THE CREATIVE STORY
The Creative Group was formed by James Hita, Alex Simpson and Kayla Hemana, bringing together a shared belief that creative work should do more than simply look good. It should communicate, connect and make people take notice.
James first found his way into screen printing while at university, using the work to help pay the bills while also taking on graphic design projects on the side. It was during university that he met Kayla. The two later discovered that they were actually family — cousins — and their creative partnership developed from there.
Over the years, James and Kayla found they shared the same approach to design: good creative work should be thoughtful, effective and distinctive. Normal is not enough. In a crowded world, simply blending in means relying on chance to be noticed. The work should have a reason to exist, and it should give people a reason to remember it.
James, Alex and Kayla eventually made the move from Auckland, New Zealand to Brisbane, Australia. The move was not about leaving New Zealand behind, but about choosing a place where they felt they could establish themselves, build something substantial and pursue the opportunities ahead of them. Brisbane felt like a city with momentum — growing, ambitious and full of people building towards what comes next.
In February 2024, James established the business that would eventually become The Creative Group. At first, the work centred on communications projects, graphic design and social media management. Kayla would subcontract on projects from time to time, bringing her own creative perspective and design experience into the work.
By 2025, the idea had begun to grow beyond a freelance creative business.
James wanted to formalise what they were doing and create something the family could build together over the long term. The vision was for a creative group: one place where different members of the family could bring their skills, pursue creative work, support each other and progressively build something larger than any one person could create alone.
A business plan began to take shape around that idea. Rather than trying to build everything at once, the Group would expand one capability at a time, establishing each part properly before moving to the next.
The first major step was screen printing.
Originally, the plan was modest. James intended to purchase some equipment, set it up in the garage and gradually build a small screen printing operation alongside the existing creative work.
While searching for equipment, however, he came across something much bigger: Distinct Edge, an established garment decoration and uniform business whose owners, Tony and Denise Ramsay, were preparing to move on to the next chapter of their lives.
Instead of simply purchasing a screen printing press, James purchased the business.
The acquisition changed the scale of the plan almost immediately. Distinct Edge brought with it existing customers, equipment, production capability, industry knowledge and a long history of serving the local community. The Distinct Edge brand was retired, and the first substantial iteration of The Creative Group was born.
For Alex, the transition also meant learning an entirely new trade.
Alex trained in embroidery under the guidance of the previous owner, learning the practical craft of operating commercial embroidery equipment and producing work to the standard customers had come to expect. He was also able to draw on something closer to home: two generations of embroidery knowledge within James' family.
Special thanks go to Raewynne Hita and Kim Leef, whose experience and guidance have helped carry that knowledge forward into the next generation.
Today, The Creative Group is still at the beginning of its story.
What started with communications and graphic design has developed into a business spanning design, apparel, screen printing, embroidery and garment decoration, with further capabilities continuing to be added as the Group grows.
The long-term goal is to build a genuine one-stop creative shop: a place where a customer can arrive with an idea and find the people, skills and production capability needed to turn it into something real.
For the family behind it, the ambition is equally simple: create together, build together and grow together.