Konnichiwa & Kia Orana, my name is Mia Michael and I’m 14 years old. I am of Japanese & Cook Islands heritage. I live in New Zealand, the country I have been born and raised in. 

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As young as I can remember I have loved the arts. Whether it was dancing, singing, or crafting - I loved them all. At the age of 10 I started to get into sewing. I came across some sewing videos on YouTube which encouraged me to start designing. At the time scrunchies were popular so I used some left over pillowcase fabric and created a scrunchie.  I was so inspired by my creation that I decided to work on creating my own scrunchie label.

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A year later I developed a love for crochet and was doing some stuff for me and my family. This included making some custom design beanies for my grand parents, to making my own bedspread, scarves and other stuff. Then one day it came to me, why don’t I make crochet scrunchies. I love crocheting - I do it at home and I even do it at school! Some students and teachers were amazed and would say, "Can you make scrunchies for me?" "You should do your own business!" And so here I am, with the support of my parents and little sister, I have started my own business. ​

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Now I’m introducing a new drop of crochet plushies. I’m so excited to see my plushies get out to my customers and find their homes.

 

As I go on this journey, I would like to give 10% of sales to schools for my DREAM KIDS project. My hope is to inspire other kids to follow their dreams.

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Dream Kid #1, Mia Michael