Three years ago, Stefanie Schwartz had just given birth to her second baby.
The clinical psychologist, from Bondi Beach, was on maternity leave and wanted to start working again but didn’t want to return to a full-time job.
‘I wanted a day job that I could fit in around being a full time mum and at the end of the day something I had fun with too,’ Ms Schwartz tells FEMAIL.
‘I also wanted to explore doing something creative.’
Despite working as child and adolescent clinical psychologist before starting a family, Ms Schwartz decided to launch a fashion accessories brand called Chuchka [meaning trinket or collectible], featuring neoprene totes and round towels.
Mother-of-three Stefanie Schwartz (pictured) launched her fashion accessories business Chuchka in 2015 while she was on maternity leave
‘I studied for six years, I worked in the public sector before I had my babies and I loved working with children and their families,’ says the 33-year-old.
‘After I had my own children, however, I had a pull to move in a different direction so I wanted to use my maternity leave as a ”test period” to see whether it was something I could do and actually enjoyed.’
While Ms Schwartz – now a mother to three boys aged six, four and six months – admits that success didn’t happen overnight, the business began to expand rapidly in less than 12 months.
Chuchka features a wide range of neoprene totes and round towels, which are stocked in more than 100 boutiques and David Jones department stores
‘Within one year of opening I was stocked in over 100 boutiques, within 18 months I was stocked in major department stores and within two years I had my own brand pop-up shop over Summer in Bondi Beach,’ she recalls.
‘Looking back, it’s not all together surprising because I really think Chuchka fills a gap in the market for affordable, on trend, trans-seasonal fashion accessories.
‘You can buy new Chuchkas every season, be fashion forward, all without breaking the bank,’ she explains.
‘I really think Chuchka fills a gap in the market for affordable, on trend, trans-seasonal fashion accessories,’ says Ms Schwartz (the bags pictured at Australian Fashion Week)
The bags, which come in a variety of colours and styles, are machine washable and easy to store
‘Our Chuchkas are also incredibly practical (machine washable, easy to store, high quality fabrics) which is important to our customers.’
Ms Schwartz’s products are now stocked in David Jones after signing an agreement in January 2017, but she plans to grow the business globally too.
‘My vision has always been to create and source products that I myself as a working, young mum who likes to be on trend would want to purchase and so far that hasn’t failed me,’ she says.
Ms Schwartz (pictured) plans to grow the business both here in Australia and globally too
‘My brain is never 100 per cent switched off. I’m always thinking of new ideas, creating a to-do list of tasks that need to be done, going to meetings, writing emails to buyers, manufacturers and agencies, planning the next season’s photoshoot, sourcing innovative materials and it goes on and on.
‘I want Chuchka to continue growing here in Australia and overseas,’ she adds.
‘Every time I have a goal that I think is unachievable, we seem to somehow smash it out of the park and I look back and am so incredibly proud.’