Hi Michelle, tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am 37, a mumma of 2 beautiful boys, I live on the sunny Gold Coast, Australia and I am an obsessive creative and free spirit. I also have another baby called ‘Minnie’, she is a Jack Russell however believes she is human so we don’t tell her different.

What brought you to become a fashion designer?

My design background comes from 13 years in Civil and Electrical design and drafting along with some Interior Design along the way. I completed an Associate Degree and at the time pursued a career that I believed would for-fill my passion to invent and create but over time my love for designing construction projects dulled and I knew it was time to move on. I struggled with getting up in the morning to go to a job I was no longer passionate about and to change employers would mean the same role in a different space. I am a self-taught fashion designer and my drive purely comes from a love for art, textiles, colour, travel, ancient culture and anything vintage. I have always loved curating minimalist and beautiful aesthetics and my true love being fashion. Creating a sustainable, slow fashion brand just felt right in both my head and heart.

How do you balance mum life whilst chasing your dream?

I wouldn’t say I’m the best person to give advice on balancing family life, a career and health. I have never been good at work/life balance even before kids. I’ve always burnt the candle at both ends and live a lot of my life on the adrenaline of coffee and my secret love affair with red wine. Truth is I have a constant ‘mouse on a wheel’ going on up there in true Aquarian style. I would like to say I am one of those mum’s that goes to regular yoga sessions, grows organic vegetables out the back and takes moments away for self-care routines to regenerate but that would be a lie. I want to be one of those people, but I have 3 kids to take care of, a 5 year-old, a 7 year-old and a 40 year old! I give as much time to my kids as possible outside of the work commitments of pursuing my slow fashion business. Taking care of myself generally comes last and a lot of the time doesn’t happen at all. I am not recommending this sort of lifestyle as it comes at a price, but the lemon is defiantly worth the squeeze.

What advice would you give other mum-preneurs?

I’ve had so many business ideas my husband had to tell me to slow down and concentrate on one idea that truly makes me happy. This is probably the best advice I have ever received, and I am so lucky to have a loving husband that supports my happiness more than anything else. I feel like I am more likely to reach success because I am passionate about what I do every day and it doesn’t feel like work.

Secondly, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to start a business whilst you have a baby. Enjoy motherhood. Cherish it. You can never get back those initial few years so enjoy every moment. Before you know it your babies are in school and if you were not present in the moment you will regret it.

Perhaps in this day and age, slowly work on building a community of like minded people in whatever niche you are interested in so when you decide to start a business you already have followers to market to. You will be teaching yourself valuable skills along the way such as photography and creative writing. In the digital age these skills are invaluable and if you can become a pro at content creation you are already halfway to success.

Your creativity is reflected in your designs, where do you source your inspiration?

A lot of my inspiration comes from Indonesian, Indian, Moroccan, Egyptian and Aztec textiles and architecture. Honestly the more you look, the more you get swept up in all its glory. I have been fortunate to travel to many countries to explore and I have just fallen completely in love with all this inspiration that is absolutely everywhere if you dare to look. I think I was born with creativity, I’ve always been an avid painter, I do quite a bit of photography and I am obsessed with seeking out or creating beauty. I’ve always been a little eccentric, a deep thinker and always a designer.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I would like to see myself living the slow life in Bali. It would be a dream come true to work side by side with our artisan family hand making our beautiful jewellery and opening a small boutique in Bingin Beach or Uluwatu. I have always aspired to living a nomad lifestyle whilst being able to generate enough income from predominantly an online business to support a life of abundance for my family.

I love the people, culture, and lifestyle in Bali. It brings me happiness to think about my kids growing up in a slower paced environment. My husband is an avid surfer and traveller, and we enjoy the idea of bringing our kids up in a less conventional way of life. A slow life sounds good to me.