Once a creative tween peddling her handmade and vintage wares with her sisters at TVM back in our early days, Daisy Braid has been a part of our beloved community for 12 years now. Having recently returned from a stint living and working overseas, Daisy was straight back to TVM peddling her pre-loved wardrobe at our Rack Sales 12 years on from her first ever stall.
We loved catching up with Daisy to reminisce about the early days of TVM, what our platform means to creatives living on the Gold Coast, being a finalist in Triple J's Unearthed High as a teenager playing alonside artists such as Thelma Plum, and were inspired to hear more about sewing tutorial website - DIY Daisy.
Where it all began - Daisy, Amaya and Aurora Braid 
Daisy and Amaya, TVM Rack Sales 2020
We celebrated TVM’s 12th birthday on Sunday 4 October, what does TVM mean to you, as a creative living on the Gold Coast?
I’m really grateful we have TVM here on the Gold Coast, as a place to connect with and be inspired by other makers.
It was the first place I ever sold my handmade creations and learned about vintage reselling and it offers us fashion lovers a place to support a more sustainable way of shopping.
I also love the social side of the markets. Aurora and I used to drag our little sister Amaya along to help us back in the day and now, we do the Rack Sale together. I love the sister time!
What are some of your favourite brands that have come out of TVM, or are still a part of our community?
Alice Nightingale is one of my fav TVM brands from way back and now she has her own shop in Brisbane.
I love her Australiana accessories and that she uses second-hand fabrics, so you know each piece is only one of a couple made. It's awesome to see small brands grow and do fab things.
You have always been into fashion and I do recall you and your sister Aurora were finalists in Triple J’s Unearthed High many years ago - creativity is obviously in your blood. What was your family like growing up and how did your upbringing in-still such a sense of creativity in you?
It is in our blood for sure! Mum was a chef and dad was a builder plus, we have a fabulous fashion designer Aunt so we have always been around creative people. We grew up in our mum's cafe eating her yummy food and lived in the house dad built (and is still building). If we didn't know how to do something we were encouraged to figure it out ourselves, take it apart or google it.
When our grandparents would visit from NZ, they would bring a bag of fabric remnants from my Aunt. I used those remnants to make all sorts of DIY outfits. I would also up-cycle things I found at the op shop, many of which ended up being sold at our little stall at TVM. I had no idea what a sewing pattern was back then!
At some point Mum bought us guitars because we wanted to be like The Veronica's and we taught ourselves to play that same afternoon. It was always a bit of fun but in 2010 a song we wrote called Wintertime made it into the finals of Triple J Unearthed High! We didn't win but it was pretty exciting to hear it on the radio and we went on to play gigs around the Gold Coast with artists like Thelma Plum!
You just arrived back from a big stint living in Japan, I am sure it inspired you creatively? What were some of the most inspiring places you visited whilst travelling?
Moving to Japan was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was based in Tokyo for two years and was able to travel to a bunch of my bucket list locations.
One of the places I got to visit was Furano in Hokkaido during the summer time. There are a bunch of flower fields with bright bold colours as far as your eye can see. That trip inspired my makes for the next couple of months with plenty of colour-blocking.
Aurora visited me last October and we traveled to the South Island of Japan to a small island called Yakushima. The island is the place that inspired the imagery in the Ghibli movie Princess Mononoke. We visited a natural onsen that only appears at low tide and bathed with locals, while watching the waves crash behind us. We Hiked through forests of thousand year old cedar trees and took a swim at a secluded beach with crystal clear water. It was hard not to be inspired!
Tell us about DIY Daisy, your sewing tutorial website?
DIY Daisy is my blog where I share my sewing journey with others in the sewing community and beyond. Besides sharing my latest handmade things, I also share tutorials for DIY sewing projects and things you can make without a pattern.
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Where do you hope to take this platform?
I initially started my blog to document my journey as a sewist and connect with other makers. I never thought anyone would use my tutorials to make their own unique clothing (Daisy's IG account has over 13k followers)! Every time someone tags me in their creation that they made using one of my tutorials I get filled with so much joy. I hope to continue sharing tutorials and projects that show people how fun rewarding it is to make your own clothes and I would love to teach a sewing workshop!
Thanks so much Daisy, see you at TVM soon!
