'It was like an army coming at us': kid's clothing brand Oishi-m has built a cult-like following

Miyo Fallshaw doesn't have plans to produce more runs of Oishi-m's clothing.

She's not bothered that some lines and sizes of the cult childrenswear brand sell out within minutes of release.

"Creating something magical and special, we thrive off that," the owner of Oishi-m says. "When the supply is less than the demand, it also increases the demand which makes us very, very different as a value proposition to a CottonOn or Kmart or Target or more mass-produced items. We love that our customers can feel unique and give expression to their styling."

Designing unicorns

Fallshaw started out just helping Oishi-m founder Fiona McPherson with marketing the business, established in 2006.

She joined as a co-owner when it was clear there was demand for Oishi-m's limited-edition clothes made from vintage and retro fabrics mixed with denim and cotton.

"Back in those days it was very much a blue, pinks and neutrals marketplace; there wasn't much that was quirky, fun, playful, colourful and bold," says Fallshaw.

A product with a difference meant the Australian designed and, largely, Australian made children's clothing line grew steadily to 18 mainly part-time and casual staff and a turnover of between $2 million and $3 million a year. Read more