One thread at a time
Perhaps it was a mid-life crisis or something else, I’m really not sure, but whatever it was, I had this immense desire to do something that was about more than just me. I wanted to give back. It wasn’t that I hated my job – far from it. I had never been in a job before where I could completely be myself, I felt like my opinion was valued and I was contributing to a team. Maybe that self-confidence was what actually gave me the realisation that I could be me, be a Mum, and actually be successful in doing my own thing.
People say “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”- which is bloody great if you can find what you truly love to do – I feel like most people don’t ever find “that thing”.
While I was pregnant with Pippa, our second child, I attended 5 weddings. I struggled so hard to find clothes that I felt comfortable in, clothes that I wanted to wear, that didn’t make me feel like I was wearing a tent. So I dusted off the sewing machine and holy shit, that was the most liberating thing I had felt in such a long time. I found my love for sewing and creating again and far out it felt good!
“One of the best memories of my wedding is not from the day itself, but rather a few days before with Mum and I sitting with my wedding dress laid out on the dining room table. She was unpicking and reattaching the scalloped lace from the hem and I was unpicking the boning of the bodice to take it in. To me that was absolute gold, and a memory that I will treasure always. “
Anyway, getting back to giving back, when I finally faced my fears and decided to take this massive leap it was pretty clear to me that NZ made was the only way to go. I wanted this business to be something that would ultimately create jobs in the NZ fashion industry where I feel there is so much undiscovered talent. Why would we go offshore to mass produce garments where you have no control over the supply chain, when we have amazing makers right here in Aotearoa? I know why, but for me, this isn’t about making a fortune.
I want to grow this company into one that is forward thinking, that is aware of its environmental impacts, that knows it’s makers and ultimately can grow the industry in New Zealand. One thing is for sure, as soon as my 3 girls feet can hit the sewing machine pedal, I will be teaching them how to sew.
So welcome to our journey – we are just starting out and it will be a long and undulating road, but I know that we can do some good. And that’s all we set out to do.
the shebby story
one thread at a time.
Perhaps it was a mid-life crisis or something else, I’m really not sure, but whatever it was, I had this immense desire to do something that was about more than just me. I wanted to give back. It wasn’t that I hated my job – far from it. I had never been in a job before where I could completely be myself, I felt like my opinion was valued and I was contributing to a team. Maybe that self-confidence was what actually gave me the realisation that I could be me, be a Mum, and actually be successful in doing my own thing.
People say “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”- which is bloody great if you can find what you truly love to do – I feel like most people don’t ever find “that thing”.
While I was pregnant with Pippa, our second child, I attended 5 weddings. I struggled so hard to find clothes that I felt comfortable in, clothes that I wanted to wear, that didn’t make me feel like I was wearing a tent. So I dusted off the sewing machine and holy shit, that was the most liberating thing I had felt in such a long time. I found my love for sewing and creating again and far out it felt good!
My Mum taught me to sew from a young age, so through this, along with what I learnt through textile classes at school, my love for sewing was born. I initially learnt how to follow a pattern but pretty quickly diverted from this to just mucking around with making my own clothes and figuring it out as I went along. The majority of times I ended up with uneven hems and amateur finishes, but I loved the process and still flaunted the wears with unabandoned confidence. I loved the fact that no-one could replicate what I was wearing.
“One of the best memories of my wedding is not from the day itself, but rather a few days before with Mum and I sitting with my wedding dress laid out on the dining room table. She was unpicking and reattaching the scalloped lace from the hem and I was unpicking the boning of the bodice to take it in. To me that was absolute gold, and a memory that I will treasure always. “
Anyway, getting back to giving back, when I finally faced my fears and decided to take this massive leap it was pretty clear to me that NZ made was the only way to go. I wanted this business to be something that would ultimately create jobs in the NZ fashion industry where I feel there is so much undiscovered talent. Why would we go offshore to mass produce garments where you have no control over the supply chain, when we have amazing makers right here in Aotearoa? I know why, but for me, this isn’t about making a fortune.
I want to grow this company into one that is forward thinking, that is aware of its environmental impacts, that knows it’s makers and ultimately can grow the industry in New Zealand. One thing is for sure, as soon as my 3 girls feet can hit the sewing machine pedal, I will be teaching them how to sew.
So welcome to our journey – we are just starting out and it will be a long and undulating road, but I know that we can do some good. And that’s all we set out to do.