Born-and-bred in Canberra, Maja Kresic has ditched a decade-long career in corporate accounting for the fashion world.

Now living in Sydney, she launched her first collection – a black mini skirt and an interchangeable top – under the brand name Andau (pronounced and-or) on 17 September.

“It was a bit scary but now that’s it out there, it’s cool,” Ms Kresic said.

“It’s a good feeling. I’m proud of myself as well.”

Ms Kresic said she celebrated the release with a dinner with her family.

She said her family was involved in the process along the way; her grandma helped put together the samples, her brother coded the website, her sister did the social media, and her mother worked on the website and marketing.

Ms Kresic said an interest in fashion ran in the family, with her mother making her own clothes and her grandmother being a self-taught seamstress.

Ms Kresic attended the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week in Melbourne in 2013 as part of her fashion class at Daramalan College, where she caught a glimpse of the fashion world through a live runway show.

She opted to instead pursue an accounting career for stability and security.

But after 10 years in the corporate world, she left her job in June 2024 to pursue a career in fashion.

Ms Kresic said that sustainability is a core focus of her brand, from the materials used to the packaging all being sourced from Sydney.

“That was really important for me from the inception of the brand,” she said.

“I use deadstock fabrics, which are overproduced fabrics used by other designers that would have been burnt, disposed of or gone to waste.

“So, I am inspired by the fabric for the design rather than the other way around.”

She said this made the design process interesting because in not being able to guarantee continuity, the pieces were “unique” and “exclusive”.

Ms Kresic said for the future, she hoped to release more “multi-function” pieces, accessories and sell her products at markets.

Check out the collection at andau.com.au/ or follow the brand on Instagram by searching andau_official.

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