Amanda Bryde
FOUNDER OF BRYNN & CO, AMANDA BRYDE, TALKS MOTHERHOOD, SETTING UP AN EMBROIDERY BUSINESS AND FOLLOWING YOUR CREATIVE PASSIONS
Motherhood is always life changing, but for Australian-based designer and business owner Amanda Bryde it brought about more changes than one. “When I was pregnant with my daughter, I started to dream about running a business selling all things baby – clothing, toys, keepsakes, you name it,” says Amanda. But, with so many children’s brands already out there, Amanda’s mind turned to other possible business ventures, and it was when she discovered the joys of embroidery that she felt “as though all the pieces fell into place.”
Amanda’s creative journey can be traced back to her youth and her own mother’s relationship with craft. “I have early childhood memories of her doing cross stitch on family holidays,” says Amanda. “I was always so in love with the thread and all the colours. My friends and I used to make friendship bracelets out of it just so we could use it.” It wasn’t until after Amanda’s own daughter was born, a little over six years ago, that this creative spark began to stir again. “My mother was visiting from Canada, where I’m originally from. She suggested teaching me a few stitches to see if I liked it and, well, as you can imagine it was love at first stitch.”
This chance stitching session was the moment everything clicked into place for Amanda. “It wasn’t as though I saw the future and knew embroidery would evolve the way it has for me,” she says, “but it was so enjoyable that I just went with it.” Following her intuition, Amanda started her own business. Now, nearly seven years on, Brynn & Co (which has Amanda’s daughter to thank for its name) is a beautiful online shop offering contemporary and beginner-friendly patterns, kits and supplies that has been going from strength to strength.
“Last year was a wild one for us, Brynn & Co just took off,” says Amanda. “So many people were spending much more time at home due to lockdowns and quarantines – they were looking for something to occupy their time.” That thing? Embroidery. Last year saw lots of people pick up a needle and thread for the first time, and many haven’t put them down since. “We’ve been continuing to grow and expand since then,” says Amanda. “This year has been the first we have offered wholesale on our products and that has gone so well. It’s very exciting and we can’t wait to see where things will take us.”
Brynn & Co didn’t happen overnight, though. Much like parenting, the business has been a “labour of love” for Amanda, requiring patience and nurturing. “After selling my first few commissions thanks to family and friends, I knew that I wanted to see where it could go,” she says. “I worked a full-time job at an advertising agency for the first few years while I ran Brynn & Co on the side.”
There were many late nights and long weekends in those first few years and it wasn’t until recently, just over a year and a half ago, that Amanda finally took the leap to go full-time with her business. “I’m thankful every day for
“It wasn’t as though I knew embroidery would evolve the way it has for me, but it was so enjoyable that I just went with it.”