EMILY COOPER

DESIGNER & ENTREPRENEUR

Passionate about Dunedin, Emily is chairperson of Dunedin Designed Inc, a society she set up with others to promote Dunedin design through the Guild retail store. 

Emily also runs Dunedin Online, a directory of local online stores. The offshoot DOT (Dunedin Online Traders) serves as a support network for Dunedin ecommerce business owners. 

Emily is the co-founder of silk clothing label, Silkbody. The business was sold in 2018 as Emily set out to explore new projects and passions. At Silkbody, Emily managed the strategic and creative direction of the business, successfully growing it from a traditional distribution model to being almost exclusively online and largely international.

Emily has a degree in Clothing and Textile Science from the University of Otago and maintains ties there, being a member of the advisory board for the Applied Science program at the University.

Married to Sam Clarkson, a web designer, they live with their young daughter in Waikouaiti, near greater Dunedin's northern boundary, where they love the country life.