COVID travel restrictions came into place right when I was spending most of my time overseas speaking and consulting. I had been feeling for some time I needed a break, so rather than fight it, I took the opportunity to turn a hobby into a stay-at-home venture.

The name PRIDE™ refers to our pride as Australians in swimming — I became so fascinated with this I even became a qualified swimming teacher after starting the brand. I also became a pattern maker, tailor, industrial sewing machinist and mechanic, fashion photographer, e-commerce website builder, social media manager… the whole kit and caboodle. I joked that the only thing I couldn’t do was model bikinis.

My most successful Men's One Piece is entering offshore production, while I continue to produce smaller pieces by hand.