions of the city—perceptions they’ve skewered delightfully in their signature merchandise.
“We have the unique experience of having lived in two national capital cities, Canberra and Ottawa, and whenever we’ve told people that we were going to/lived in either city, people always looked sorry for us and asked why,” says Andrew.
“But we’ve loved living in both and know most other people actually do as well, so it was time to bite back at the rest of the country.”
Encouraging Canberrans to wear (or sip from) their city pride, you can now order your ‘Canberra thinks you’re boring too’ gear from North/South’s Etsy Shop and keep an eye out for their products around town, with Andrew hinting at some North-themed goodness coming soon.
“We’re planning on rolling out the same products for Ottawa for the North side of things, and we have few more Canberra-based ideas we want to develop, so watch this space!”
Images supplied
