Many 9 to 5 workers are looking for a way out of their routine, especially in a COVID-19-riddled world.
It has become the perfect excuse to chase their dreams.
For Alyssa King, that meant developing a surf hat brand, which targeted the younger generation and encouraged Australians to stay sun safe.
Siren Ray is derived from Greek mythology, referring to dangerous creatures who lured sailors with their music and voices to shipwreck on an island.
Alyssa said the mythology represented the sun’s ability to lure people in, as many Australians loved to suntan and be outdoors, without protection.
The 20-year-old Buderim medical receptionist joined the online Start and Scale course in early 2021.
The Start and Scale Your Online Store program, by Gretta Riel, helps aspiring entrepreneurs build a virtual platform for their products.
As a part of the course, Alyssa identified a gap in the clothing market – the absence of fashionable surfing hats. She said she wanted to step back from her job and pursue something different.
“I’m sick of my 9 to 5 and I want to start my own thing,” she said.
“I’ve always been a business-focused person; I used to sell hand-sewn tops at the markets when I was 12.”
Her goal is to develop a bucket hat and vintage hat design for surfers and everyday people to wear and enjoy.
The idea for surfing hats stemmed from her childhood love for surfing.
Her family would often travel to Double Island Point where her brother and dad would catch waves.
She said she was “sick of sitting and watching them surf” so her dad began pushing her on the waves.
She still surfs in her spare time but she’s focused on her bright business idea.
Persistent ignoring of the sun’s damage remained her inspiration to combine her passion of surfing and fashion with a good cause.
“Younger people don’t know the damaging consequences of the sun,” she said.
“We often have people coming into the (medical) clinic to get skin spots removed.”
A family history of melanoma also influenced her product idea.
She wanted Siren Ray’s brand to build a community of people who were aware of the importance of sun safety to minimise the devastating effects of soaking up rays.
Nailing down a vintage pattern and solid colour design for reversible hats is currently being workshopped.
Pinterest and vintage Vogue magazines were a big inspiration and she also observed fashion trends. Approaching fabric manufacturers is her next step after finalising her ideas.
“I have a fabric manufacturer in mind; the hardest part is getting the right shapes and sewing them together,” she said.
Her grandma and mum lend a hand in her sewing skills. Alyssa makes the hats by herself with the advice of her boyfriend’s sister who also owns a clothing line.
She has experimented with sewing her vintage-shaped hat that is longer on the neck and shorter near the face.
Businesses’ hesitancy to make a custom batch of her design leaves her fending for herself, with hand-sewing her only option until she gets Siren Ray noticed.
She predicted the sketches would take a few more months, until she can give sample hats to her friends for feedback.
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Her five-year plan is for her hats to be in chain surf stores, but for now creating an online store is the goal.
As she coasts her way through the designs and production, hiring mums to work from home and employing refugees is a part of the bigger picture as she edges one step closer to owning a reputable brand.
The ultimate dream for Alyssa is to have a factory and mass produce the hats.
“My ultimate dream is to have a warehouse so I don’t have to do any of the hard work,” she said.
Her concentration remained on the fashion aspect of the job.
Alyssa is one of the young entrepreneurs in the Generation Innovation Challenge.
The aspiring youth and young adults have delivered their idea pitches and finalists will be announced in the near future.
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Three finalists will go head-to-head to compete for a $10,000 grant.
Alyssa said it would set up her business to help spread the important message of sun safety through marketing and materials.
“It’d be a great opportunity to use the money to go towards something that will benefit the community,” she said.
“I’d use the money for materials and marketing to get my brand out there. It would honestly mean so much to me.”
The winner will be announced in November.
Mia Ludwig is a USC journalism student.
