Frustrated by a lack of modern, high quality souvenirs that truly reflected her home town, Melbourne graphic designer Milana Wallace decided to create her own.
She started her business, Mopsy, in 2015, and now offers a range of Melbourne- and Australiana-themed products including prints, tote bags, tea towels, cards and notepads.
“Having travelled around Asia, Europe and North America I saw what other countries had for tourists to buy as a memento from their travels,” Wallace says. “I wanted something that was made in the country of origin, authentic, and locally produced.”
Aside from being a souvenir range, Wallace says she also hoped Melbournians would use and display Mopsy pieces in their homes as a reminder of the city they love.
“My inspiration was the city of Melbourne and what makes it ‘Melbourne’,” she says. “The inspiration is the blending of old, new and quirky. The beautiful and ornate stained glass windows of Flinders Street Station, the gorgeous architecture of St Kilda Pier, the modern geometric monolith that is Federation Square and the stunning Audrey, Skipping Girl Vinegar[neon sign]. They are all a part of Melbourne’s history and tell a story.”
Wallace launched her range on home soil at Life Instyle Melbourne recently, which was an important step in Mopsy’s expansion.
“Wholesaling is my main focus, I just don’t have the resources to do markets [or] retailing, so I would like to concentrate on one facet of my business at the moment,” she says.
“[Life Instyle] is the next step for me as far as attracting businesses to stock my products. Up to now I have done all my own searching for prospective customers, so the time was right to invest to hopefully have prospective businesses find me.”
Wallace says that getting her products into customers’ hands has been hard, but her perseverance has paid off. “You just have to get out there and do your own research, tread the pavement and just do it,” she says. “There are no shortcuts as your product is unique to you.”
Despite the challenges of running her own business—keeping up with social media, doing the accounts and selling to retailers (not to mention actually designing the products)—Wallace says it is worth it.
“The best thing has been networking with retailers, customers, suppliers and other creatives and learning what works and what doesn’t,” she says.
“I love being the master of my own destiny—it’s up to me to succeed so I can’t blame anyone else for whatever happens.”
By Ruth Cooper
