Josephine Nathan was born and raised on a dairy farm in Cobram, Northern Victoria. After spending time in Melbourne she moved back to the land with her partner on a large family property near Deniliquin where she has established her ‘Woolliwoolli’ fashion label. Josephine’s successful designer knitwear business uses 100% Australian merino wool. To test the waters, she initially sold products through markets. The response was so positive she decided to ramp up production and her garments are now sold in selected boutiques in Australia and Paris. Josephine continues to showcase her wares at fashion shows and wants to continue exploring export opportunities. Josephine has participated in ‘fashion weeks’ in Australia, Hong Kong and Paris. At 33, she has achieved so much and is already scoping her next creative endeavour.

What gave you the motivation/inspiration to follow your dream?

The motivation to start my own fashion label emerged from the frustration I felt as a young designer working in industry. I was employed by a major Australian knit label, but found I was unable to get my own ideas out, in the way I had hoped. Looking back I can see that I was quite idealistic, but I was passionate with lots of dreams and ideas, and I wanted to see them become reality.

I also felt a strong need to work for myself rather than being employed in a traditional sense. I was once given a tip that ‘rather than trying to find a dream job, you should create it for yourself’, and that has always stuck with me. I was very fortunate at that point in my life to know many innovative people who were seeking this type of life choice by running their own business. They encouraged and mentored me to believe I could get my ideas to work.

The concept for Woolliwoolli began as a simple kernel and developed into a business. I studied textile design at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology but I am a self-taught garment maker. After university I worked as a designer in industry, which gave me a good grounding in marketing and promotions. I also lectured on knit at RMIT in the fashion and textile design department. Teaching a new generation of future designers I was made aware of the growing interest in knit and natural fibres. This strengthened my fashion business vision and gave me a clear direction of how it could develop.

In my twenties I also spent time travelling through third world countries in Central America and Asia. These experiences showed me that there are many different ways of living a life and that financial security and material possessions don’t necessarily guarantee happiness. I saw many craftspeople continuing with traditions that would not make them a lot of money but gave them huge satisfaction and purpose in life. That was really inspirational for me and encouraged me to pursue my own craft of fabric creation.

At what point did you realise that your dream was actually possible and what was it that made you think you could really do it?

When I left Melbourne to move to my partner’s family property I started playing around with ideas and experimenting with possible woollen products. My first marketing foray was selling goods at local markets, and I knew I was onto something when I would sell out of product. People gave me great feedback and seemed excited with what I was doing, so I gained the confidence to explore business ideas further. I was also lucky to meet a few different boutique owners at these markets who wanted to stock Woolliwoolli. I began approaching other retailers, experienced success, and knew that Woolliwoolli was a business that had the potential to grow.

When you were a child, what did you want to ‘be’ when you grew up?

I wanted to produce children’s books. I’ve always loved writing, drawing and doing creative things. I remember exploring Mum’s fabric box and I loved playing with her fabrics. I would pin material together and come up with garment ideas. This continued through childhood and as a teenager as I made a lot of my own clothes. Back then, being a fashion designer seemed like a bit of a fantasy career, something I would never really be good enough to do. Actually I still have to pinch myself occasionally to realise that I have become one.

How did your childhood influence you in later life?

Perhaps growing up on a farm meant I had to use my imagination and entertain myself a lot more than city kids. We were always looking for things to do and this often involved making things out of what was lying around and easily available.

Being constantly surrounded by nature as a child also had a big impact. When designing I am always looking to nature for inspiration and I don’t feel too happy if I can’t see the trees and the sky, or touch the earth and animals every day. That is probably why city life didn’t really work for me. I love visiting the city to soak up all it has to offer, but it is only when I get back to the farm that I feel I can really breathe.

Who are your role models?

All the women in my family have had a major influence throughout my life as very strong role models. My Mum was a library teacher and taught me to explore the world through books and reading. She was very creative and would make amazing displays for the library. It wasn’t unusual to spend a weekend helping her make a giant papier-mâché beanstalk for book week, or perhaps paint all the flags of the world when the Olympics were on. She really showed me that there was no limit to what could be achieved if you used your imagination.

Both my grandmothers were incredibly positive and I hope that I have the energy they both had throughout their entire lives. One of my grandmothers was a hand knitter and spinner and I loved to watch her turn fleece into yarn. She also made her own dyes and I have many happy memories of bushwalks where we would gather leaves, lichen and berries to create the dyes. I think that is where my passion for wool and fascination with colour began. My other grandmother was a great traveller; she visited China with a girlfriend in her late seventies, just because she wanted to see what it was all about.

My husband Matt is also a great source of inspiration and role model. He is incredibly resilient and has a great love of life. He constantly tells me to ‘not worry so much’ and ‘just enjoy the ride’. Although that is not always easy, I think that aspiring to follow this advice makes life a lot more enjoyable.

What does success mean to you?

I think success isn’t about finances or how much you earn. It’s about being happy and being independent. I get most satisfaction from being able to continue doing the things I am passionate about in the way I choose. When a collection turns out the way I envisaged it, I feel a real sense of success. I have to be happy with the results myself and of course getting positive reactions from the marketplace and clients is very rewarding and important too. When a customer puts on a Woolliwoolli garment and I see them feeling great, more confident, more beautiful, I know I have done a good job. For me that is success and it feels fantastic!

What has been one of the biggest barriers you have had to face, what happened, and how did you overcome it?

Being a competitive fashion designer based in the country is a huge challenge. Selling to city boutiques continues to be a large hurdle. I continue to work on changing city people’s perceptions about what happens in the country and showing that I can produce innovative products despite living on a farm. Also changing people’s preconceived ideas about wool itself has been an important aspect of my business plan. I continually have to educate people about wool. Since I started my label, attitudes have really changed but originally I was faced with the idea that wool knits meant clothing for the 60-plus age group, not something for a young modern customer. The best way I have been able to tackle this hurdle is to actually create products that say something different. I aim to get Woolliwoolli on the catwalk and in trendy boutiques, so that fashion-conscious consumers can feel, see and experience the wonder of wool for themselves.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? What is your vision for the future?

I hope that the Woolliwoolli business is still going strong. I am sure I’ll be creating in some shape or form. I’ve recently taken up painting and I would still love to get back to my first dream of writing a children’s book. As long as I am tapping into my creative side and meeting that need, I’ll be happy.

What would you like to say to other women who may be just starting out on a Daring to Dream journey?

If you have a real gut feeling you need to follow it through. You need to surround yourself with positive people who can support and encourage you. Steer clear of anyone who is negative. You also need to be prepared to steer through the times when things don’t work out exactly as you want them to. Be persistent and keep trying. One of my grandmothers’ favourite sayings was: ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again’. I have now taken on that saying myself, because sometimes it really does take more than one go to get to where you want to be.