The Story
Vida started as a creative outlet, and it still is. Before it was clothes or collections, it was just me making things. I grew up in the country with my two older sisters, spending most of our time outside or creating something out of nothing. My favourite game was “shops”. We’d set up little stalls in the hallway, price everything up, and use Monopoly money to buy and sell things we’d made. I was completely obsessed with it, the making, the storytelling, the idea that I could not only create something, but other people would also want to buy it?!
At 15, I started creating clothes and crochet pieces and sharing them online, just for fun. I wasn’t trying to start a brand, I was just doing what I’d always done. I was entering the age of starting to go out more, which meant I needed things to wear, the problem was I had no money. So naturally I just started making my clothes myself. Slowly, people started paying attention. Id go to house parties and unintentionally be marketing this clothing brand.
By 16, I shot my first lookbook with my girl friends. It was nothing serious, just a fun afternoon at my house. I launched my first website. I remember sitting at the dining room table (pre launch) my parents beside me looking rather worried for their 16 year old kid who had spent more than 12 hours a day sewing up a ton of clothes for strangers to buy online. That was such a pivitol day in my life because it went incredibly well. It made me realise that I really could do this. I could do what I love and sustain a living wage. This money went straight back into my business, and funded my first year at university.
At 17, I went to university because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do. It didn’t take long to realise how wrong I was. Now at 18, I’m putting everything into Vida, learning as I go, figuring things out in real time, and building something I truly care about.
Why It Matters
What I've learnt is that people will always buy clothes, and not everyone has access to better options. Instead of telling people what not to support, I wanted to create something they could. Vida is my way of showing what it looks like when someone genuinely cares, when clothes are made thoughtfully, locally, and in small runs.
The Name
Vida is named after my great-grandmother, Vida Bell, a skilled seamstress who spent her life creating clothes for the people she loved. “Vida” also means life in Spanish. That’s what this brand is about: celebrating creativity, community, and doing what makes you feel like YOU.
