
Adriana – Mickey Rose
Days and weeks passed. I started my course at RMIT, Fashion Design and Technology, and immediately hated it. I could barely scrape myself out of bed and only just managed to study when I needed to. I can’t pick what I disliked most about the course, maybe I just had a negative attitude towards everything at the time. But the more I studied, the more I realised I really didn’t like the industry I was joining. This fast, cheap, vain, full of lies and fake pretences industry. I realised I had to make a choice. Do I conform to the industry’s current standards? It would be easier, I would probably make more money – or do I just leave it altogether? For the two years I studied, I was constantly sick and riddled with anxiety from the loss of my Dad. After a long road and much work on myself, I learnt how to listen to my gut, and this gave me the answers I was searching for. It maybe even saved my life.
I realised the industry didn’t have to be like this. I remembered that little girl who wanted to change the world. Could I put the two together? Could I be in the fashion industry and be the change I wanted to see in the world? Or do I need to give in to consumerism? Heavy I know, but I I take my role on this planet pretty seriously.
Halfway through my course, the Rana Plaza incident happened. Rana Plaza was an eight story textile building that collapsed in Bangladesh in 2013, killing over 1000 workers. We watched the news coverage in class and I couldn’t fathom what had happened. These people were in the fashion clothing industry – my industry. They were mostly females, mothers to young families. This was not okay. This tragic story is not isolated, it is a reminder of what is happening every day to the people who sew the clothes we wear. These are real people, with families, with souls. Real people turned into slaves in the name of fashion. And we keep turning away from it.
This shocking news confirmed my decision to focus on sustainability, not run from it. I knew I no longer loved women’s wear like I did growing up and I was in the midst of a women’s wear course that was slowly making me lose my passion for the industry. But I completed the course and learnt what I needed to translate into my own business. I saw a gap in the market for sustainable clothing for little ones. Kids fashion is fun, open minded, full of opportunity and playful – it’s everything I wanted in my life in that moment. BAM there was my answer.
I finished my course when I was 21. At that time, children’s wear really excited me (and still does!). The innocence, the possibility, the colours, the prints – I couldn’t get enough of it. One afternoon, I went to my Nonna’s house and began sewing. My Nonna was a seamstress and proficient in her art; I idolise her. We sewed bibs together and they were terribly cute. They were baby pink and blue with owls – enough said! It was a very different Mickey Rose to the one we have grown to know and love, but people loved it! Not only did they love it, they bought my clothes! I realised maybe I was onto something. I quickly outgrew the machine in my Nonna’s garage and needed help.
My first sales to family members, family friends and friends of friends were all exciting but my first sale to a complete stranger was amazing! I started selling through a Facebook page, then small markets and the like. Every sale was exhilarating. I moved onto a small website, then more advertising and bigger markets. I couldn’t believe the momentum it was gaining. Instead of just bibs, I started to stock leggings too and the ideas kept growing.
As the brand grew after that first year, I had some hard decisions to make. The first of my big decisions was to quit my day job. It was a big step in committing to this business being my future, not just a side project. Originally I thought the only way to keep things ethical was to do everything myself, but I was driving myself into the ground and it was time to outsource. I knew my “why” and I wanted to keep the brand true to my beliefs, but I had to think of a better way. My mind was a constant buzz. I asked myself how I could honour my Dad and Rosetta in this moment? How was I going to do myself and my story justice?
Brand integrity has always been my priority. To me, this meant deciding how Mickey Rose was going to be sustainable, ethical, local and everything I wanted it to be, with the challenge of running it on a bigger scale. After much research, Mickey Rose now has a system in place, which is completely ethical, local and organic. We also made the move to organic cotton in the first year and now work with only the highest quality 100% organic cotton.
Mickey Rose is constantly evolving and my processes are always improving to allow the brand to grow. Mickey Rose is now made right here in a factory in Moorabbin, Melbourne, with a wonderful team of talented seamstresses who are paid fair wages. We use Australian organic cotton, which we screen print funky, unisex and unique prints onto. I work with a talented artist to design all of the prints on my clothes. We work for hours on end to achieve the most exclusive prints for each baby to wear loud and proud. The screen print is completed in a factory in Melbourne, that I can also visit and quality control myself. Our intimate team work closely from start to finish, creating fashion with a voice and a story that I am truly proud of.