Margie Woods has always seen value in taking things slowly.
That’s not to say she isn’t busy. As the founder, creative director and general manager of Australian fashion label Viktoria & Woods, her days are packed with design, business development, fittings, and mentoring more than 130 staff, on top of family and social commitments.
But Woods has always felt a deep connection to country, an embeddedness in her Victorian community. From it has flowed a passion for sustainability that is the essence of the label she founded in 2004 – doing things right, rather than doing them fast.
A day in the life
Despite her busy schedule, Woods believes in making time to check in with herself.
“[My day] might start very early with exercise and then meditation,” she says. “It really sets me up for the day.”
As a mother, Woods has emulated her own mother’s creativity and frugality, fostering her love of the natural environment – and her belief that it should be protected – in her children. All signs say it’s working: her son has developed a passion for the outdoors, while her daughter recently returned from a school trip with plans to get the family growing their own vegetables.
As a family unit, they’re conscious of the cleaning products they use and how often they wash their clothes, and Woods plans to implement sustainability measures into the upcoming remodelling of their home.
“It’s a very real, innate, deep thing in my family … There’s no way we’re perfect, but we consider it [sustainability], I guess, in everything that we do.”
From family to workplace
Woods says her family’s sustainability efforts have transferred naturally to her workplace and the business she runs. It can take a minimum of nine months for a single Viktoria & Woods design to come to fruition thanks to Woods’s “slow fashion” ethos – but that’s not to say she’s sitting around, waiting for samples to arrive.
“As soon as I get into the office, it’s really diverse,” she says. “It might start with meetings, then I’ll go into design fittings, and then it’s maybe fabric selections, and then it’s into finance … [I always go] through retail reports from my retail staff, which really keeps me super connected with my customer.”
All of this begs the question: how does Woods balance her commitment to sustainable business practices with the demands of a fast-paced industry?
Design with purpose
Woods didn’t build a business around sustainable and ethical production practices because she felt she had to. She never saw it as a trend. Rather, she views it as part of her personal and professional journeys.
“Not only am I a business leader, but I employ over 130 people,” she says. “I’m a mother. And I’m part of an industry that has a lot to answer for, environmentally, and I don’t shy away from that at all. I just try and do the very best that I can.”
Woods’s very best is impressive, to say the least.
Her designs use locally sourced natural fibres and are intended to be worn and loved year-round, then passed along or handed down to new owners.
All the business’s suppliers and makers are accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia. The company is working towards a zero-waste operating model, which will see its offcuts and excess stock donated to environmental and charitable organisations such as Hopeworks and Fitted for Work. Her bricks-and-mortar boutiques are all designed and built using sustainable materials and feature contributions by local artisans.
The vast majority of garments are made in Melbourne, and those that are produced offshore (where certain technology and production techniques are more readily available) are done so by manufacturers with certified sustainable and ethical production chops.
Viktoria & Woods collections are inspired by Australia’s rich, diverse natural landscape, and Woods believes in protecting and connecting with country as well as connecting with the Indigenous peoples who lived on and cared for it for thousands of years. Her company has committed to a long-term partnership with the Koorie Heritage Trust, which provides cultural awareness training that she hopes will make her workplace responsive and respectful.
“I’m very connected to community now,” she says. “And it’s not just about the environment. It’s about how the community around me works, whether that’s buying locally or a new partnership with the Koorie Heritage Trust, which is really important to my staff.”
Despite her efforts, Woods is quick to point out that she’s no expert in sustainability. She considers the contributions of her partners and staff to be the bedrock of her business.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be perfect,” she says. “I try and strive towards [being better] and leaning on experts in that field.”
For Margie Woods, that’s all in a day’s work.
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