Alison Bodman
Founder, Alie Jane Travel Accessories & Design
Alison Bodman trained a as a photographer for 6 years before going on to study clothing production. It wasn’t until a trip overseas that she turned from making fashion to full filling a niche market designing and creating unique and individual travel accessories. For the last eight years, Alison has been making a range of fun and funky money belts and it wasn’t till living in Melbourne ( cold and wet hair don’t mix ) that she started making a range of shower caps, which is now her most popular product.
Moving back from Melbourn, Alison went on to win the Westpac Small Business Award in Manufacturing, and herself and the business a finalist in the BEC’s Business Woman of the Year. There are now 16 items in the Alie Jane range. Some items are not travel related, for instance a range of plastic bags bags.
Alie Jane has been part of Renew Newcastle’s project Make Space for the last 18 months and has recently gone on to open her own independent shop in Newcastle Mall. “It excites me and scares me at the same time, sometimes I just think that it is an extension f my own lounge room, I can’t believe I own my own shop, I can sell anything I want.”