“Motherhood has taught me to pick my battles,” says Eugenie Pepper, co-owner of Plum, mother to Tommy, 7, and Chloe, 6, and art consultant. “To me the most important qualities of being a mother are to be loving and kind, being a good role model and knowing what battles are worth it.” Having worked in the art scene in both Sydney and New York for many years, in 2011, Pepper’s career took a turn...
Her daughter Chloe had just turned two when Pepper and husband Shane decided to take over Plum, a family-owned business, which was established back in 1965 by Shane’s grandparents Bob and Nell Pepper. Plum now offers garments for babies and children such as clothing, swimwear, sleepwear, swaddles and infant sleep bags and also partners with SIDS and Kids. “We had a few set backs when we first tried to have children, and were grateful for the SIDS and Kids bereavement service. The service is available 24 hours a day for grieving parents – and not just those who had lost a child, but also those who had a miscarriage,” says Pepper. “People don’t talk about miscarriage, and in many cases your friends and family don’t even know you were pregnant, which makes it hard to talk about.” The company now gives a percentage of their sales to SIDS and Kids each month. We caught up with Pepper to find out more… Photography: Grace Alyssa Kyo Hair and makeup: Regina Gao Words: Georgie Abay
Tommy has got lots of drive and is very active…
He loves sport like his dad and is very competitive. I never have to remind him to do his homework or practice his recorder – he just does it. Chloe is my more creative child. She loves pretending and role-playing with her toys and dolls. I love listening to her play in her room. Although Chloe seems to be a dreamy little girl, her teacher told me she was the one in her kindy class that gets things done. I think this is a great combination.
When my first baby Tommy was born I received lots of different and conflicting advice…
I listened to everyone, thanked them for their advice and then followed my intuition. Everyone is different, every child is different, what works for you may not work for someone else so follow you heart and instincts and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.
Being a working Mum is a juggle…
Having my own business gives me the flexibility to work my own hours. Although we have our office Alexandria, I am able to work from home most days, which means I drop the kids to school and don’t have to do the commute into the office. I am free to attend school concerts and reading group and all those other things that would be more difficult to do if I was not self employed.
We are more of a go with the flow family…
My kids have a busy schedule with swimming classes, tennis lessons, cricket, gymnastics, nippers etc, so when we don’t have things on we like to not book too much in. We like to go out to dinner locally every Wednesday evening.
The career advice I would give to my kids is to do what you love…
I believe having an inspirational parent is very important. My father inspired me from a young age. Dad always told me and my sibling that we should work for ourselves. We all followed his advice and are now all self employed: my brother has and advertising agency, Bashful, and my sister is a freelance interior stylist.
We have been in our current home for five years...
I used to drive past the house and admire it and then one day I drove past and it was for sale. It needed work but I knew it would be the perfect family home and also could double as my art gallery. As well as working in the family business (Plum), I represent artists. It is a Victorian Italianate home with very high ceilings, big open spaces and lots of natural light. According to the ladies at the Randwick Historical Society, it was the first home built on Avoca street. I love the original features merged with a contemporary feel and the eclectic mix of old and new.
I rarely have to drive anywhere…
Living in Randwick reminds me of when I was living in New York in the sense that I can walk out my front door and I am close to loads of restaurants, shops and parks but even better I can walk to the beach. I love walking my kids to school.
After finishing high school…
I studied design at UTS and textile design at East Sydney Tech. When I was 25, I set up an interior design business with a business partner and we also owned a gallery in Paddington. We exhibited the works of young artists and designers. I also spent time living New York working working in an art gallery in Tribeca and collaborating with the Australian Consulate on exhibitions for Australian artists. I still represent several artists: Scott Petrie, Edwina Straub, Rebeccah Dent and Paola Talbert.
“ My advice to my younger self would be to stop worrying about the future and enjoy the journey. Life is too short to get upset about things that don’t really matter ”
SHOP: Chloe wears Plum fruit short sleeve rashie, $24.95. Tommy wears Plum sailor short sleeve rashie, $24.95, and Plum sailor swim shorts, $19.95.
When my youngest Chloe was two years old we I took ownership of Plum…
Chloe had just started daycare, so it was good timing. I was ready to get involved. Since taking over Plum we have introduced new products including Plum swimwear and our award-winning baby sleep bags. We feel it is important to be innovative and keep developing new products. In March this year we will be launching our new zip up swaddle bag called the PLUM Pod. It is designed specifically for newborns. It has a bamboo jersey top to keep the baby snug and bamboo muslin bottom for plenty of room for healthy hips.
Plum is special because we are an old established family business…
We work in a small team who all genuinely love working together and all play their part in producing lovingly designed, beautiful products. Our Plum team is whole heartedly invested in making Plum be the best it possibly can be. We are very proud of our partnership with SIDS and Kids. I always wanted to give back to the community and decided I wanted to give back to SIDS and Kids. SIDS and Kids is dedicated to saving the lives of babies and children during pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood through research and education and they also support bereaved families. After the introduction of the Plum baby sleep bag, it was suggested our contribution could come via sponsoring the SIDS and Kids safe sleeping campaign. We give a percentage of our sales to SIDS and Kids monthly. The impact of the loss of a child is devastating on the parents and any siblings and the community and we want to do anything we can to prevent this happening and this has inspired my new partnership is with Wonder Woman Children. Plum will be collaborating with Wonder Woman Children hosting our first aid courses in our showroom in Alexandria. The course will be held on a regular basis and will cover vital information that could save a child’s life including CPR and what to do incase of a child choking, drowning, breathing difficulties and other injuries, and will cover lots more.
The most challenging thing about running my own business is that I find it hard to switch off and relax…
My working hours are blurred. I do take time out during the day knowing I can catch up on work when the kids have gone to bed and on the weekends, but am always thinking about it.
I love dresses…
I feel much more comfortable in a dress. I love anything that is 50s or 60s inspired and I love vintage clothing. I collect little black dresses, but also love colour and prints too. I don’t have a particular favourite label and love shopping when I am travelling.
SHOP: Chloe wears Plum fruit swimsuit, $24.95, and Plum fruit swim hat, $24.95. Tommy wears Plum aqua short sleeve rashie, $24.95, and Plum aqua swim shorts, $19.95.
The hardest part of being a Mum for me is when my kids fight with each other…
The best part is the love I feel for them and how loving and affectionate they are.
Eugenie’s little list of loves:
Sunday mornings catching up with friends at Bronte beach while our kids are at Nippers, I do love sleeping in too but since having children, this is rare. Early dinner with my husband and our kids somewhere local such as the Coogee Pavilion. Pilates and yoga. I have found a studio that I can walk to from home and I have started doing the Body Beyond Birth 12 week online program, which consists of 20 minute sessions that can easily fit into my day. Portraits of my kids by artist Rebeccah Dent. Collaborating with businesses. I have recently discovered Perricone MD’s No Foundation Foundation Serum SPF30. It is perfect for busy mums who just want a quick fix. My kid’s rooms reflect their personalities and style. Both rooms have a sense of fun. Chloe is a very girlie girl and her room reflects this and can it can get quite messy with dolls and toys everywhere. Tommy on the other hard does not play in his room, he prefers to spend time outdoors kicking a ball.