One of my role models has always been Sorelle Amore. She is an Australian photographer and videographer. She inspired me most when I was at my lowest point and her work influenced me to pick up photography through which I found a way to express myself.

Something I’ve noticed is that we’ve had a difficult time recruiting males to join the swapping community. Even now, we still have more females than males participating. We understand that different people enjoy different things, and we don’t mind that Savvy Exchanger is a more feminine community, but of course we would like to see everyone participate.

If people were more open to ideas of gender diversity, my sales would definitely increase. Then I could sell dresses to both guys and girls, as well as sell men’s jackets to women. I personally have bought and wear men’s clothing and I have sold female jackets to guys. Genders are labels, but styles are personal. The most important thing is that people feel comfortable wearing whatever they want, regardless of society’s expectations.

For now Savvy Exchanger is only in Shanghai, but there are people from Guangzhou, Chengdu, and other places who have contacted me and want us to bring Savvy Exchanger to their cites. We are working on organising swap events in other cities so we can have an even bigger impact.

When I left New Zealand, my friend who runs a successful travel company told me this: “If you want to get the oil, you need to be a squeaky wheel.” I think that, especially in a big city like Shanghai, if you want to stand out you need to be busy making a lot of noise to get your voice heard.