Jordan | New Lynn

“I had a really negative work experience a few years ago. It involved legal proceedings and things like that, with my former employer, and obviously dark times, hard times, but that led to me starting my own business.

It was kind of the motivation to do that and I couldn’t be happier at this point, so that really lit a fire, to be honest. It’s something I had already wanted to do, and probably would have done at some point, but it was a real kick…piece of motivation for me. 

I think a big thing is resilience, and that’s certainly an ongoing lesson. But that was a big one from that experience. I learned all about those sorts of matters of employment, and the law, and things that I can carry into what I do now. I suppose how I felt, I wanted to behave as a boss and an employer and just treating people generally, which is definitely easier said than done, but kind of a constant lesson.

It’s a clothing business called Checks Downtown, which is the industry I have always worked in, and is my great love in the world. The future for me involves that expanding, seeing through this current climate, and hopefully taking what we’re doing to the world which is starting at the moment, very exciting. It’s always that same, good with the bad, and ups and downs, and I guess appreciating and learning from both, but the dream is to sort of create a legacy and something of value that people appreciate and I guess choose to wear to express something about themselves.

I grew up in Christchurch. Lived there until the end of high school and then have been in Auckland since then, and I value relationships and connection with people, and hold them very dearly. I’m a loyal person, and creativity is really important to me, and being able to express myself in those endeavours, kind of without restraint.”