Customer FAQ
Got questions? I got answers! Leisurely scroll the convenient list of FAQ below, or contact me if you still need help. I promise you'll get it.
Kablooie is a completely online business, and I am continuing to run basically as normal during COVID19 restrictions. Freight and supply chain delays continue to be a challenge, as with many businesses worldwide, so some items will be out of stock for longer as I wait for fabric to be delivered.
Each of my Kablooie team members work from their own home studios, as do I, so we are continuing to work safely while taking care with hygiene (frequent handwashing, and cleaning of surfaces, doorknobs and devices), and social distancing. In the event of a COVID19 positive test, we will isolate for the required period and will not touch any work materials during that time. You can be assured your health and wellbeing is important to us at every stage of the making journey.
Kablooie is an Australian owned and made, sustainable, handmade clothing label. I have a delicious range of exclusive designs which I collaborate with independant artists to produce - bringing my ideas to life. These designs are printed onto fabric and used to make my garments. Even though I have a wide range of fabrics, I am still a very small business.
Because of this, your order is hand cut after I receive it, as I don't have finished items sitting on the shelf waiting to be sent out. I usually have open orders either being cut, sewn, or about to be posted out.....so while I may not be working on YOUR order right now, I am always working on someone's order.
Because everything is made to order, I can also offer you a range of ways to customise your order - it's all part of creating clothes that make you deep down happy and fit you JUST right.
Each order takes an average of 3 weeks from when we receive it, to when it's finished and ready to post.
Wanna know why? Come behind the scenes with me:
At any given time, I could be managing between 100 - 200 active orders. Each week, I pull out my big rolls of Kablooie fabric and my pattern pieces, and we cut out orders, reading individual instructions to customise where requested.
At the end of the week, these cut garments go out to each of my seamstresses. These super hero sewists sew through their pile in their sewing rooms at home, and then return all their completed sewing (and pick up a new pile).
Each Monday, all that beautiful finished sewing is checked, folded and packed into parcels to go out to its new home with you! All parcels are tracked and you’ll receive an email letting you know your order is complete, and a tracking number so you can follow it's progress.
Usually, each garment will be finished and in the post within 3 weeks. Sometimes, when a new design is launched, or fabric shipments are delayed, they may take a little longer. At the moment, post may be slower than normal as so many businesses are going online as a response to COVID19. But it is still on it's way! The important thing is, each piece is carefully and sustainably handcrafted for you, by seamstresses who are paid based on Australian award rates.
Want your dress in time for a special party , or heading away overseas soon?
Your best option is to contact me before you check out. I usually get back to you within 24 hours, and I will always confirm for sure whether it will be possible to complete your order and get it to you by a set date. If you want your order to get through the post speedily (once it is completed), you can choose express postage at checkout. This will not give your order priority in my workroom - but your postage time will be quicker once it is in the hands of Australia Post.
If you contact me after purchase, I can not guarantee delivery by a certain date. I often have more than 100 orders open at any one time, and it is not fair to all my other lovely customers to allow others to jump the cue frequently. I also have committed not to put any pressure on any of my seamstresses to complete work quicker than our contractually agreed timeframes, because my work at Kablooie includes looking after them too.
For most purchases, postage will be free - everything $100 or over qualifies for free postage. For items under $100, I charge $9.90 flat rate postage anywhere in Australia, or $16.50 express (both including GST).
If for any reason you are charged postage incorrectly, please contact me - I can check details and refund you.Sometimes it's just a technical glitch on the website.
All orders are sent in satchels, with tracking (satchels are reuseable and biodegradeable).
All parcels are sent via Australia Post, who advise that a standard parcel can take up to a week to be delivered (I have had some parcels take up to two weeks). If your parcel doesn't arrive within two weeks after being posted in Australia - please FIRST check your tracking number online. If you're still unable to find the information or it looks like something is wrong, please then contact me so I can help. You may need to allow more than the usual time during busy holiday periods such as Christmas. The current COVID19 situation does seem to be impacting post times, so please be patient if your parcel is a little late.
International postage is $25, flat rate worldwide. I now post to both Canada and the USA , as well as most other countries worldwide. I have ceased posting to the UK and most EU countries as the current customs and tax requirements are onerous for a small business and I am currently reviewing what is required of me.
Don't forget some countries charge customs or other fees on your order, and these are unrelated to and not included in the product or postage cost which I charge you. Any extra charges are outside of my control - please ensure you understand this before purchasing - as I don't want you to experience any rude shocks.
International postage can take from 2 - 6 weeks depending on where you are located. Tracking is usually available on international parcels, but can depend on the reliability of your own country’s postal service. I no longer post to eh UK or EU due to customs requirements in these countries - I'm so sorry!
I do not accept returns (including return to sender) based on additional taxes or charges being applied in your country after I have shipped your product. This is part of the terms and conditions you accept upon checkout. Thanks so much for your understanding.
Yes I do! International postage is $25, flat rate worldwide. I now post to both Canada and the USA , but I no longer post to either the UK or the EU due to onerous customs requirements - I'm so sorry. I do post to most other countries worldwide. You can also choose DHL express courier, which is currently $60 for most countries (I am absorbing some of the costs, but it's just super expensive to courier overseas right now)
Don't forget some countries charge customs or other fees on your order, and these are unrelated to and not included in the product or postage cost which I charge you. Any extra charges are outside of my control - please ensure you understand this before purchasing - as I don't want you to experience any rude shocks.
International postage can take from 2 - 6 weeks depending on where you are located. Tracking is usually available on international parcels, but can depend on the reliability of your own country’s postal service. At the moment postage to some coutrnies is very slow or delayed due to COVID19 restrictions. I can still post, but I am unable to guarantee specific shipping timeframes. Thanks for your understanding.
I do not accept returns (including return to sender) based on additional taxes or charges being applied in your country after I have shipped your product. This is part of the terms and conditions you accept upon checkout. Thanks so much for your understanding.
My current size range is a ladies size 4 - 26 in cotton dresses, tops and skirts. Please note this is Australian sizing. If you need a size outside of this range, please let me know. I can usually custom make your size for no additional cost. Here's more detailed information on sizing.
Every garment in my online shop can be purchased 'as is' with no changes or customisations (that means regular regular length for all dresses and skirts).
However, because I understand everyone is a little bit different, I offer many options to customise your Kablooie garment, so it's perfect for YOU! I now have a full page (with pictures - whoop!) to walk you through customising - check it out!
For free:
- You can request up to 5cm adjustment in the hemline (longer or shorter) so it works better for your height. No more constant trips to the drycleaner to get hems done! 5 cm is the maximum change you can request for no cost.
- You can also make the armholes looser (with a wider circumference)
- You can scoop the neckline a little more, up to 1.5 inches (still in the same shape - no V necks, sorry!).
- You can lengthen the bust section of the babydoll dress by up to 5cm, so the raised waistline is comfortably below your bust.
For an extra cost:
- You can add longer sleeves, to the elbow (for cotton non stretch tops and dresses)
- You can add 3/4 or full length sleeves (for the jersey dress/top only).
- You can make your dress or skirt midi length (to below your knee), or maxi length (to your ankle).
- You can even add a matching fabric belt for a funky silhouette, or a Scrunchie in matching fabric.
Many of my regular customers love these options, and choose them over and over - and of course, you can pick your own, or simply add your garment to cart as is. Once you know what works, just choose those options everytime.
So many of my regular Kablooie fans LOVE a good customised option....but if you're new here, it can be a leeetle bit overwhelming. Basically, if you don't tick any squares, add any notes or blow any bells or whistles, you'll add a standard garment to cart - normal cap sleeves, round neckline, standard length, no extras. BUT you'll see you can choose from 3 different lengths, extra sleeve length or you can add a fabric belt or scrunchie, just by ticking the right box. You can also use the notes box to ask for 'extra scoop on the neckline please', 'wider armholes please', or 'extra 5cm length on the bodice/hem of my dress/top please'. Hopefully that makes perfect sense! If not, head to 'Customise My Kablooie' to see visual examples.
I started holding informal Open Studio afternoons at Kablooie headquarters in 2020, allowing you to come join me to try on samples, feel and touch the fabric and designs, get styling and sizing advice and work out what you love. These Open Studios will start up again, but will be less frequent (maybe twice a year). You'll find dates and locations in my private facebook group.
However, for those customers not in Brisbane, or who can't get to an open studio, I am now offering Try-Before-You-Buy - where I post out sample garments for your to try on, accompanied by a 15 minute zoom call with me (only if you want to) while you have the garments if needed. I will send you the size and style in a sample garment to try on, along with a size larger or smaller for comparison. All you pay is postage. Sound helpful? Let's do it!
Absolutely yes! I have a growing range of dresses in my most popular prints, especially printed onto a soft, comfortable stretch cotton jersey. This fabric is best described as a light tee shirt weight stretch, not heavy or clingy. The most common feedback I get is that it's a really flattering comfortable fit and falls beautifully. The dress is a tunic style with cap sleeves, hidden non stretch pockets, and sits around the knee. You can add midi length as well if you like it a little longer. The breastfeeding component is like a racer singlet style underneath, with a layer on top that can be pulled up. The singlet section can be pulled to the side with one hand, so that you can feed peekaboo style, with quite a lot of privacy.
Some Breastfeeding tops are also available, and you can just contact me if you'd like one made for you in a fabric which isn't listed (or in a babydoll style).
Finally, I do get asked frequently if the dresses work during pregnancy as well. They're only a new product, but I have had several customers already who have worn them through the entire pregnancy, and then for feeding afterwards. The only part of pregnancy they may not always work for is the last few weeks before birth, when you may sometimes experience rapid growth of your pregnant tummy. I'll continue to update this section as I get more feedback.
I have recently launched the babydoll top in jersey and cotton, which I think will work really well for pregnancy wear, especially in the organic Jersey stretch version! Many customers have found my jersey range is great for pregnancy - particularly the babydoll dress. The dresses are made with a soft stretchy jersey, with a raised gathered waistline. I also have a range of jersey tops which are a fairly generous fit, and which will stretch over a growing tummy quite easily for at least the first 2 trimesters (not speaking as a pregnancy fashion expert, just as a mum who has been through 3 pregnancies and tried ALL the styles).
I do get asked as well if my breastfeeding range of dresses (and soon tops) work during pregnancy as well. They're only a new product, but I have had several customers who have worn them through the entire pregnancy, and then for feeding afterwards. The only part of pregnancy they may not always work for is the last few weeks before birth, when you may sometimes experience rapid growth of your pregnant tummy. I'll continue to update this section as I get more feedback.
At the moment, my detailed sizing charts show the actual garment measurements, rather than body measurements. The easiest way to work out sizing is to measure a garment you already have (which is made from a similar material - ie cotton non stretch or stretchy fabric).
However, as a general rule, UK sizing is similar to Australian, and you should go down an average of 2 sizes to find your US size. Please see this article on the Finder website for a helpful conversion chart. Please keep in mind that my sizes are a little more generous than the average Australian chain store size.
Yes! Afterpay is available on all of my range. You can find more information regarding Afterpay here.
If you receive your order and you got the size wrong, don’t panic. I understand this happens, because it’s hard to translate numbers into how a garment looks on your unique figure. If you contact me and post your order back within 2 weeks, I will exchange for another size, even if it’s a customised order. An exchange may be either an adjustment on your garment or the completion of a new one for you.
If you are exchanging for size, your garment must be exchanged within 2 weeks of receiving it, and be in unworn condition to be exchanged (ie a try on is fine but not if you have worn it more than once).
To exchange, please contact me for a return address, and return your garment for exchange promptly. Postage back to me is your responsibility, and I'll take care of postage back to you. Where an exchange requires a new garment to be made, turnaround time is the same as with the original order - up to 3 weeks.
If you have worn a garment several times and washed it, or have had it for longer than 2 weeks and not contacted me, it is not in a condition suitable for exchange.
However, as a small designer label, I am not able to offer a free return or an exchange if you change your mind after purchase. As with any significant purchase, please consider carefully before checking out. I do understand that you might decide a piece doesn't suit you as well when you received it, and I have a solution for you - you are free to join my Facebook group (which has close to 5000 members who love Kablooie) and sell your piece in there.
Please check out my full terms and conditions here. Kablooie Store complies with Australian Law for Returns and Exchanges. As per Australian Law, refunds are available only if your product is defective or has a major fault in it, which can not be reasonably fixed.
Every single Kablooie product is pretty awesome (I think!), and is handmade. There will be small differences in pattern placement, stitching and thread colour, and slight variations, as each item is individual and not mass produced. Change of mind (deciding you no longer want your product, or don't like the style or fit, when it's been described via product photos and descriptions, and sizing charts, fits under this category). For this reason, please choose carefully. Where there is fault in your product, I will either fix it for you, or provide an exchange or credit for a new items, or where appropriate, a refund.
While I offer some customisations, this is only for the garments currently in my range. I am not able to custom make styles of your choice for you in my fabrics. Even though it's sometimes fun, this is a very time consuming and often expensive process for me, as it may require patterns to be drafted, tested and modified, and test garments sewn and then adjusted before a garment can be created for you. A custom piece may be closer to $500 plus when I consider the time taken to draft and test a new pattern for you.
Please contact me if you want to discuss a custom range for your brand or event (but please be aware, as each item is handmade and not manufactured, I do not offer wholesale rates for larger quantities).
No I don’t. Each of my exclusive fabrics has been developed from my own ideas or sketches in collaboration with independent designers, or is artwork purchased from the artist for my exclusive use - so that I am able to offer my customers something really special. It’s a big investment for me as a small business, so I don’t sell any of my fabric for other purposes.
Some of my exclusive designs I purchase already completed from designers - Whimsy Kaleidoscope, She's That Wallflower and Ellen McKenna are some artists and surface pattern designers whose prints I have purchased for exclusive use or printing.
For other designs in my range (like Faces or This Is Australia), I have a vision for a fabric, and I take my sketches, colour swatches, style photos and notes to a surface pattern designer, and commission a special design to be created from my ideas. This process can sometimes take days, other times months. It's always so exciting to see my ideas come to life, and see the skill of surface pattern designers (like Ellie Whittaker and Brook Gossen) who can bring my ideas to life through their artwork.
I produce small batch, made to order products that are designed and sewn in Australia. As a result there is minimal waste of fabric and materials required to produce each piece. My employees are local and paid at or above award wages and work at their own pace in their own homes.
Since the start of 2019, all parcels are sent out in biodegradable or recyclable packaging, and where ever possible, I reuse fabric offcuts for smaller products, or in collaborations with other businesses. Fabric offcuts too small to use are donated regularly to community kindergartens or childcare centres. We also aim to recycle as much of our soft plastic and other waste as we can.
I also add carefully tested new styles to my range occasionally (like my reversible hat or accessories like facemasks) which are intended to be made completely from fabric reclaimed in the production process, reducing our waste and imporving sustainability.
I am always reviewing processes, and learning more about how to be a sustainable small business.
I value your privacy, and your private information. And I hate spam. Please read our separate privacy policy carefully here.
You can expect, vibrant, fun, quirky clothes that are relaxed fit, easy to wear, and easy to love.
I will always work my hardest to bring you beautifully sewn products in incredible designs, that I am proud to put my brand on.
If you receive your order and you got the size wrong, don’t panic. I understand this happens, because it’s hard to translate numbers into how a garment looks on your unique figure. If you contact me and post your order back within 2 weeks, I will exchange for size, even if it’s a customised order. Because each piece is carefully handmade for you, I don’t accepts returns for change of mind, just like any other small boutique, so please choose carefully. (see returns and exchanges for more details)
Please don’t expect perfection. Perfection is over rated. Each piece is handcut (with human hands, usually mine, and one pair of scissors), pattern placement varies and occasionally thread colour will too. Kablooie pieces - while high quality and consistently sewn - will be perfectly imperfect.
Expect high standards, fun and colourful clothing, and the opportunity to customise your garment to suit you.
Please don't request micro changes to measurements that can't be easily carried out without physical tailoring, or changing the style of garments outside my normal scope, as sometimes this just doesn't work (I don’t mind you asking, if you don’t mind me saying no when it's not possible). Thank you for understanding!
Please remember that serving you as a customer does not make me your employee. I have worked hard to create this brand, and every order that comes through gives me a thrill - but making a garment for you doesn't mean I will tolerate any abuse, rudeness and lack of consideration.
Thank you so much for choosing Kablooie!
You can always get in touch with me via the contact page. I will reply to any messages I receive within 1 - 2 days (or if it's over the weekend, you'll hear from me Monday morning). Unless I'm away on holidays and using a virtual assistant, It will be me (Keneena) who answers all your emails or messages. If you want to hear from me regularly about new designs, restocks and other fun stuff, become a VIP
If you want to see my media pack or press releases, please head to the Media page. (Please note I am not currently taking on any new fabric designs, as the impact of 2020 has meant I have a backlog of work to develop and launch right through 2021.)
The Kablooie Rewards Club is a way for you to earn rewards points from shopping, referring a friend or leaving a review. You can then use those points, WHENEVER you want, when you purchase your gear. AWESOMENESS. Find out more.