rowing up, I loved sewing. My mum
used to make all our clothes when we
were little – with a family of six kids,
there wasn’t really any other option!
My sisters and I would use her scrap
fabric to make clothes for our
Barbies and borrow mum’s sewing machine when we could.
But it wasn’t until I was in high school that I started properly
making clothes and I decided to see if I could do it professionally.
When I left school I did a three-year
course with Gordon TAFE in Geelong,
where I learnt most of my skills – it
was the best thing I’ve ever done!
Originally, I wanted to design kidswear, which is what two of
my older sisters do, but I ended up falling into older girls’ clothes- just for fun! Late last year I was out with a group of my friends
wearing a Barbie print top that I’d made myself and so many people
asked me where I’d bought it! It got me thinking that maybe I could
start making a few of these tops and sell them.At the time,
I was struggling to find a job – that’s
when Miley and Bailey was born!
The name of my fashion label, ‘Miley and Bailey’, is quite
special to me. I’ve loved Miley Cyrus since the beginning and
the name Bailey is what I’ve always wanted to call my future
baby. This little business is kind of like my little baby, so
I mashed the two names together and it worked!
Building up Miley and Bailey hasn’t been easy, but I’ve
learned to manage my time and be aware of when I need
a break. I work full-time at Cotton On as a product developer
in men’s accessories, which is a bit different, but it’s great!
So I’ve just got to make sure I don’t work too hard and keep
time for myself.
I spend a lot of my spare time
wandering around town and having
a look in shops to draw inspiration.
I also love to have a read of magazines to check out what
celebrities are wearing. I look to Lennon Stella from the duo
Lennon & Maisy, the Jenners and Miley Cyrus a lot, I love
their styles! When I created Miley and Bailey,I really
wanted girls to feel good when
they wear my clothes.I think it’s really
important to have freedom in what you wear, no matter
who you are. You’ve always got to put yourself first and
not worry about what other people think, because there’s always
someone saying something negative! This is also why
to use professional models for photoshoots, because
it’s important to have the
of a typically happy and
thy 17-year-old,so I use my cousin and
e friends as models for Miley and Bailey.
he success of Miley and Bailey has been such
hock to me, I never expected to do this well! I’m
ally lucky that I have such a supportive network of
mily and friends around me. At the moment I’m only
lling online and advertising mostly on Facebook and
stagram, but I hope to do some markets in the future!
it's important to
have freedom in
what you wear,
no matter who
you are.
Iusemycousinandfriends
as models for my clothes!
AS TOLD TOMELISSA MACKAY