#SUIISSHE: A Season of Women’s Stories

Stories have always been at the core of our identity. In fact, since our very start, we’ve called our collections Chapters, indicating each step of our journey is one we progress from with every new addition. Just like us as individuals, these ebbs and flows of different stages of growth all contribute to who we are in the present, and we very much apply that to our garments, taking care to choose thoughtful steps in each part of its story to create something that’s ultimately as sustainable and conscious as it can be. 

And so, this season, we created a campaign to reflect that notion, to focus on the beauty of stories through our new collection, JOURNEY, while spotlighting 10 women with empowering stories who have worked hard to be the inspirations that they are. 

Today, we’d like to introduce them and share some of their insights from our interviews.

1. Meet Qiyun Woo, a Sustainability Consultant and the voice behind the platform @theweirdandwild, a space where she harnesses her creativity to start climate discussions. Her passion to create a greener world shines through her work and she even represented Singapore as a National Geographic Young Explorer this year.

Why did you start @theweirdandwild?

Q: I started the platform because a friend was complaining that I was sharing all these things on my personal Facebook and Instagram and he had no way to find all the information [on climate issues] he needed in one place, so he suggested why not start a blog or something like that. And I thought, let’s try instagram and make it visual because I had just got my iPad and the first Apple pencil at that time, and I decided that if I started drawing, who knows if this form of visual storytelling could get people to pay attention to climate issues better. So, when I started it, I didn't expect many people to see it, it was really just for my college friends , but the more I did it, the more interested I got in how colours, visuals, cute illustrations could get people to pay attention on Instagram, and I have been experimenting ever since.

What challenges did you face as an advocate for sustainability in being outspoken on climate issues?

Q: When I started @theweirdandwild, one thing I liked is that if I was drawing all these characters they could represent me. I’m a bit camera shy and having a character allowed me to use my voice without having to constantly be switched on in front of a character. But I'm also starting to realise I need to be in front of the camera because it creates that personal touch and connects with a lot of the people who follow me online. They want to know who's behind this voice, who’s behind all the information and all these opinions. So, that has been a big learning curve for me. And at the same time, it’s also about finding out how else I can bring this topic up to more people. Am I just preaching to the same crowd every time? Which is fine because there’s so many things to figure out, but also how can I use art to reach out to people who might not necessarily be in the movement already to get them more interested.

How did it feel representing Singapore as a National Geographic Young Explorer?

Q: I think when I got chosen to be a Young Explorer I was very excited to be part of such a cool community. This round, I was the only Singaporean in this cohort, but there are quite a few nature explorers in Singapore that I was lucky to meet. For me, it was just the fact that there’s someone coming from such an international stage to bring a Southeast Asian voice to talk about these issues and the fact that we do activism differently here, we advocate differently, and the issues that we talk about are very different. I really could connect with Southeast Asians explorers and felt like there’s so much we can do as a region, and being part of this community and among so many Southeast Asian storytellers, it just got me very excited to see what else we could do.

What keeps you going in your journey and sustainability advocacy?

Q: I think with so many people in this space, we always feel like there's not enough being done still, and that’s true but someone told me once that when you’re doing this type of climate work, you cannot really have hope. When you have hope, you have expectations and when those things don’t come true you get disappointed. What you do need to have is faith that everything you’re doing, all the intentions that you’re putting out, will lead to something good and I think that’s what keeps me going.

SHOP QIYUN'S LOOK HERE | Leafy Beginnings waistcoat; Leafy Beginnings trousers

2. Meet Mary Victor, one of the leading makeup artists for sustainable fashion brands in Singapore, and a body neutrality activist who created @thebodywithinofficial platform and movement. Body acceptance is a never-ending journey and, for the past decade, Mary has taken on that challenge and grown in confidence with every step - all while sharing it with others in the hope to inspire others to do the same.

How did you start your career in the make-up industry?

M: I started at 16, I kinda knew what I always wanted. I skipped school on purpose just so I could stay at home and do make-up tutorials and they were low quality, obviously at the time. But I knew from a young age that I loved playing with make-up and I love making others feel good with make-up so eventually it just became a career after I finished secondary school, it felt natural to go straight into it. 

Make-up and fashion often come hand in hand, what’s your relationship like with fashion?

M: When it comes to fashion, I actually started out being very much in an intimidated space when it comes to it. I’m plus-sized so it’s really hard for someone like me to find clothes easily and it’s not really accessible. I can’t just go to the mall and just decide I want to go shopping today, it’s not as easy as that, so in the beginning it was a very tough journey to find peace with fashion and to find my creativity through it. Now, it feels very natural for me to go anywhere and approach local brands and I'm quite amazed that they actually have my sizes nowadays, and I approach them a lot more than fast fashion. Now, I find peace, happiness and creativity through fashion. It's a way for me to express myself when I go out and it feels good. 

When did you decide to flip the script in how you dress and carry yourself?

M: It was a very significant time in 2019 when I started this movement called #thebodywithin, as a way to talk about my journey with things that I've gone through as a plus-size person like dealing with bullies. I wanted to share my story, and when I did, there were a lot of photoshoots that I had to go through and through those they didn’t try to hide my body. Everyone on the team made me feel really good about how I looked and made me feel really  comfortable. And I think that was when it changed my perception because I realised I had a space, a very safe space to express myself and people are curious to hear about my experiences. When that happened there was a huge switch, I started looking at fashion and clothes positively. I started finding clothes that felt good and resonated with me.

What’s your perception of size inclusivity in Singapore?

M: I think I've seen a drastic change [recently] but we’re also still not doing enough. I feel like local brands are doing an amazing job creating an inclusive space and, especially sustainable local brands are making those changes. But when we talk about fast fashion and the majority of the stores here, I still can’t just go out and find my size there, it’s practically impossible. Then there’s this other aspect where brands, when they talk about size inclusivity, it’s very performative, just for the sake of putting themselves out there to make profit and they don’t go beyond that. I feel like as an activist here, the inclusivity and representation here is very much a small space and we can do a lot better in spreading the message and with the types of plus-sized designs that exist because we need more options that won’t have us hide behind our clothes. A lot more needs to be done and we need to push for that change.

SHOP MARY'S LOOK HERE | Changing Season maxi dress

3. Meet Adelene Stanley, a homegrown dancer, advocate for movement therapy and body positivity, and Founder of @thedancecircus - a collective of artists using movement as a medium for wellness, education and connection. Adelene’s struggles with body image came with spending most of her life in the world of dance, but her ability to find value in these experiences has only made her grow in strength into the woman, and mother, she is today.

How did dance shape and change who you are from a kid to now?

A: I would say it’s an up and down journey you know, it’s kind of like a rollercoaster, because, like I said before, the journey that dance took me on, it was so innocent as a kid [starting at the age of 3], going to classes, it was all about enjoyment, fun and entertainment. As I grew older, I decided I wanted to pursue dance, but when I was teenager, around 12, 13, it really consumed me to the point where, it really is the dark side, and the stereotypes, and the societal expectations of a dancer, of how my body should be looking, that really ate into me and it affected me in a negative way. But coming out of that years down the road, the joy really came back again because I really discovered that it’s not about how society perceives me, but that the joy of dancing should come from myself, I don't need to dance for anyone but for myself. And I don't need to prove anything in that sense. Dance has the ability to communicate, you can express through art, honestly it’s a form of therapy for me.

How did you perceive yourself through this journey?

A: I was really hard on myself. I think going through the thick of it, it’s hard to come out. I think, how I perceived myself, I drew so much validation from how people saw me. But also that expectation from school, from friends. I think having gone through what I went through, I see myself as a strong woman. Hopefully, with the lessons that I’ve learned it can bleed into other aspects of my life because dance taught me so much about myself.

How did you pivot to becoming a freelancer during the COVID period, what was that challenge like?

A: That came at a time where I was just transitioning out of performing full time, before the news of COVID, I had done one of my last few tours in China, and I had actually had that conversation with myself like do I want to still continue performing full-time and my answer was I was very okay if that was going to be my last tour. I really had that interest in choreographing, and running my own thing, and there was so much more to me in my life than being a performer and that fulfilled me so much but I really wanted to use what I learned through dance to educate people. I love the stage, but I thought there was so much more that I wanted to dive into, in an interdisciplinary way because I think dance is more than just the stage. Dance can be in the classroom, in your home, there is so much avenue to dance. Pivoting from freelancing, the decision to go into these specific areas of dance, choreographing, teaching, therapy, through COVID it all made sense after because I think people started to think about wellness, and what movement means to them.

SHOP ADELENE'S LOOK HERE | Flower Field dress

4. Meet Joyce Teh, the Founder of @looqalofficial - a platform and marketplace of purposeful brands and conscious consumers committed to making an impact. After spending over 10 years working with corporate brands, Joyce took a leap of faith to bring her own vision to life, one where she gets to share thoughtful stories, build community, and uplift craft rooted in tradition and sustainability, something she’s always been passionate about.

What was your life like before Looqal?

J: I was in the corporate field, similarly, building brands but different in the sense that there was always that missing piece of pursuing a vision that’s your own. I was in prestige beauty, I started off with PR, moved into marketing and brand building, and thinking about it in retrospect, we understood very well the beginning of the brand [Estee Lauder], it was founded by a solo entrepreneur, a woman, it started in the kitchen of a home, a family home, and the way she started and built and marketed the business. It’s really not that different from what I'm trying to do today. In a way, the corporate world was very different, and yet when you look at the essence of a brand, how it becomes a brand name that people recognise 50 years down the line, it’s built on the same principles, on a strong foundation, that’s what builds a brand.

What was missing in that phase of your life that led you to make drastic changes?

J: It was really about owning the vision. It’s always satisfying when you do a good job, when you achieve your business goals, but at the end of the day the vision is someone else's. No matter how aligned you are, there would still be differences in the way you want to do things, values and principles. Today, being a founder, being able to run Looqal based on my work ethic and personal values, that to me is the biggest gratification. 

What is the big vision?

J: It’s to represent the brands that bring life to craft. I’ve always had the aspiration to bring Southeast Asian craft to the world stage. This is really that journey, to tell their stories and to help conserve  and bring the beauty of age old, generations old craftsmanship the attention it deserves. Being a Southeast Asian woman, in the past I always thought we had the most beautiful and best craft, and we still do! But I also recognise there’s a lot of amazing craft all over the world, so that vision has broadened to include not just Southeast Asia but communities around the world, and I want to bring them together on this sustainable journey that recognises the importance of giving back to society, the importance of people, the planet and conserving heritage.

SHOP JOYCE'S LOOK HERE | Garden of Strength dress

5. Meet Yulianna Frederika, the voice behind @lepakconversations -- an advocacy platform for the Malay community in Singapore. The Malay community is the second largest ethnic group in Singapore but most within it carry the feeling of "minorityness", an experience Yulianna is familiar with and actively battles by exploring her identity and creating safe spaces. She shares her advocacy for diversity and self-acceptance to bring about a world that values an individual’s intricacies.

Can you tell us what younger Yulianna was like and how she grew in confidence?

Y: Younger Yulianna was very shy and quiet but she has always been very curious. So I think at some point my curiosity got the better of me and I had to overcome my shyness, and that’s how I found my voice to speak to people, to hear their stories, and eventually tell their stories to others. I grew more confident when I started working in a small boutique agency where I felt like my minorityness shone. Before, it wasn’t obvious to me, but working in an all-female, all-Malay company, interacting with people in the workforce, it made me question my place more as a Malay woman. Also, I had to overcome my shyness because I was aware there were certain stereotypes about Malay people in the workplace, like they are not as hardworking and such, and I never believed in those, so in a way I felt I had to work against that too sometimes. It wasn’t a particular motivation but it did naturally drive me to want to be a role model and show you can be yourself and thrive.

Can you tell us more about finding and thriving in your identity?

Y: I went from only identifying as Malay, because it’s very generic and easy to explain, to saying I'm Malay Indonesian, but now I'm also deeper in my journey and openly saying I'm Boyanese Menadonese. The reason for this is just that I want to reconnect more with my roots,and it takes some time, because due to the stereotypes I mentioned, there is some hurt, some pain, a lot of confusion about my identity. Through many things like fashion, education and friends, I'm able to accept myself better. In fact, I wasn’t close to my late grandmother, but I remember when I put on her kebaya, I immediately felt a strong connection to her and the women before her, it was a strong force. That was what really pulled me into finding out more about my roots and doing that through fashion. I met friends who are very enthusiastic about traditional dress so through talking to them and getting my own pieces and being intentional about it, I learnt more about who makes kebaya, the history and story it tells, and that’s how I first connected with my identity.

Can you share more about how you advocate for diversity and your community?

Y: We were young Singaporeans and we wanted to know more about the social issues in the Malay community but found there weren't enough resources out there. My former co-founder and I joined our strengths to start a passion project [Lepak Conversations] about what we believe in and what we want to see in the community. Over 3 years, we’re very thankful that it’s gone beyond a passion project, we've worked with government organisations and a lot of different groups to talk about social issues and become a voice for the Malay youth. Whenever they’re concerned about something they come to us, even if it’s just to tell their story or complain a bit, we’re always here to listen because at the end of the day, we are that safe space for them to find community, and do something about things that they care about.

SHOP YULIANNA'S LOOK HERE | Sweet Cosmos midi dress

6. Meet Hershmeet Kohli, a personal friend of SUI and an art director working in advertising who arrived in Singapore as a young expat beginning her college career, and has now called Singapore home for the past decade. Life always has its ups and downs, ebbs and flows, and more so when you’re trying to build a life in a completely new city, which is why Hershey is no stranger to uncertainty. Her outlook has only strengthened with these experiences, and today, she is an expert at navigating unexpected change, making the best out of whatever situation is thrown at her.

How would you describe Singapore, your second home?

H: Challenging, It’s a bittersweet thing. I moved here when I was 18, and I didn't have much of a sense of self. It’s been interesting, becauseI feel like I grew up here. I think I saw many growth spurts too in a way. Hershey here has gone through a lot, she’s come to college without any family, like most of us do. And then figuring out who you are post-college, entering the workforce and trying to figure out who you are professionally. Being an expat here is not easy, always on the edge of visa issues, and not really knowing what home is because when you’ve spent 11 years here, what do you call home anymore. 

What do you consider a home?

H: I guess it’s a very cliche thing but I think it really is a feeling. It’s about the people I'm with. Sure, you can move to any country and not feel at home, but hopefully you move and find people who are your support system, emotionally as well, they laugh with you, they cry with you, and that’s home.

You told us before we sat down for this interview that the course you signed up for in college ended up not being what you expected, tell us more about that.

H: It took a lot for my mum to send me here. She’s a single parent and she was very protective and she didn’t want me to leave the nest although she knew I had to. There was a lot of me managing that expectation that this was for me. So, every choice you make has to be a bit more strategic in that sense. I think the curve ball started because I wanted to go for design,and I was told I should go for arts because that’s more liberal, more you, you can branch out to so many different things, learn so many mediums. Then I realised once I came here that they changed the course structure, and I tried to change my course and they said I can’t, and I couldn't call home and say, “I think I made a mistake.” What do you do? You try to make the most of the lemons at hand, so that's what I did. I tried to stick with what I knew and learned what my design friends were doing on various projects, interned with design studios, and then pretty much accidentally got into advertising, and there I am 8 plus years later. 

How did you find the courage to embrace things that are uncertain to you at a young age? 

H: Honestly, when you’re young, you try to control everything. Early on in my childhood I saw a lot of uncertainty, losing a friend at a young age, trying to be a daughter but also a caretaker for my sister. So I think when you see uncertainty at a young age, you try to make sure you control everything, you try to make the most strategic decisions. My way of dealing with it was trying to make the puzzle fit together, you know, what can I do? I think  as you go along, with all the curve balls like with college and my career, you realise there’s not so much you can do, there’s a lot beyond your control so you start to look at it differently. You do what you need to do, you never know what’s going to happen so you can’t hold on to it. Hershey back then would be very uncertain about this entire phase of my life but for me now, I don't know where we’re going, there’s a certain freedom of possibility to uncertainty - and that’s exciting.

SHOP HERSHEY'S LOOK HERE | The Meadow wrap dress

7. Meet Maria Marinay, the founder of @wearebeige -- a social media agency partner for conscious brands. Being a woman with a plan, Maria always had a clear vision of where she wants to be and what it takes for her to be there. However, life has a way of taking unforeseeable turns, and she found herself on a path she never expected, moving her away from her life in the UK to a whole new opportunity in Singapore. Through perseverance and determination, her passion for storytelling helped her begin a new story for herself.

What led you to Singapore?

M: Straight after university, I wanted to move overseas. I moved to the UK to pursue my dream of dance, and surprisingly I loved it there, so much so that I spent 3 and a half years chasing a visa to keep going back with the hope of being there permanently. But during my 3rd try, I wasn’t able to go back. I remember applying to 150 companies while in the Philippines. Every day I opened my notebook tallying the companies I applied to and they kept saying no, and I got fed up trying to make it work. And I realised I needed some space, I needed to know what to do next because I'm a woman with a plan, I always had a 5 year plan and this one was not going my way. I decided I needed a trip, the cheapest one at the time was to fly to Singapore. I got here in October 2018 and coincidentally there was a French restaurant looking for a social media manager. I applied just for the sake of it, got 2 interviews, and found myself moving here the January after that.

Were you always this open to embracing change?

M: Ever since I was young, I think because I was an academic overachiever, I always excelled in class, I always had leadership roles and did extracurriculars on the academic side of things, I’ve always wanted things to go a certain way so I know the steps I need to take. Once I grew up I realised I can't control everything, and I can't keep getting mad at the world for not getting the things that I want. The only thing that’s left for me to do is let go and let things be.

Did you always know you wanted to be a Founder of your own business?

M: I think I knew deep inside me that I was meant to start something on my own, so even though I was part of teams, I felt I always saw things differently and thought things differently, so much so that it would be a cause of misunderstandings and that’s just because I think I’m wired differently.  At the end of the day, I knew I would start something for myself, it just so happened that I started it [beige. social] when I moved here to Singapore.

What keeps you going as a woman in business and as an entrepreneur?

M: I feel that it’s my calling to do what I'm doing now. As cheesy as it sounds, I felt like I was put into this world to make a difference, and I will only rely on things I'm good at or that I'm passionate about doing every single day. And that for me is helping other brands and other people make a difference, so basically, I feel like my purpose is to amplify the good other people are already doing, and that fuels me every single day.

SHOP MARIA'S LOOK HERE | Endless Fields maxi dress

8. Meet Rachel Yeoh, an LGBTQ+,diversity, equality and inclusion advocate and a member of the @pinkdotsg organizing committee. Growing up, Rachel was always attuned to the lack of awareness about the LGBTQ+ community, often wondering what it would be like for her growing up as an adult, and this brought up a number of insecurities. Today, she actively uses her voice to talk about her experiences and journey to self-acceptance to inspire youth who may feel the same way she used to.

What was it like growing up and finding your identity to become who you are today?

R: I think when I was 14, I realised I was a little different from everyone else. I think there wasn’t enough education or awareness, and I could not articulate who I was or know what life could be as an adult. But then I think over the years, by meeting people like myself and learning more about the LGBTQ+ movement here in Singapore, I was empowered, and came to accept who I was. I thought I should be a part of this change so that younger people don’t have to grow up the way I did.

What have you learned in your journey?

R: I’ve learned to meet people where they’re at, respect different viewpoints and try to speak to people’s heart rather than their minds, which is way more effective.

Living in Singapore and being an LGBTQ+ advocate, do you think others’ perceptions of you affects your work or meeting people?

R: I think it actually impacted my work in a good way, because now that I know who I am and am confident in who I am, I want to be in a place that accepts that, where I can feel free to be myself and just bring the most authentic version of myself to that space. In that sense, I’ve made better choices in where I’ve chosen to work.

Can you paint a picture of who you were before you grew into your confidence?

R: Even when I was 10 kilograms lighter than I am now [when i was much younger], I was more insecure. Over time, in that journey of self-acceptance, I think that [confidence] also extended to how I look and just who I am. I’m just ready to accept me for me and I don't have to try to be anyone else.

SHOP RACHEL'S LOOK HERE | The Daffodil Sundown dress

9. Meet Biek Speijk, a sustainability advocate, as well as seasoned fashion designer turned wardrobe curator and artist. Biek, like us, shares a deep love for well-made, intentionally sustainably crafted garments. Her years working as a designer for a fast fashion brand led her to realise that quality and intention are compromised in producing clothes at a large scale, which then guided her to start Biekaleidoscope, intended to help people be the best version of themselves through the art of fashion using pieces they already own.

Given your professional history in fast fashion, what led you to starting Biekaleidoscope?

B: I’ve always known that I wanted to work in fashion from a very young age. Which resulted in a long study in fashion, a fashion academy and art school 7 years of studying fashion, toolkit very seriously. Had a very nice career in fashion design as well, I worked internationally, and my main focus was designing quality, like really making good garments inside and out. But as a designer, you’re so far from the consumer, that I don’t know if that quality came across. Especially in my last job in Beijing. It was a fast fashion company and I designed too many clothes that absolutely nobody needed. When I moved to Singapore for love, I realised that I wanted to help women make those good quality choices.

What’s your personal relationship to fashion & how does that translate to who you are?

B: I actually dislike the word fashion a lot, because to me that stands for fast and like snack food basically. I always say that I have a huge love for clothes, for well-made clothes with intention, that look good, that feel great, you behave like a different woman, and that’s what I find important. I don’t like to buy much because I don’t like to see a lot of information in my wardrobe. I think that’s also why I do what I do because I like to see myself back in the wardrobe without an overload of information because my day is just getting started when I get dressed.

Can you share more about your view of fashion and individuality and the relationship that exists between them?

B: That’s based on the 4 style personalities that I've developed with my long history in fashion. So that’s also mainly coming from my boutique experience of more than 10 years working in shops. Because often I see that a style is described as office wear for example, and I feel like that’s a style of dress and there’s something on top of that. I feel like there’s 4 styles that you’re  a combination of two or more. So that’s The Classics, The Romantics, The Gender Neutrals, and The Stylists. Gender Neutrals is one of my styles I’m most comfortable in, it’s basically genderless, it's what I’m doing with my children, it’s whatever you feel comfortable in is you. The Gender Neutral is not scared of shopping in different departments.

SHOP BIEK'S LOOK HERE | Blue Palm shirt; The Self Love Club trousers

10. Meet Mahima Gujral, our very own Founder! Being surrounded by Indian textile craft through the family business, Mahima has always had a long standing love for well-made clothes that uplifts artisans. However, after years studying fashion marketing then working in fashion, she realised the full impact fashion had on the planet in 2016, which led her to begin a journey of her own into mindful purchasing and conscious living. Shortly into her journey, she realised that slow fashion was still viewed as unrelatable by many and created Sui to help women better connect to clothing.

How do you bring your passions like writing and travel to Sui?

M: Through telling stories. I think one of the main things that we’ve always done from the start with Sui is give a story to every chapter we create, and by chapter I mean collection. We specifically call it a chapter, because we wanted them to act like stories in a book. Each chapter is inspired by travel experiences, memories of childhood, by moments in life, so I think I've kind of threaded that together with my passion for clothing. Many of those who have bought from us or follow us or have followed our journey would understand that whenever we talk about anything we create there’s storytelling in that, and that’s how I think I've merged the two worlds.

How do you manage to come back to yourself while also embracing new experiences like motherhood?

M: Becoming  a mum has been one of the most amazing yet difficult experiences of my life. I loved my pregnancy apart from the first trimester, anyone who’s been pregnant will resonate that the first trimester is the hardest one. But apart from that I really enjoyed it, and was looking forward to the next phase. Everyone prepares you for those phases, they tell you to get this ready and make sure the room is ready, make sure you have your birth plan sorted out, but I think no one prepares you for all the emotions you’re going to feel the minute you become a mum. No one really talks to you about the first few months postpartum, about how lost you’ll feel with your sense of self yet you’ll be so in love with this new human being that’s in your life. You love being a mum but you miss who you are. For me it’s taken 1 and a half years to get to a place where I can truly say I love who I am now and I don't miss who I used to be. I feel like she’s still a part of me but I've become a new refreshed version of her. I think running a business and going through that is even harder because the first year, you’re trying to work but you’re not all there, you're still trying to figure out parts of you, you’re trying to sort out how this new schedule works because now you’re responsible for this beautiful little human. But you also have a business so how are you going to maneuver it all? It took a  lot of time to come back to finding this space for myself. 

What do you love about yourself?

M: I think I love my passion for what I do, I love my way of loving the people that I love and caring for the ones I care about.

What helps you maintain that love for yourself?

M: The women around me, 100%. My mum, my daughter, my grandmums, they've been pillars in my life. My friends. I would also say being an entrepreneur and being surrounded by the community we have in Singapore. Being able to be on this journey, creating all the experiences that I've gone through has given me tools to sort of be able to keep me going whenever I'm in a place where I feel like I can't do this.

How do the changes in your story translate to changes in your fashion sense?

M: I think it was really difficult the first few months [after birth]. I absolutely had no idea how to identify my clothes to my body, I struggled with it but eventually there were a few things that happened. One of the most empowering things was when that self love grows, you tend to be happy with the things that exist in your wardrobe and you don’t mind re-wearing them. And secondly, what changed for me was that I'm sure of what I want to introduce to my wardrobe. So I don't feel like I stressed any differently, I feel like my sense of style is similar but I'm much more sure of what I know will make me feel good when I wear it. I was talking to someone the other day and we were talking about how clothes make your soul feel good as well, so I'm a lot more sure if today I want to wear shorts and a t-shirt, it doesn’t matter what I'm up to, I'll wear it because it makes me feel good. I feel like that's the difference that’s come my way. And I think that’s translated into all the silhouettes and pieces that we’ve crafted with Sui, we want to be able to offer that sort of comfort when you buy something.

SHOP MAHIMA'S LOOK HERE | Bright Love shirt; Bright Love trousers

The Journey collection is now live at https://www.wearesui.com/ and everyone is invited to follow the #SUIISSHE campaign on https://www.instagram.com/wearesui/.