How Internet Sensation Sophadopha Built Her Fashion Empire
'In school, I wanted to be a doctor and my mum was a lawyer before this, so we went into it with absolutely no e-commerce or supply chain experience,' she tells news.com.au checkout.
It was October 2020, when her life changed overnight.
The then-16-year-old posted her first-ever TikTok and would go on to become one of Australia's top content creators.
At the time of writing, Sophia, more commonly known as her social media handle Sophadopha, has a combined following of over two million followers on Instagram and TikTok.
With a few years of popularity under her belt, the Aussie star certainly knows what it takes to go viral online and used this to her advantage when launching her own brand, All For Mimi and their new cult 'boob job' tank top that Aussies are obsessed with.
'CREATE PIECES WOMEN COULD FEEL BEAUTIFUL AND CONFIDENT IN'
With her mother, Suzy Cotter, as a co-founder, All For Mimi officially launched in November 2023.
While starting a new business is always risky, it's a passion project for the mother-daughter duo. They began work around 12 months before even receiving their first sample.
From there, it took another year to get the product right and launch the brand onto the market.
The name is an ode to Sophia's great-great-grandmother, who had her own bridal couture and lingerie boutique during the 1920s and is a source of inspiration to her family.
'Her love for glamorous fashion, coupled with her refusing to accept the status quo, has stayed with me as I've grown into the woman I am with a desire to follow in her footsteps,' writes Sophia on the brand's website.
'I wanted to dedicate my brand to Mimi in her honour, and I hope to carry on her legacy in my work.'
This legacy is evident in the brand's products.
'Both my mum and I wanted to create pieces women could feel beautiful and confident in,' says Sophia.
With this in mind, the brand has a large size range from XXS to XXXXL, something the co-founders are very proud of.
'Lots of small businesses and even larger ones don't offer this,' Sophia says.
This proved true at Australian Fashion Week. Only 1.1 per cent of looks presented by designers were plus-size (AU 18+), 8.7 per cent were mid-size (AU 10-16), and 90.2 per cent were straight-size (AU 4-8), according to Vogue Australia.
And according to research from body-positive fashion app Mys Tyler, the average Australian woman wears a size 14-16.
They also report that 52 per cent of Australian women wear size 16 and above and over 36 per cent are considered plus-size, wearing a size 18 and above.
For All For Mimi, a small and fairly new brand, to actually cater to these sizes is truly an incredible feat.
'BOOB JOB' TANK TOP
Despite being less than two years old, the brand has already had multiple sellout buys.
'In our first year, it was definitely our Harper jacket and our oversized tees, but since launching our tank tops a few months ago, they have gone crazy,' Sophia says.
The $59 tank top may seem like your average singlet but Aussies have gone mad for it and its 'boosting' effects.
TikToker @jacquiealexander_, who regularly posts about having a smaller chest, is obsessed with the tank and joked about it giving her a boob job.
'I'm actually dead. I don't know what Miss Sophadopha has put in this thing but guys, I have boobs,' she said.
Sophia says the virality was not something they expected but something they are 'so excited' about.
'They are currently sold out and restocking very soon. The pre-order for them went ballistic,' she says.
At its peak, two units were sold every minute and over 3000 customers are on the waitlist for the next drop.
'HAVING THAT AUDIENCE BUILT ALREADY DEFINITELY HELPS'
The 21-year-old has worked with some of the world's biggest brands, including Dolce & Gabbana Beauty, YSL Beauty, Maybelline and Princess Polly.
She says it is this exposure to top brands that has helped her know what works and what doesn't.
'My experience with being a creator has helped a lot more than I thought it would,' Sophia says.
'I know exactly what I like and don't like when it comes to clothes after wearing and trying on so many from other brands in the past few years.'
Plus, while other small businesses struggle with exposure, thanks to Sophia's in-built fanbase and customers, this wasn't a problem for All For Mimi.
'Having that audience built already definitely helps with growing All for Mimi,' Sophia says.
'It influences the brand in so many ways, such as the pieces we create, the way we portray the brand on socials (especially TikTok), and just the overall messaging of the brand.'
But as anyone knows, growing up in the public eye is never easy and Sophia credits her mum for all her success.
'I definitely couldn't do this job or journey without my mum, I owe everything to her,' she says.
'She is my absolute rock and any slight inconvenience you will see me running to her.
'I'm not going to lie, it has been very tough but I'm so glad we have each other to lean on.'
And it's clear, this family bond has ensured that All For Mimi is going from strength to strength.
'When it first started, it was a mum and daughter brand, with just us two working on it,' Sophia says.
'My sister helped out by doing the website and emails and my brother-in-law, uncle, and boyfriend helped us in the warehouse at the start.'
All For Mimi now has eight employees and Sophia says they are so beyond proud of every employee and what they've done for the business.
When asked one tip that will stick with her, Sophia says, 'Every day you learn something new. It's all trial and error and we are all just figuring it out in real time, every day.'
This mantra will no doubt keep Sophia and All For Mimi in good standing for years to come.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
19 minutes ago
- ABC News
David Stratton's iconic reviews throughout his film career, from favourites to 'scathing' critiques
For a film critic juggernaut like David Stratton, movies were not just his career — it was at his very core. For decades he was staple for Australian audiences, reviewing silver screen features alongside Margaret Pomeranz on various movie review shows. NOTE: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name and image of a person who has died. The late actor's family has granted permission to use his name and image. His family announced his death on Thursday afternoon, saying he died peacefully in hospital near his Blue Mountains home. He was 85. Prior to his death, Stratton said his obsession with film came from his grandmother. "Monday to Friday, four times a week [we went to the cinemas]," he said in an interview with Margaret Throsby on ABC's Special Features. "It was everything … There's something about the smell of a cinema. I love the still photographs, the posters outside." The renowned film critic reviewed tens of thousands of movies during his illustrious career, but even he had his favourites. Asked many times over the decades to rank his all-time winners, the beloved film critic often admitted his cherished top pics would be in the hundreds. In 2010 Stratton published his book My Favourite Movies, where he reviewed and dissected his personal favourites from the last century. Above all was the 1952 classic romantic comedy and musical — Singin' in the Rain, directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. "I've seen Singin' In the Rain — I don't know — 50 or 60 times," Stratton told Desert Island Flicks at ACMI in March 2010. He recounted meeting Gene Kelly at a screening of the film in Sydney, and then being invited to visit him at home while on a visit to Los Angeles. A champion of Australian film and theatre, Stratton's all-time favourites included many homegrown movies. Newsfront, released in 1978, centred around a newsreel cameraman threatened by the onset of television in post-war Australia. "Newsfront is my number 1," Stratton told Screen Australia. "And it always has been — ever since I first saw it and I saw it in a rough cut." He described the 1975 film Picnic at Hanging at Rock as "an extraordinary revelation" and a huge critical and commercial success. Set on Valentine's Day in 1900 at an exclusive girl's school, the haunting tale has been retold across stage and screen in the decades since its release. The 2005 drama Good Night and Good Luck is set during the early days of broadcast journalism in the USA in the 1950s, and stars George Clooney. "The film beautifully evokes the early days of television, but though it's in black-and-white, there's nothing monochromatic about Clooney's passion for his subject or the importance of his message," Stratton said in a review. Both he co-host and Pomeranz gave the movie five stars. The 2013 Australian drama Charlie's Country, which stars the late legendary actor David Gulpilil, was another of Stratton's favourites. "I think Charlie's Country makes me cry every time I see it," Stratton told Screen Australia. "The scene where Gulpilil's hair is cut, is the most moving scene in any Australian film. I think it's so sad. And it's so important that film." Stratton was not afraid to be scathing in his reviews where necessary. He described Paul Hogan's Western comedy film Lightning Jack, released in 1994, as "feeble, slapstick", giving the film just one-and-half stars. In reference to another of Hogan's films — the latter instalments of Crocodile Dundee — Stratton said "one of Hogan's best friends should have advised him not to make [it]". Perhaps his biggest shift from the culture, was his review of the 1997 Australian classic, The Castle. "I'm afraid it wasn't for me, Margaret," he told his co-star on At The Movies. "I thought it was patronising towards its characters, I didn't find it funny." He added: "It's very rough [technically]. I'd give it one and half [stars]." Twenty seven years later, he told The Daily Telegraph he had seen The Castle in years since and said, "I appreciate it much more". There were some films that were not worth a single star in Stratton's expert view. Of the 2012 American teen comedy Project X, Stratton said "it is not a film made for mature audiences", and he took aim at the plot line's "sexist" tone. As for 2005 horror film Hostel, Stratton described it as a "squalid" production of "gloating ugliness". Reflecting on his film critiques to ABC Radio Melbourne in 2024, he said: "I don't enjoy being scathing. I want to be honest." "I love them [movies], and I have always loved them, all my life. There seems to be a certain lack of inspiration, ideas in films." In the wake of news of Stratton's death, ABC managing director Hugh Marks reflected on Stratton's "extraordinary career". "Incredible insight, a love of the craft of movie making and a respect for his audience, David was a credit to our industry. "He made an enormous contribution to the ABC that we will remember fondly." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "All of us who tuned in to 'At the Movies' respected him for his deep knowledge and for the gentle and generous way he passed it on. May he rest in peace."
News.com.au
30 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Crown Sydney workers walk off gaming floor in massive dispute over pay and conditions
Crown Sydney workers have taken industrial action for the second week in a row, walking off the gaming floor in a massive dispute over pay and conditions. From 11am last Friday, general service attendants at the Barangaroo venue – who handle room make-up services and in-room deliveries – halted room service at the luxury hotel, demanding wage increases to match the cost of living in Australia's most expensive city. From 6pm, Crown Casino employees including table games dealers will strike again, following last week's walkout that left the gaming floor deserted. The United Workers Union says a general services attendant at Crown Sydney earns $25.92 an hour – less than $1 above the minimum wage – while servicing rooms booked by global stars such as Drake and Taylor Swift, which can fetch up to $38,900 a night. Table games dealers, who run baccarat, roulette and blackjack tables for high-end players, are paid up to $12.46 an hour less than their Melbourne counterparts. That shortfalls equates to around $24,000 a year for a full-time Sydney worker. 'Our workers are taking protected action to let Crown know they should be treating their workers with respect, not screwing them down to wages that are impossible to live on in Sydney,' Casinos Director Andrew Jones said. 'Crown's owner Blackstone just reported profits of $US2.8 billion – and that's for the half year – but they are telling our workers they can't afford to pay them any more. 'The facts remain that a general services attendant where Drake or Taylor Swift spends the night is being paid about $8 an hour less than their colleagues doing the same job at Crown Melbourne. 'This strike is about dignity, respect, and the right to build a decent life in this city.' Mr Jones said members were also fighting plans to cut length-of-service increments from the classification structure, calling it a 'direct attack on experienced workers and their future pay.' Crown Sydney's current offer is 3.25 per cent in the first year, followed by 3 per cent in each of the next two years. According to the latest Department of Employment and Workplace Relations bargaining report, the March quarter private sector average stands at 3.9 per cent.
News.com.au
44 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Home & Away icon reveals harrowing ordeal where he was ‘drugged and raped' by two men
A former Home & Away star has revealed his harrowing ordeal of being 'drugged and raped' by two men. Mat Stevenson, 56, who is best known for playing hearthrob Adam Cameron on the iconic soap opera from 1989 to 1994, has opened up about his shocking ordeal in a new tell-all interview. Sitting down with The Sydney Morning Herald, he shared that shortly before he scored his role on Home & Away he became interested in potentially starting a career as a real estate agent. He attended a business presentation about becoming a real estate agent that tragically ended in him being sexually assaulted. The actor said that he was offered a drink by one of the men, and then quickly he became increasingly dizzy. 'This other bloke (then) came out of nowhere. I was paralysed, I was a strong young kid, I was a good sportsman, but I was paralysed,' he said. Stevenson said that the two men raped him while he was 'blacked out'. The following day Stevenson woke up in the same room alone. Both men had vanished. 'I was in a fair bit of pain, and I was late for work. I told my dad, I said, 'I think I've just been raped', and he ignored it,' said the actor. Tragically, Stevenson and his father never spoke of the horrific incident again. Then, just a day later, Stevenson got a phonecall to say that he had scored a role on Neighbours, which would be the beginning of a career spanning across multiple Australian soaps. 'I just so badly wanted to be there that I suppressed that assault,' he said. 'I was just – bang – straight down into denial.' He was eventually poached by Home & Away where he became a household name for his role as Adam Cameron. But his entire experience on the show was tainted by his traumatic past, Stevenson said. 'Inside, I just felt like my soul was being ripped out … I wanted to scream,' he said. 'I didn't know how to unpack the pain, so I'd mask it. I built a character around me, which was the character that people saw. He looks laid-back, he looks laconic, he looks like he doesn't care about much. I had to hide those demons that were inside. 'It was really painful, and I found that it would spike whenever I had absolute moments of success or joy.' His life further spiralled when his father suddenly passed away from a heart attack in the 90s. 'I was full of self-loathing,' he said. 'It was like I was allergic to myself. My dad's death really ramped up my high-risk behaviour: alcohol and gambling. I shut down. I put up this facade that I didn't give a s**t. I just couldn't handle life any more. I didn't have the skills to navigate my way through it.' After leaving Home & Away in 1994, the actor lost everything and became homeless within a year of his departure. 'I was just in free fall, suffering in silence, spending what little money I had left and finding solace in the bottom of a schooner glass. 'I walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge; it was pissing down, and I remember standing there and thinking, 'Righto, if you want to do it, now's the time. But if you don't do it now, it's time to move out of pity town. It's time to move on.' '
