About

Something Very Special didn’t begin with clothing. It began with two people who believed clothing could mean something more.

Co-founders Ainsley Hutchence and Matty Bouris both grew up in small coastal towns in Australia.

Although their journeys were different, they were connected by the same belief: that self-expression has the power to change the way we feel about ourselves and the way we move through the world.

Before Something Very Special, Ainsley spent more than a decade building Sticks & Stones, a creative platform that challenged conventional beauty standards and celebrated individuality through photography, interviews, storytelling and community.

At the same time, Matty built his career as a fashion designer, spending years designing for leading Australian fashion brands and refining his craft. 

Their worlds eventually collided. Storytelling met design. Purpose met craftsmanship. Together, they founded Something Very Special. 

For Ainsley, fashion had always been a language. Before she found the confidence to fully express herself with words, she expressed herself through what she wore. Clothing became a way to communicate identity, creativity and individuality long before those conversations were happening openly.

Through Sticks & Stones, she became fascinated by people who chose authenticity over acceptance. Artists. Musicians. Comedians. Actors. Dreamers. Makers. The people who followed curiosity instead of convention. The people who reminded us that there isn’t one right way to be human.

Years before authenticity became a marketing trend, Sticks & Stones existed to celebrate individuality, challenge narrow beauty standards and tell stories that reflected real people rather than impossible ideals.

The mission wasn’t simply to redefine beauty. It was to expand our understanding of what is acceptable, to make space for anyone who has ever felt too different, too loud, too quiet, too colourful, too emotional or simply too much. Because everyone deserves the freedom to be fully themselves.

That belief wasn’t always welcomed. At one point, Instagram deleted the entire Sticks & Stones account after a photograph of two sisters standing naturally on a beach showed a glimpse of pubic hair outside their bikini bottoms. The image wasn’t sexual. It simply showed the human body as it naturally exists. Years of work disappeared overnight.

What followed was something no one expected. The story spread around the world. International publications, including TIME, HuffPost and BuzzFeed, shared what had happened, sparking global conversations about censorship, beauty standards and the freedom to express ourselves honestly. Two weeks later, Instagram reinstated the account and publicly apologised. It became a defining reminder that meaningful change still needed to happen. Still, to this day, Sticks & Stones is mentioned under “censorship of women’s bodies” on the Instagram Wikipedia page!

Becoming a young mother and growing up alongside her daughter transformed the mission. It became about helping to create a world they could both feel comfortable living in. A world where the next generation could grow up believing they never needed to shrink themselves to belong. 

Something Very Special became the next chapter of that vision. Where Sticks & Stones celebrated authentic people… Something Very Special helps arm them.

Every collection begins with a conversation between story and design. Between purpose and craftsmanship. Between creating garments that don’t simply look good and helping people feel more like themselves.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for allowing us to create for you. Your support means more than you’ll ever know, and I hope that whenever you put on Something Very Special, you’re reminded that your individuality is your greatest strength.