Written by Jon van Wyk
Local educator and businesswoman Michelle Hadfield, together with daughter Gabbi, has become widely known for their unique ability to combine striking aesthetics and quality materials into unique, ‘must-have’ products and accessories that can’t be found on Temu or Alibaba.
Named after her daughter Gabriella’s childhood nickname ‘Ella,’ ‘Authentically Ella’ has become increasingly recognised as supplying an ever-increasing range of unique high quality designer accessories from key fobs and lanyards to high end customised bags, mugs, drink bottles and even notebooks – to a growing market Australia wide.
The business began at the time that Gabriella, also known as ‘Gabbi’ was continuously struggling with health concerns and anxiety arising from the stress of living with undiagnosed Autism. From the beginning, it was intended to be a way to create a space where Gabbi could participate, thrive, and explore her creativity on her own terms.
“She was at Uni studying criminology, she’s always been passionate issues of justice and fairness, but she was also missing deadlines and feeling really depressed and down, feeling like a burden to herself and others. It wasn’t until she was finally diagnosed as being neurodivergent by way of her Autism, that things finally began to make sense and we had our breakthrough.”
Reflecting on this difficult time, Michelle is philosophical on the many challenges that she and husband Tim faced in the process of supporting Gabbi.
“I always knew that she could be able to do things when she was well enough, but when she wasn’t well, I found that I was getting frustrated at the lack of resources available for neurodivergent kids. The few resources that were available were just ‘one size fits all,’ so I began creating resources to suit individual students as part of my work in Inclusive Education.
Recognising her own need to explore an outlet for her growing passion for designing and creating ‘objet d’art’, it was around this time Michelle saw a niche in the market for fashionable lanyards and started exploring both the design and manufacturing side of online marketing and business platforms.
Inspired by the story of a man who started a sock business for his son with Down’s Syndrome, and with loving support from Tim, she realised that she could combine her flair for innovation along with her desire to kickstart an endeavour that she could share with her daughter, allowing Gabbi to express her own creativity in a relaxed place without the pressure of deadlines and the fear of letting others down.
Over time, what began as a small mother-daughter project evolved into a successful niche business offering with an ever-increasing demand for the original range of products it espouses. True to its core values, Authentically Ella remains a partnership built on shared values: creativity, advocacy, and the belief that everyone deserves the chance to shine, not just despite their differences, but often because of them.
For her part, Gabbi has made it clear that both she and her mother want their endeavours to be an authentic way of reaching out to other neurodivergent children, in keeping with both Michelle’s work in education and her own experiences. This has become the ethos which has underpinned the direction of the business since its early beginnings -making resources for students and other teachers.
Her passion and focus are clear as she asserts, “It was never about seeing my neurodivergence as something to be hidden. We needed an environment where it wasn’t something that limited me, but actually became part of what made the business work — a place where having variable health didn’t matter and thinking differently wasn’t just accepted but valued.”
This philosophy naturally led to the creation of The Uniquely You Project — a new initiative that invites neurodivergent teens to design products, with the freedom to create in a relaxed, supportive space. Their designs are featured on Authentically Ella’s online shopfront for a month, with all profits going directly back to the young designer.
“We don’t just want to raise awareness of neurodiversity,” says Gabbi. “We want to celebrate all the ways people can be different. Some of our young collaborators choose to use this platform to speak about their neurodivergence, while others share designs that reflect completely different parts of who they are. It’s about letting them decide what story they want to tell.”
At Authentically Ella, labels and diagnoses aren’t the focus — what matters is recognising each person’s unique strengths and creating an environment where they can be the best version of themselves. Whether that means starting the day with three coffees, dancing for a minute between tasks, or even hugging a giant ‘squishmallow’ while in a meeting — it’s all just people doing what they need to do to thrive.
Michelle couldn’t agree more.
“By introducing people to a wide range of skills including photography, internet marketing and an understanding of the manufacturing processes involved in everything from mugs, drink bottles, stationery, and fridge magnets, we can help them to develop the confidence to one day follow their dreams. Our customers aren’t just customers,” Michelle explains. “Each person we create for has a story, and we get to become part of that story. What a privilege.”