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Pink Shorts Press team up with VAN BRUSSEL for an afternoon of poetry, jazz, wine, and books

By Vanessa Elle

Posted on September 11, 2025

This September, Pink Shorts Press is teaming up with VAN BRUSSEL for an afternoon of poetry, jazz, wine, snacks, fashion, books, and creative community at their pop-up Book Salon.

Photography credits:
Photographer: Ekaterina Shipova Raw
Talent: Sienna Way
Styling: Rachel Van Brussel

What’s better than one awesome new local business in Adelaide? Two of them! This September, Pink Shorts Press is teaming up with VAN BRUSSEL for an afternoon of poetry, jazz, wine, snacks, fashion, books, and creative community at their pop-up Book Salon.

The creative collaboration between these two SA businesses will feature readings, a book swap, and music, all against the backdrop of a chic fashion boutique. Bring a book you loved, to swap with a new friend.

‘We’re bringing together local music talent, the artistry of the VAN BRUSSEL Autumn/Winter collection, a reading from Pink Shorts Press new-release author Olivia De Zilva and a blind book swap — all paired with beautiful Coriole wines and snacks. It’s an afternoon designed to nurture connection,’ explains designer Rachel Van Brussel, who adds that the event aims to celebrate the unique culture of Adelaide.

Van Brussel returned to Adelaide last year to found her eponymous label after working interstate and overseas, around the same time that Pink Shorts Press co-founders Margot Lloyd and Emily Hart returned to Adelaide to start their publishing business. But it’s more than just their roots that these two businesses have in common. Both have opened in the CBD under the Renew program, with VAN BRUSSEL on Ebenezer Place in the East End, and Pink Shorts Press in the iconic Adelaide Arcade. They both also prioritise local talent and creativity.

‘Literary events are having a bit of a moment, with Dua Lipa picking Helen Garner for her recent book club, and book swaps popping up at Pilates classes and pubs. People want alternative ways to get off screens and build community,’ Lloyd notes of the overseas events that inspired the Book Salon.

‘Book swaps are a fun way to start a conversation with someone,’ Hart adds, sharing that the Book Salon is the kind of event they wish they’d had when they first moved back to Adelaide. ‘It can be tricky making friends and finding where you fit when you move to a new place.’

Tickets include wines by South Australian-loved Coriole Vineyards, live music by local jazz singer and songwriter Danica Elle, and readings by Olivia De Zilva, Pink Press author of Plastic Budgie (check out our review of Plastic Budgie here!).

VAN BRUSSEL will be offering an exclusive 10% discount on their Autumn/ Winter 2025 collection, while Pink Shorts Press will be offering 10% off their 2025 book pack.