Meet Madeleine Chaffee | Designer and Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madeleine Chaffee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madeleine, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’m not sure there was much of a thought process – I sort of fell deep into it! I’ve always been a bit of a side hustler – making and selling things on the side in addition to whatever my day job was. I used to work full time as a Product Design Engineer, and about 5 five years ago, after being really burnt out, I craved a huge life change and moved from Australia to Vancouver, Canada. I took an intentional break from the design industry and just floated around exploring creativity on my own terms and making things for fun. I found a community of fellow creatives at a local Makerspace I joined, then I randomly got the opportunity to take up a studio space there. I had no idea what I was going to do with the space except that I wanted to be in there! Studios of course cost money to rent, so I quickly realized I needed to somehow use the space to generate income so it could be paid for. I started taking on small sewing fabrication jobs and a few odd industrial design jobs. The community there turned out to be a great resource for finding work. Ever since then it’s just been one big journey of learning how to run a business on my own terms.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I’m a maker/designer with a focus on creating ‘ fun things’. I like to put objects out in the world that can have a positive impact on a person’s day. As a designer, I believe objects should be fun as well as functional. As a maker, I get such a thrill out of making something that can make someone smile or feel good.

I make products using mostly upcycled textiles as the main resource. I am much more inspired to make something from a resource I’ve found rather than to start with a blank page. Textile waste is a growing problem and concern, and it seems obvious to me that a lot of this isn’t actually waste – its more materials to play with!

Working as a creative freelancer is tough at times, my biggest challenge is having a consistent income stream and battling with the old imposter syndrome! I’m constantly learning ways to navigate through this. Over the last few years as a freelancer I’ve learnt a lot of skills, from bookkeeping, to website design, to supplier management, I get to wear so many hats and I’ve learnt so much along the way!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m originally from Melbourne, Australia, so if any of my friends came over to visit I’d fill the day up with plenty of adventures, yummy treats and creative inspiration!

I’d probably get them a bike, so we could ride through Vancouver together. We’d start by having coffee and pastries at L’Atelier Patisserie in Mt Pleasant. Then we’d ride through the East Van/Commercial Rd area – so we can see all the interesting houses along the way and maybe a vintage clothing store or two. I’d then take them to my studio in Strathcona to give them a tour there. After that we could ride through rail town (to catch a glimpse of all the cool cranes and trains at the dock) and onto the sea wall before heading Disco Cheetah for some rice bowls to take to the beach. After that we’d spend the afternoon doing a bit of a bike and brewery crawl!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shout out to MakerLabs, for giving me a creative space and a community where I ‘fit in’. And also my mum, for teaching me how to sew!

Website: www.maddlesmade.com

Instagram: maddlesmade

Linkedin: Madeleine Chaffee

Image Credits
Liza Heider, Stephanie Geracitino, Kyle Schellen, Madeleine Chaffee