Chrissy Lafian is the Founder and Creative Director of Suku Home, a lifestyle fashion brand that she created 8 years ago.
Born and raised in Indonesia, Chrissy moved by herself to New Zealand, before finding her way to Melbourne to study graphic design at university.
Over the last 8 years, Chrissy has grown Suku from a small online bedding business to a cult lifestyle brand with a flagship store on Gertrude Street, in Melbourne.
Recently, Chrissy’s approach to her business and work has evolved after she became a mother. Below, she shares how she thinks about the equilibrium between motherhood and work, and the importance of trust, team and shared support.
U: Can you share what you did during a recent working day?
CL: I recently become a mother so I’m still trying to juggle motherhood and work! A recent day started when I went into work to meet up with my design assistant and marketing team to discuss an upcoming range and plan.
I try to find time to respond to emails when the baby is asleep, and I do all communications via text and Whatsapp. I also try to go to work twice a week, whether it’s with the baby or not.
The beauty of having my own business is that I have the privilege to bring my baby to work, and of course work around my new schedule. I’m lucky to have a great team who support me too! I spent years building a foundation by trusting others to do the job so one day I could move on to other things. In this case, it is motherhood.
"I have the privilege to bring my baby to work, and of course work around my new schedule. I’m lucky to have a great team who support me too."
"I have the privilege to bring my baby to work, and of course work around my new schedule. I’m lucky to have a great team who support me too."
Has motherhood influenced the way you approach work?
Absolutely! Prior to being a mother, my work and career was everything to me. It consumed me in a sense that I didn’t know who I was without it.
Being a mother has given me a new perspective that my work doesn’t define who I am. My relationship to others does – like my relationship to my family and friends. I had a difficult birth so it also taught me that health is more important than anything in this world. These days when problem appears at work, I’ve noticed that I am a lot calmer than before. I even joke to my team, ’if its not a life and death situation, then it’s not a big deal! Don’t beat yourself for it.’
Above all of this, I’m still really motivated at work because my son’s struggle to be here with us during birth has inspired me to be the best version of myself.
What objets or tools do you keep around you as you work?
I used to start work with a routine of burning incense to keep me grounded, so I could focus. These days, there is no such thing! I’m lucky if I have a good three hours of sitting down to do work without distraction. If there is one object I keep around when I work now, it’d be my breast pump!
