The Entrepreneur

Her personal ethos: a candle doesn’t lose its flame by lighting another candle.

Her professional ethos: There is power in pivoting and knowing when to tie the ends on one story to start another.

We know Taya Calder-Mason as the owner of Goldies Designer Dress Hire. She’s Newcastle’s fairy godmother, making us feel and look like Queens the night before the ball/gala/wedding/hot date.

As you will find out soon, Taya is so much more than our fashion sister. She has led a BIG life packed with experiences that have made her savvier beyond her 23 years.

In this third edition of The Everyday Project, Taya guides us through her journey as an aspiring actress (or as she jokingly describes it as wanting to become the next Hannah Montana) all the way through to her becoming the ambitious businesswoman we know today.

The little businesswoman

The first entrepreneurial sign was when five-year-old Taya set up a stand and a fake cash register filled with coins at the end of her driveway. What was she selling? Packets of Tiny Teddy’s for $2 a pop.

“Taya, you can’t sell them for $2, we bought the whole box for almost that much!” her mum would say.

“Mum, it’s about profits and margins!”

For scene two we have 15-year-old Taya selling chocolate body scrubs at a much more sophisticated stall at the Olive Tree Markets.

“Everyone else was doing coffee scrubs and I don’t like coffee. So, thought ‘everyone likes chocolate’ and I sold like 1000 chocolate scrubs in one day.”

While Taya was working on her empire most of us were complaining about our maths homework!

I would say that I’ve always gone against the grain and aimed for bigger things.

Taya left school… well, she actually got asked to leave, at 16 because she was ‘naughty’ but really, she didn’t fit the stereotypical mould of a strict private school setting.

Now looking back Taya says her school friends would describe her as “driven, career orientated and confident.”

We joked earlier about Taya wanting to be the next Hannah Montana. To be honest, it was more of an exaggeration than a joke. She was going to be the next Taya Calder-Mason: singer, actress, producer.

Postcode 90210

When Taya left school, she moved to Los Angeles on a music contract where she began recording an EP. But the inauthenticity of the industry overshadowed her passion.

“I realised that these are not my people. This is not my scene,” she said.

She thought, maybe acting will be better?

“It got really close there for a minute. I was got down to the final two for a couple of huge roles in Australian TV that would have definitely changed my career path.

“Acting is really bazar because you constantly feel like you’re not enough. It wasn’t about rejection; it was about always having to fight for my place.

“The Australian acting and production industry is very small and cliquey. They like to recycle the same five actors and I never wanted to get into that Home and Away scene.”

Tired of waiting for others to give her a start, she reclaimed control of her narrative. Feeding into her entrepreneurial talents, Taya turned to writing and directing her own productions. 

“I always loved storytelling movies, like Shawshank Redemption, the big ones that you’re still thinking about while driving home from the cinemas.”

Her production company, End Point Productions, produced three films. Working with the connections she made while acting Taya wrote, acted, directed and produced them all.

“The first film, Fight Like A Woman, was a boxing short film about a female and a male that go head-to-head in a boxing ring.

“It got a lot of media traction because it came out two months before the Harvey Weinstein scandals in late 2017. Then once I went to LA to promote the film the #MeToo campaign started growing. Everyone wanted me to come and talk about it.”

As the story goes for a lot of people, our paths and priorities change and as she spoke about earlier, the industry can be toxic. So, she got herself out of there.

Goldies

We can usually remember what we were doing during a life changing moment. What was Taya doing when Goldies Designer Dress Hire was born? Applying her makeup.

“While I was applying my foundation, I thought ‘why doesn’t Newcastle have a dress hire shop?’ and by the time I got to my mascara I had named it Goldies.”

After spending her entire life savings, Taya launched Goldies in March 2020 on the top level of her apartment building and by October Goldies opened its store in Hamilton with 100 designer dresses. A year of business has now passed and the store is stocked with a selection of over 400 outfits.

What’s Goldies point of difference, you’re asking? It’s a safe and empowering space for women to shed their insecurities and feel glamorous during a private in-store appointment.

“You can tell when we have found the right dress for someone. They walk out of the change room and their shoulders go back and their whole demeanour changes.”

That ‘new dress feeling’ and nailing the style brief allows you to just be in the moment and forget about any internal or external worries.

What really sets Taya apart from the rest is her ability to completely disarm you upon walking into the shop. 

“My mum said to me once that I have an amazing ability to make people comfortable around me really quickly. This really stuck with me because feeling comfortable and confident is more attractive than wearing any dress.”

Taya then spoke to the dress hire industry itself.

“People are often hiring outfits straight out of a stranger’s wardrobe.

“I didn’t want to be doing that. It’s fine but don’t go calling yourself a business if you only have a few dresses in a size six. Call yourself the size six dress hire company if that’s the case.

“From the start I really wanted to have sizes 4 to 18 straight away. Inclusivity is important and is something that’s lacking within the industry.”

A sizeist industry

It’s actually a joke when you really think about it. Designer brands like Zimmerman’s sizing stops at size 14 and so does Aje. While other designer brands like Bec + Bridge and Shona Joy stop their sizing at 16 but is rarely stocked. The same concept applies for many more designer women’s clothing brands.

“Before I opened Goldies I went with my best friend, who is a size 16 to 18, to Sydney so she could show me how she would dress for her body type.

“Every shop assistant would approach me first. Every time without fail. For reference, I am a size 10. 

“I would correct the shop assistant and say that we were here shopping for my friend, and they would completely lose interest in our sale.”

“Yeah, welcome to my life,” her best friend said.

“That was a huge realisation moment for me. I knew this prejudice existed but now I was aware of how fucked and isolating it can actually be. That’s never happening in my shop,” Taya said.

At Goldies there is no reference to sizing and the terminology and conversations around body image are that of understanding and accommodation.

“It’s about allowing people to feel fine within themselves and to feel safe. That’s why I’m by appointment only. It’s not retail, it’s an experience and a styling consult.

You’re selling a vibe, not a dress.

Mumma’s girl

Throughout the entire interview Taya referenced her Mum so many times that we could not go on without talking about her! 

This is the part where we usually talk about Taya’s aspirations and inspirations but it’s very obvious that her mum is a consistent force in her life and career. So, that’s who we are going to talk about for the remainder of this blog.

Melissa Calder-Mason left school at 16 as well. She had aspirations of becoming a property developer, and to even go to New York and live vicariously.

“Mum was the kind of person who wanted big things too. But her parents insisted that she go down the road to work at her auntie’s hairdressing salon, and so she did,” Taya recounted.

That was her life until she turned 23 and met Taya’s dad… cutting his hair! So romantic!

“From then Mum took the steps to start doing what she actually wanted to do and now she’s a successful boss lady who’s living her dream as property developer!

“My parents are fucking epic and are a huge support.”

It’s very obvious that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree for the women in the Calder-Mason family! Therefore, it’s no surprise when Taya talks about where she feels most at home. She says, unreservedly, that home is in Newcastle with her family… and her dogs.

For more information about Goldies Designer Dress Hire visit their website or Instagram.