Taylah Hackett wants to change the world one hoodie at a time

Not satisfied with the quality or ethical standards of mainstream clothing brands, Junee resident Taylah Hackett decided she would simply solve the problem herself.

The 19-year-old’s brand 767Collective was established in her parent’s living room last year but already has international clientele.

It’s all thanks to Taylah tapping into the rapidly expanding digital influencer market and a unique understanding of trending issues for young people across various social media platforms.

The inaugural Social Queen Markets – the brainchild of like-minded Wagga entrepreneurs Lily Jenkins and Jess Knox – provided the stage for 767Collective’s first offline outing in mid June.

“I was the only brand owner in attendance and it was such a big success,” Taylah recalls excitedly.

In 2020, Taylah’s major work for her year 12 design and technology subject kickstarted her interest in sewing.

“I decided to make an innovative and environmentally friendly wetsuit, and I’d never sewed anything in my life,” the Junee High School alumni said.

When COVID lockdowns became a normal part of life after she left school, Taylah kept designing clothing at home creating her own bikinis, crop tops and, of course, face masks.

After continually noticing Internet backlash against established brands stealing designs from small businesses, Taylah realised her newfound hobby could be put to good use.

This awareness helped her brand develop a more coherent identity, and she launched 767Collective in September last year, releasing limited edition drops with small amounts of stock.

“A lot of very well-known, popular brands didn’t have the right ethics or morals as far as I was concerned. I was inspired to do better,” she said.

“I’m trying to produce better clothing so that people have the option to stop buying from them.”

As her business grew and the volume of orders became overwhelming, she began outsourcing the manufacturing process.

Her hoodies and sweatshirts are made from entirely organic cotton by a hand-picked Australian manufacturer, and Taylah creates logos, prints designs and packs every order by hand.

“New Year’s Eve was the day I got the most orders,” she said.

“I’ve sent my clothing to every state in Australia besides the Northern Territory. I had one order from Hawaii, which was actually a girl who was originally from Junee. And I had one from New Zealand.”

Taylah’s next aim is to move the business headquarters out of her family home and into her own space.

“Mum is getting sick of me taking over her living room, that’s for sure,” she laughs.

The teenager has harnessed various social media platforms to bolster the reach of her business, focusing on Instagram and TikTok.

767Collective is followed by 6600 TikTok users and is about to click over 2000 followers on Instagram. Taylah accrued her followers through word of mouth amongst her social circles, utilising TikTok’s robust content recommendation algorithm and sending free items to “micro-influencers” (content creators with under 5000 followers) to promote.

Taylah’s short term goals for her business took a sudden turn after the sudden death of TikTok celebrity Cooper Noriega, a rising star in Los Angeles’ influencer scene.

Cooper, who was 19 years old when he passed away on 9 June, had amassed a combined 3.4 million followers across social media platforms TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

The young content creator openly struggled with addiction and mental health issues from a young age and his death compelled Taylah to dedicate her latest collection to mental health awareness.

The cream coloured hoodies are emblazoned with the message “Check Up On Your Mates” in the shape of a heart, and customers will be able to choose the colour of the front and back prints. A portion of sales will go towards a mental health organisation.

“I’m sure everyone at some point has lived through a day that is continually bad, but a single text from your friend can change it all,” Taylah said.

“Checking up on your mates is the most important thing; that’s what I’m trying to express with this collection.”

Social Queen Markets customers were able to purchase the as-yet unreleased collection in advance and, much to Taylah’s delight, all of her stock was snapped up.

Taylah said courage to step away from the norm was critical to success and encouraged regional entrepreneurs to put themselves out there.

“I was really scared of people judging me when I started, but you’ve just got to back yourself and overcome it,” she said.

“Don’t be scared to do something just because you’re from a small town.”

767Collective has strictly limited collections and small amounts of stock; sign up to be notified about the next drop or find out more here.