Sunny Days Society owner Michelle Payne creates clothing line for tweens unable to find suitable outfits

Unable to find fun and suitable clothing for her 10-year-old girl, Michelle Payne took matters into her own hands. Read how she started her own fashion line.

Fed up with being unable to find suitable clothing for her 10-year-old daughter, Michelle Payne hit the sewing machine to make fun, tasteful pieces for her girl transitioning between children’s and adult clothing.

“When girls get to nine or 10, they want to wear older girls’ clothes, but they’re not really appropriate,” she said.

Her handmade items received praise from other mums, leading her to launch a youth clothing label in March.

Mrs Payne, 41, is now the founder of Sunny Days Society in Noosa, which is addressing a gap in the tween market, ages eight to 16, by selling fun, appropriate and comfortable clothes, such as tops, shorts and skirts.

Mrs Payne, who sells online and at two markets on the Sunshine Coast, said sales have gone “really well” as there was a “big demand” for this niche, saying in-person customers frequently complimented the idea.

“I’m definitely not the only mum thinking like that,” she said.

Before filling this gap, Mrs Payne struggled to find suitable prices, sizes, colours, fabrics and quality when shopping for her daughter, Ruby and if she did find any, the price tags were too steep.

Michelle Payne and Ruby Payne: Picture: Sunny Days Society

“When you go in, there’s not much choice,” she said.

Last year, Mrs Payne, a keen seamstress, focused on her business after partnering with Noosa-based clothing service TTK Collective, which offers ethical and sustainable manufacturing for new and existing clothing labels.

TTK Collective head designer and fashion coach Janelle Rawlins said there was a “huge gap” in the tweens market, but it was tough to create the right pricing and sizing.

“You have girls that are just starting to mature, so there is no real ideal size chart as they are developing so differently especially through height, bust and hips,” she said.

But she said Mrs Payne’s first collection was “beautiful”.

Mrs Payne’s label was still in its infancy, but she wanted to make it a full-time role, build its online presence, branch into wholesale markets and sell into like-minded boutique stores.

“That’s my next step,” she said.

Originally published as Sunny Days Society owner Michelle Payne creates clothing line for tweens unable to find suitable outfits