online academy

Nicky Rose, Marnie Goss, Cameron Mana and Sarah Timmerman are four locals with one thing in common: They all created successful, Brisbane- and Gold Coast-based, online fashion boutiques.  A love of all things fashion led each of these individuals to start their own websites, and there have been many ups and downs on the path to success. One thing they agree on is that Brisbane and the Gold Coast are moving up in the fashion world.
"I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for how fashion-forward we are,"says Sarah, owner of Beginning Boutique (www.beginningboutique.com.au).
"While there aren’t huge crowds of the fashion-forward like there is in Sydney, for our population and our fashion precincts we are a very fashionable city. And we have one of the best lifestyles to back it up."
Frockshop.com.au, created by Marnie Goss, was one of the first Australian online boutiques, and one of the most successful. But Marnie explains that success comes with a lot of sacrifices. "I was living this glamorous life in Bellevue Hill and working at Louis Vuitton in Sydney, and I traded it all in to go and live back home with my parents just before my 30th birthday. It was a massive adjustment.
"But at the end of the day you can run your business from Christmas Island, because it’s where you send your products that matters."
Cameron Mana, owner of Island Way, is based on the Gold Coast and says promoting his resortwear boutique is less strenuous thanks to the city’s great sense of style.
"We export to places like Fiji and the Maldives, and the Gold Coast has a fantastic reputation when it comes to fashion and resortwear, so that helps us a lot," he says.
After moving from Paddington to the Sunshine Coast, Nicky Rose from Ciao Meow (www.ciaomeow.com.au) still makes the effort to visit Brisbane to keep up with the local fashion scene.
"We’ve got some really great little boutiques in Brisbane. I really miss shopping there. It’s great to have a look around and see what labels are coming out and see what other people are wearing as well."
"But sometimes it feels like a million miles away..."