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MK: Growing up between Brisbane, Taipei, and Sydney, how have these locales influenced Pseushi's designs?

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WC: My upbringing between these cities has provided a very valuable perspective. I had no idea how much of an influence growing up in Taipei during the 90’s was to me until recent years when we’ve seen a lot of these 90’s and Y2K aesthetics being revived. The memories came flooding back ie. baggy jeans, Jordans, g-shock, BAPE, Evisu jeans, Jansport, dickies. Brisbane shaped me to be real and genuine. In a sense, Taipei and Brisbane have been the input or reference points of my cultural identity and Sydney so far has been the environment where these ideas have evolved and reflected out.

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You’ve mentioned starting Pseushi as an anonymous creative outlet. Looking back, how has the brand evolved in ways you didn’t expect?

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WC: I honestly never expected Pseushi to turn into my full time job, as clichéd as that sounds. What I’m doing now as a job sounded like a pipe dream five years ago and what I need to achieve in the next five years sounds ten times more ludicrous but somehow you just need to compartmentalise, stay grounded, manifest and stay on track. Don’t look down!

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MK: If you had to pick one Pseushi item that encapsulates the brand’s ethos, which would it be and why?

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WC: I try to instill the brand’s ethos in every single product that I put out so it’s hard to pick a favourite child. But the denim line has definitely been the most fulfilling to design and produce. Trialling and error with patternmakers, experimenting in washes and processes with the dye house etc. Just seeing in person what goes into each garment, how many pairs of hands they touch. It drives me and inspires me.

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MK: What drives your commitment to producing Australian-made clothing through a network of Sydney-based makers?

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WC: It’s been an amazing experience getting to know and work with what seems like the last generation of the local industry which is quite sad. I’m grateful for my timeline to have overlapped with these people and I hope I’m wrong. But with dwindling resources, lack of younger workers and rising costs, it’s hard to see a future in this industry of production and manufacturing. I feel like I’m also hitting a ceiling with things I can make here so there might be changes for the business in order to reach newer heights. I’m constantly trying to find new and better ways of making things, more sustainable processes , garments with more longevity etc. Even if that means moving some of the production overseas.

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MK: What initially sparked your interest in creating unisex clothing, and how do you think that decision shaped the brand's identity?

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WC: I don’t think this was ever a conscious decision, I’ve never designed with gender in mind. Pseushi is for people that make conscious decisions about how they dress and I think t-shirts, jeans, hoodies and dress shirts are so universal that it feels strange to even say I’m trying to be inclusive.

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MK: Any advice would you give to someone looking to start their own brand in today’s competitive fashion landscape?

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WC: Accept the fact that everything is trial and error. If you can’t fail, don’t start.

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MK: You just got back from Paris, tell us about the showroom you did there and what your plans are for expanding the brand?

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WC: My first time showing in Paris was rather daunting but at the same time it gave me much needed perspective. It’s going to be a very steep learning curve for the next couple of years but I’m excited to begin the journey. I feel like it’s so easy sometimes to stay in our little corner of the world in Australia where everything is a little simpler but there’s also a much lower ceiling. I think it’s time to get out of my comfort zone.

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