A day in the life
As Co-founder of UNIK SPACE, Elin Marcic is at the helm of an eco-conscious brand that produces timeless, minimalistic clothes with a romantic twist. Each item is handcrafted by dressmakers in Bali and Sydney using textiles in natural fibres like cotton, linen, silk and hemp.
In 2018, you founded UNIK SPACE with two of your best friends, Camilla La Fleur and Luci Hassen. How did you get started?
Before setting up our business, we all worked together in retail selling beautiful designer brands, so we have worked together for quite a long time. We absolutely loved working in retail (I was a store manager and buyer), but then that business was changing its focus and going into furniture. So, we started thinking about next steps. We had a conversation one night which then evolved into weeks of meetings where we would plan and brainstorm ideas for the business. It happened pretty organically, and we quickly made the shop into a reality. We have a Northern Sydney showroom as well as an online store. We represent a few natural and organic beauty brands, [who sell] products that are made in small batches to ensure freshness and limited wastage, and a few jewellery brands, [such as] Elvis et Moi. And we’re doing a few collaborations, but our own [in-house] brand (UNIK by us) is really the main focus.
What was your vision for the brand?
We started with a mood board and the idea was to create clothes that would be minimalistic but with a romantic twist. We love to add a few feminine or romantic touches like a billowing sleeve or a cinched in waist. We stay true to that vision quite naturally.
How would you describe the UNIK SPACE customer?
We have such a variety of women buying our clothes, but what they all have in common is that they value quality and really care about what the product is made of. Our customers are definitely conscious consumers in the sense that they appreciate natural fibres and timeless designs. Our clothes are also so easy to wear; you can wear them to so many different occasions – out for a coffee or to the beach. But you can also style a pair of trousers, for example, with a different shoe and wear it to work. Versatility is a big thing. From the feedback we’ve had, it’s almost changed the way that our customers dress and the way that they think about their clothes.
Do you have a favourite piece from your latest collection?
The Byron shirt is one of my favourites because it’s such an easy one to wear. It’s a trans-seasonal linen shirt that can also be worn as a dress. The Oscar shirt is such a good classic but it’s still a little bit edgy because it’s oversized. I’ve been living in the Kidd linen boilersuit; you can wear it lose and baggy or pulled in to accentuate the waist. You can wear it out to dinner as well; in that case, just unbutton it and show a bit of a lacy bra or dress it up with jewellery. We also just launched a tailored linen vest with a silk satin back that is just so beautiful (the Gladys vest). I can’t say just one piece, sorry!
Can you tell us about your background?
I’m from Sweden and came to Australia in my early twenties for three months (with two friends) to do the classic ‘travel the East Coast and experience Australia’ thing. I just loved it so much that I came back and stayed. I’ve always felt very much at home here.
I’ve always been interested in fashion. Growing up, I was always vintage shopping and raiding my grandparents’ attic. I would alter vintage clothing and make it into my own. I’ve been drawing clothes ever since I was a little girl. I studied photography at school and have done a course in makeup artistry; I’ve always been creative in that sense.
Can you run us through a typical day in your shoes?
6.30am: I would love to say that I get up and do yoga and exercise before work, but I have my little boy in the morning. I make sure that I give him lots of love and attention. We snuggle, read some books and play.
7.30am: We have breakfast, clean up the house, and I prepare our lunches. The mornings are always a little chaotic. If I’m organized enough from the night before, and it’s nice weather outside, we might pop down for a morning swim and have our breakfast by the beach. On these days, I always feel extra lucky to live where we live.
9am: My son’s nanny arrives and I go to our showroom. Because all three of us are mums, we have very limited time. So, from the moment we step foot in the showroom, it’s on. We need to really use that time [wisely].
We always start with a coffee and a morning meeting. Then we get on with our day. Because we are a small business, we wear so many different hats. It goes from packing our orders to doing our own PR, designing new styles or developing the next colourway.
We talk to customers that need help and some days we have clients coming into the showroom to try our pieces on. We also work closely with our production team in Bali and talk to them every day. We do so many different things in a day.
5pm: I come home and give my little boy some cuddles and extra attention because I haven’t seen him all day. We try to have an early dinner together as a family. I am a vegetarian, so we are quite into healthy food. We shop at a local Co-op and try to buy everything in bulk. We put everything into jars and try to reduce our consumption of packaging. We also have a worm compost for our food scraps. For dinner, we might have a noodle soup with ginger, turmeric, vegetables and noodles.
7pm: After dinner, we all have a family shower together because it’s our chance to catch up on the day.
8pm: In the evenings, if time allows, I try to squeeze in yoga at home with my husband after my son has fallen asleep. During times when things are extra busy with the business, I spend the evenings working on my laptop.
10.30pm: I try to not stay up too late. My son sometimes wakes up through the night and I need a good night’s sleep to be able to function through the busy days working on UNIK. This year, I’ve made a conscious choice of changing my habit from being on my phone before bed to reading a book.
What do you do to relax and recharge?
I love getting outdoors and soaking up the beautiful nature where we’re so lucky to live! It might be a quick walk by the sea in the morning with my little boy Sage, or as a family before sunset. If it’s beautiful weather (and if I’m organised enough in the morning), I might have a swim and breakfast by the beach with my son before heading into work. These mornings are always the most magical way to start a day.
How do you take care of your skin?
In terms of a skincare routine, it needs to be easy and quick for me to stick to. My favourite thing in the evening before bed is to soak my face with this natural NZ made night cream, which is super rich and nourishing and instantly makes my skin feel amazing. I also use a few drops of the amazing Glow oil by Essence and Co a few times a week and give myself a face massage with their Gua Sha tool, which is made from sustainably sourced Citrine. It only takes a few minutes and is amazing for your face – and mind; it’s a small way of adding some much-needed self-care and a moment of stillness, with a touch of luxury, into the day.
What do you love most about what you do?
I feel so lucky to be able to work with two of my best friends. It feels like a dream come true. We still are very much a small business and need to continue to grow but it’s really special to see women, both friends and women all over the world, wearing our pieces and giving us positive feedback.
What or who is your greatest inspiration?
I feel so inspired by our friends, clients and the strong women around us. We get a lot of amazing feedback from customers and have a lot of support for what we do, which definitely gives us the energy to keep going.