meet the maker
To: folks that like to do their research, those that are curious, and for the sake of obligatory about me sections.
Hello, hiii, I’m Charada!
A queer, neurodivergent woman making sustainable clothing that fills a gap in the market and hopefully makes some hearts sing and some bodies ~extra~ comfortable.
Born in Mullumbimby - Byron's hippy neighbour - but grew up mostly in Radelaide. I've been all over the place and I've been a lot of different things: makeup artist, promo girl, awesome bartender, terrible waitress, call centre tech support, and more. When I discovered in my 30s that I'm AuDHD (Autistic + ADHD) it gave me some much needed clarity on who the eff I actually am, and why. I love nerding out on anything that interests me and I'm totally addicted to audiobooks, my rescue animals, over-tending my garden, and down-time.
I lived a pretty tumultuous life until a few years ago when my mum and I created Jackfruit together, and I finally felt able to put my all into something sustainable. Sustainable not just for the earth, but also for me and my brain. While it's not easy running a small business, it's so worthwhile and I feel very grateful to be able to do it (thanks, mum!).
My mum retired in 2020 and I'm lucky enough to have inherited both her skills and her industrial sewing machines, and just enough pluckiness to keep going when the going gets tough. I've run Jackfruit solo since 2020 and over the last few years I've been running the label while filling in gaps in my knowledge through study, and rebranding to something that feels more "me" (well, if it isn't just a queer nostalgia rainbow 🤣).
It's been amazing, but it's also been a lot. We were a team, and I had a lot of roles, but mum was the person who turned the ideas into garments. The pattern maker, grader and the one with a lifetime of study and know-how. I was determined to keep Jackfruit going, but this meant I had a lot to learn and even more to take on as a sole trader. The last few years have been a challenge to say the least and burnout did get the better of me, which is why I had to close the store for a while and focus solely on keeping myself alive and completing my course work (not always at the same time) (j/k... but actually).
I'm really glad I took a step back though because it gave me the time and energy to actually DO the rebranding I've been working on since mum left, which in turn has given me the momentum needed to get the store up and running again. Which is really effing exciting! It feels so good to be back, but like, in an even better, more me, way. ❤
Anything else you're dying to know? I kept this squarely in the "slightly over sharing" lane intentionally, but if you want to know more that can be arranged... 😏 I'm learning how to stop hiding on social media at the moment so you can also witness my snail crawl back out of my shell over there, as I remember how to both be seen and enjoy the process. Maybe I'll see you there 🌈
You can learn more about Jackfruit here.
