How wise words from a design teacher, the bright lights of New York city, and a ridiculously expensive pair of statement earrings led Maddie Fleming of Made By Maddie to her dream life, back home in Armidale, NSW.

There was a time when Maddie Fleming guarded three cow costumes with her life. One stuffed in a suitcase at the back of her wardrobe, a second on rotation at the dry cleaner and a third lay in wait at the Sunrise studio.Yes, Maddie was once Channel 7’s very own cash cow – a role she juggled alongside guest greeter and junior producer at Australia’s number-one breakfast show. It was time well spent, a big smoke adventure that saw her fetching Miley Cyrus a slurpee one minute, and jumping on a plane the next (cow suit in tow), ready to surprise a jackpot winner on their doorstep by 5am. It was a far cry from what she describes as a “magical childhood” in regional NSW.

“For as long as I can remember my brother and I shared a half wall between our rooms, it probably came up to my shoulder, so we could talk to each other whenever we wanted.”Among sibling chats and paddock adventures, Maddie’s days were spent pursuing her passion for athletics, design, and a longing to create something uniquely her own – something formed with her own two hands.“I was never an academic soul, but I loved all things design and can distinctly remember something my design teacher told me in year 10. She said: ‘You can do anything you want in design, you can copy something you’ve seen or someone else’s work, but that’s not true design. But if you create something with your heart, your brain and your hands all together, that’s the moment you design something real’. From that second onwards, it’s all I ever wanted to do.”

Made by Maddie – a life by design

After her Sunrise adventure in Sydney, Maddie made the move to New York – a long-held dream that saw her land back in live production, while also working at an Australian cafe in Nolita, Lower Manhattan.

Once again, she found herself juggling multiple roles, this time for stadium shows led by none other than Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen.

“It was wild – I’d be racing around these huge stadiums in a golf cart, delivering random things to hundreds of people, all the time listening to Bruce doing his soundcheck in the background,” she says.

“Our crew was responsible for catering and after-show parties, that meant making sure up to 1000 people were fed daily, checking Bruce, his wife Patti Scialfa and the band’s riders were fulfilled, and sourcing random circus-themed products for an after-party. It was exciting, for sure, but I was working horrifically long hours… it wasn’t as glamorous as it sounds.”

After working in live events for a year in America, Maddie reached a turning point – one knew she needed to take control of for the sake of her health.

“I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 16, and after working on the Bruce shows up the east coast, as well as a number of other live events and theatre performances in New York, I knew I couldn’t realistically live this life for the long-term – my health just wouldn’t cope,” says Maddie.

“I also never got to see my partner Ben, who lived in LA at the time, so it was taking me down a road I didn’t want to go down. My lifestyle was shit. My health was shit. It was time to reevaluate.”

Maddie moved to LA in April 2017, focused on her health and took a moment to figure out her next move.

Then came the lightning bolt. She was strolling the streets of LA, looking for something to elevate her outfit for a black tie event she was attending that week. Maddie spotted a pair of earrings through a boutique window and fell in love… hard.

Then she saw the price tag.

“Nope, no, definitely not – this is not something I can afford. But I reckon I could make them, I could do it myself. So I tried, and I tried, for a good few months I tried and watched multiple YouTube tutorials on how to make earrings,” she says.

“I launched an Etsy store and Made by Maddie was born. Looking back now, I can’t believe I ever thought what I created was okay… but it worked, actually, it went bonkers. It became a family business, a career that simply wouldn’t have been possible without Ben’s support and business knowledge. I love the fact it’s something we’ve grown together, something that supported our move home to Armidale, and something I’ve designed with my heart, my brain and my hands.”

A piece of paradise in Armidale NSW

In October 2017, Maddie and Ben flew home to Australia. Their goal? To build a family, a home and a lifestyle first, then weave their careers around those magical moments.

“Armidale has played a huge part in that – it was affordable, beautiful and gave us the opportunity to design our own piece of paradise. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d be sat here in our perfect family home, with two gorgeous daughters, our dog Dudley, a big backyard, treehouse, firepit and veggie garden. But it’s everything we could ever wish for, it’s ours, and it’s where Made by Maddie has grown up too.

“Living this life gives me the space and time to focus on designing amazing pieces and seeing where that takes us… I have so many exciting things planned for Made by Maddie’s future, and if the past is anything to go by, it’s going to be a wild ride.”

Maddie’s divine inspiration

Maddie’s designs bring a little ray of sunshine into everyone’s life – but where does she draw her inspiration from?

“I love the design process – my inspiration comes from fabrics, fashion, and places I’ve been. That’s where limited edition pieces like the Mexican Collection and Cuban Collection come from. But I’m also hugely drawn to colour and pattern, that’s often how my design process begins. I have every paint swatch available at Bunnings and turn to them regularly when I’m trying to recreate the perfect ‘Cuban green’, ‘Red lips’ or ‘Terrazzo’. Ultimately, design is a huge passion of mine too, so I’m always reading about design trends, flicking through Vogue to see what catches my eye, and listening to webinars about upcoming fashion trends for 2023. While polymer clay has been my number one material for a few years now, I’m excited to be moving into different materials and seeing where that takes us!”