BEHIND THE SEAMS WITH SHOP CHOPS

For the first instalment of our sexy new textiles series, Behind the Seams, (I know, very punny) we have an interview with the ever beautiful and inspiring Mali. She makes comfortable, casual and versatile garments for pattern loving queens who know how to spend their money wisely. Buying from Shop Chops is buying a timeless piece made with expertise and love. Mali is thriving as an independent business owner and has found her success by prioritising morals and lifestyle within her role. Her instagram is a prime source of style inspo at the Wanderer studio! 

WANDERER: What led you to start your own business? 

MALI: I started my first business at 18 after finishing high school and that too was a small clothing brand, although it was set up and run quite differently to Shop Chops. But the answer is simple: because I didn’t want to work for anyone else. I have always envisioned working for myself and so that’s what I set out to do from the beginning—no time wasted! 

What was your previous brand?

My previous brand was called Erba The Label. It was a very small womenswear brand. Interestingly, I don’t wear any of those pieces, and to be honest I never really did. I can admire their beauty, designs and the intricate details, but with that brand my biggest mistake was designing what I thought people wanted and not what I actually wanted. But thinking back to that brand, I did make the most beautiful, long, 1950s inspired shirt dress; it was so gorgeous! And that’s where I got my wrap skirt and shift dress designs/patterns from. I’ve tweaked them since, but the original patterns were made for my last brand. I like to call that brand my education or my fashion school, haha. It was just as long and expensive as an education in fashion would have been! 

How would you describe your business in three words? 

Chaotic, honest, and beautiful.

How long have you been in this role? 

I officially started Chops back in January of 2022 but have played the role of a clothing brand owner since late 2017.

Was committing to this path daunting or challenging in any way? 

Yes, in every way, haha. You have to put all fears of judgement, imposter [syndrome], and failure aside to create your own path. I’d say the hardest part is getting out of your own way and showing up authentically. The daunting feeling of doing your own thing does lose its fire after a while, but the challenges don’t stop and I wouldn’t want them to because it’s simply an opportunity for growth and reflection. 

Is this your full time job or do you work other jobs as well?

Chops is my full time job and I couldn’t be more grateful to be in this position! But I do want to speak on the specifics of my situation because I did have to make some big changes to make it my reality. I lived in Sydney up until I was 23 and I, of course, needed a full time job alongside my business in order to pay rent, bills and maintain the city lifestyle. However, about a year and a half ago I decided to move up to my family’s home (which is semi countryside and small town vibes) in order to rearrange my life and priorities. I would not be in this position if I was still living in Sydney and I will say that I am immensely happier living in the country and having a much quieter life. 

How much help do you have with your business, are there any other employers or people heavily involved or more so just yourself? 

It is all me! From setting up the website to shipping out every order. I have had a few friends help me with things like modelling and setting up automated emails but other than that I do it all. But in saying this, I am currently testing out a small maker in Sydney so that I can hopefully offload some of my sewing workload as I am growing bigger which is very exciting!

What experience or training did you have in this industry before starting your business?

I’ve got absolutely no training haha. I am self taught in every single area of my business. I started sewing at a very young age so that’s a skill I've been working on for 10+ years. And everything else was either passion fuelled or I couldn’t afford to outsource it so I had no choice but to learn to do it myself. I actually hired a pattern maker for a short period of time when I started my first business and I learnt how to pattern make by watching her do it, asking questions and then just trial and erroring it until I became half decent!

Have you always been entrepreneurial/business minded? Did this come naturally to you?

I don’t really resonate with the word entrepreneur, but as for business minded, I’d say yes and no. Because I spend majority of my time designing, sewing and doing content and social media, my creative mind is more switched on. But when I do need to switch to the business side of things, I am pretty good with it. I did build this entire brand from scratch, on my own, but I don’t know if I’d say it came naturally, or more that it was a necessity. I don’t even know if you can hire people to do all the groundwork for you, so I think if you want to start a brand, it’s kind of a must. And keep in mind that a lot of the bigger clothing brand owners are business minded only, and outsource the creative parts. I’m just lucky to have both sides of my brain working for me at this point! 

What has the journey been like for you so far? Has it been a slow process, have you been doubtful at all, or has it all been rewarding and positive?

It’s honestly been all of those things. I believe that this kind of journey can go as slow or as fast as you are willing work. And I don’t necessarily mean work as in business work. The most important work I do is actually on myself.. adjusting my mindset, and prioritising my mental health, and my physical health. For example, any doubts that showed up in my business I would trace back to internal doubts of my own and work through them until they no longer showed up. The more I have worked on bettering myself, the more successful my business has become and it continues to shock me how in sync those two things are! It may sound a bit whatever but some of the most successful people in business do speak to this as well, and for good reason! But to answer this in summary, I would have to say that this journey of running my own business has been the most challenging yet transformative (therefore rewarding) thing I’ve ever done.  

How has your experience so far been different to what you expected?

Haha, well I guess like most, I went into this dreaming of and expecting success pretty soon after I launched and when that didn’t happen, the doubt kicked in. So I took note and learnt this - don’t work your ass off and then cross your fingers and hope for the best. Instead, create the environment and version of yourself ahead of the success. To expand a little more, I always thought that ONCE I had a successful business, I would design things like this, or I would have branding like this, or I would set up my studio like that. Even on a more personal note, with a successful business I saw myself dressing differently, and having a certain type of morning routine, and doing certain things in my life that I didn’t previously do. But, that isn’t what ended up happening. Instead, I learnt that success is simply a version of yourself that you choose to create and maintain.

What do you hope for your brand’s future?

Growth and expansion of course, but nothing too rapid or vast. I aim to always be the sole designer and to continue sewing things for my brand, even as it grows. Maybe this will look something like having a staple line of styles that is sewn by a local maker on a regular basis whilst I continue to sew one off styles in-house. Something in between well-known but still small run. 

What is your favourite part about the design/creation process?

It changes from time to time but right now it’s sourcing fabrics and designing/sampling the perfect garments for each fabric. 

What is your favourite part about the business aspect?

Probably customer service and getting to answer and speak to all of my customers directly. Also, brand image and concept and design, which have been my biggest focus points lately as I’ve started to outsource the sewing to a local manufacturer. I think it’s something I’ll forever have fun evolving!