Despite running an international company with headquarters in Melbourne, James Bartle’s heart is deeply held on Tamborine Mountain.
The founder of Outland Denim is a fifth-generation local and after growing up in Longreach and spending time in Sydney, where he met wife, Erica, he moved back to the mountain about 15 years ago.
“I’ve always loved it and wanted to be here. Erica struggled coming from Sydney at first but now you’d be doing well to drag her away,” he shared.
It’s always felt like home because of my family. We’d come back for Christmas holidays and I always remember driving up the mountain and mum would tell us when we get to the rainforest to wind our windows down and smell the fresh rainforest air.”
Life is juggle with three young children and a successful clothing business dedicated to “uplifting humanity and healing the planet”.
James began Outland Denim in 2016 after being made aware of the realities of human trafficking.
“I understood the economic situation that poor and vulnerable people are often born into which made them vulnerable to exploitation,” he explained.
“The greatest way to combat that is through an economic solution that doesn’t take away their agency. Where they can have the dignity and are given tools through our program to be successful on their own.
“The women who have experienced traumatic situations can join our team where they are loved and given the opportunity to grow through different programs like Chmer Literacy, finance training and women’s health issues and access our onsite medical clinic.”
Prior to COVID work took James frequently away, however, like for many remote working became vital during the pandemic and he’s grateful that’s been able to carry on, allowing him to remain close to his family.
“It’s a luxury to be able to live in such a beautiful, small town with proximity to international airports,” he said.
His passion for the mountain has driven his determination to keep his family here.
“My kids have friends here and the majority of their family is here; why would I want to take them away from that,” James stated.
“To have a community that recognise your kids in the street and look out for each other is pretty special.”
James said his ancestors before him were also focused on investing in the community and this has been recognised through the naming of roads, parks and famous landmarks such as Curtis Falls and Bartle Road.
“The locals have rallied behind our business to invest in it in various ways, either purchasing from our pop-up at North Stores or buying shares during our Equity Crowd Sourced Funding rounds,” he said.
“It is really a unique community.”
