Louise Siu didn’t set out to become a fashion brand founder. But after watching her husband, Kinsen, work to get the new Australian label IDA+S off the ground last year, she saw she could make a real contribution to the product side of the business.
“I’ve always had a creative streak, so the design and product development side really resonated with me,” Louise tells Women’s Agenda.
“It was quite a natural transition from helping out to realising I could bring something meaningful to the business.”
Louise is now the co-founder and creative heartbeat of IDA+S, a luxury fashion label based in Sydney, shaped by the Siu family’s generational manufacturing knowledge.
“My in-laws have had decades of experience in apparel manufacturing, and that experience has shaped the way we think about product,” Louise explains.
“My mother-in-law is 73, and she’s actually quite open to change, but she’s very firm when it comes to fabrications and pattern making. I think that’s a good thing.
“Not everything has changed for the better over the last 20 years, and we’re quite deliberate about holding onto the things that still matter: quality, fit, fabrication and wearability.”
With a focus on quality and longevity, Louise says the brand’s pieces are designed for women to wear again and again.
“One of the most common observations we hear about IDA+S is how wearable the clothes are,” she says.
“They are pieces that are easy to wear, and reach for again and again, which I think is particularly important for women whose lives are constantly changing and who are navigating different roles, careers and stages of life.”
Alongside Kinsen, Louise is learning to embrace the process of launching and building a fashion brand. It’s had its share of challenges — but ultimately, embracing the process and cherishing the small wins along the way has been key.
“That might be our first order when we launched, or seeing a friend at our children’s school wearing IDA+S at school pick-up. Those moments remind me that what we’re building is becoming part of people’s lives.”
Louise says she’s constantly learning as the business grows and doesn’t pretend she has all the answers. As a leader, she tries to stay open, pay attention, and keep moving forward, even when things feel unfamiliar.
Ultimately, she wants the brand to support women to feel confident in who they are. It’s a feeling she’s built for herself over time working in an industry that she didn’t expect to find herself in.
“When I started working in my husband’s first family fashion business, Lafayette 148 NY, there were days when I felt like a fish out of water. It was very much “fashion boss” territory, and that wasn’t really me,” she says.
“Over time, I arrived at a point where I became confident in who I am as a person. That’s how I want women to feel in IDA+S. The clothes don’t make me, they simply complement who I already am.
“I think clothing should do that for women: give you confidence and complement who you are, rather than define you.”