Bradmill was established in 1927 in the Melbourne suburb of Yarraville as ‘Bradmill Cotton Mills’ and later became ‘Bradmill Textiles’, mainly producing workwear fabrics.
In 1945 the company began producing denim, becoming its only manufacturer in Australia which later lead them to focus more towards the fashion industry.
The first indigo dyed denim was produced in 1962 followed by the manufacture of stretch elastomeric yarn in 1966 designed for socks. After a major plant upgrade in 1980, stretch denim was introduced to the Australian market in the same wash treatments, weaves and colours as rigid denim.
In the early nineties Bradmill joined as part of the Australian owned company ‘Bradmill Undare Group’ becoming the largest exporter of cotton textiles in Australia.
In 2002 Bradmill Pty Ltd was set up to continue as ‘De Lutis Group’ beginning the reduction of Bradmill’s workforce to less than 100 by 2005 followed shortly by its end.
By 2006 the proposal for the site to be used to facilitate a new residential community had been put forward leaving the mill standing, at least in part due to its heritage listing. Which could mean that it could continue to be used as a canvas for artwork such as the ones featured in the following photos.
Since picking up his first 5d MK III about a decade ago when he commenced his photography career in the fashion, wedding and event industries, Marty from f13 Media has had the pleasure of working on creative photography and film projects all over Australia, NZ, London, Europe and even some small islands in the Whitsundays and Gilis yielding invaluable experiences and an endless flow of inspiration.
Marty believes photography can be done using whatever technology a person has. However, he does enjoy working with an extensive range of gear along with creative and innovative ways to capture moments, such as long exposures, fire trail photography, moving time-lapses, taking pictures and film from the air and more recently a string of 360-degree Virtual Reality projects, to add to the versatility. Marty is excited for future collaborations, adventure, storytelling and travelling the world with a greater purpose than just being a tourist.
If you see Marty on the dancefloor, he is always happy for a chat! But if you’re looking for the signature moustache – it was left in 2020, so spotting him may be slightly more challenging.