“I remember that she apologized and said:” I’m sorry, Mom, this was the most beautiful there. Nina looked at me and asked: ‘Mom, as an interior designer, is this something you could design? Maybe it’s like a home for your skin care and make -up?
Meet Wanda Szychowska, the Australian mother who converts a simple request into Estetika – the viral make -up bag that changes how women travel and do beauty
Sometimes the best business ideas come from the most unexpected moments. For Wanda Szychowska, founder and CEO of Estetika, it was a Mother’s Day conversation with her youngest daughter Nina that would eventually lead to international partnerships in the retail trade and global recognition.
The spark that started everything
It seemed like a simple demand-a functional make-up bag that was of high quality, vegan and looked beautiful on the bathroom vanity. But Wanda woke up on Mother’s Day for a very disappointed teenage daughter.
“She went looking for a beautiful cosmetic bag for me. She looked everywhere and came back and apologized and said she could not like anything that she liked,” Wanda recalls. “Then she said,” You are an interior designer and I know you could design something nicer. Maybe we can do it together! “
That moment of silent frustration became the basis of something much bigger. “I remember that she apologized and said,” I’m sorry, Mom, this was the most beautiful there, “” Wanda reflects on Nina’s disappointment with the normal black bag with rose gold zippers she had found.
While the idea initially thought that the idea was a bit over from the field, when Wanda imagined it as a ‘house’ for makeup and skin care, she realized that it might be more on interior than she thought. Nina looked at me and asked: ‘Mom, as an interior designer, is this something you could design? Maybe it’s like a home for your skin care and make -up? “That question has lit me. “
From interior design to beauty innovation
I wanted to make colorful, raised designs that make women feel confident and stylish.
Based on her background in hospitality, travel and interior design, Wanda saw a chance that others had missed. “If someone with a background in hospitality and travel, I am always attracted by how we can raise a space with a nice function and shape, and now I saw a new space that needed help. The beauty world had evolved, but the bags that were meant to wear it did not.”
Working with her daughter and her own mother (a fervent traveler), created the three generations of women Estetika-Gelanced in September 2023. The brand has a series of stunning, quilted, luxury cosmetic bags that can be crushed, but bouncing back to shape, clean and cleaned, clean, clean, be clean.
“We wanted it to be a luxurious product to inject more joy into skin care and make -in -uproutine,” Wanda explains. “These bags are designed to last for years with quality ringware and materials. And it was important that the product was ‘catwalk ready’, so whether you are on the road, travel or at home, you are always ready and your bag always looks good.”
The philosophy behind Estetika was clear from the start: “I wanted to make colorful, raised designs that make women feel confident and stylish. Bags that were never meant to be hidden in drawers, but was proudly used every day and recorded every journey.”
The three frameworks that have built a global brand
Coming from an interior design background instead of e -commerce, Wanda leaned to what she knew best. “I did not come from an E -commerce background, so I leaned for what I knew: my experience as an interior designer and my years in the hotel and travel industry. I understood how people go through space, how design can support convenience and luxury, and how small details can form a full experience.”
Her approach was built on three nuclear frames:
1. Design with intention: “Every product we make solves a specific problem. Our best-selling homee bag opens flat with a structured basis. It does not tip. It does not collapse. It gives women immediate visual access to everything. It is a better experience and a good design must always improve the experience.”
2. Product market fit first: “Before we spent a cent on paid media, I spent time talking to customers, friends and family with what they hated about current makeup bags, what they wanted existed, how they packed, travel and stored their beauty. That research immediately formed our first and second range of products.”
3. Multi-channel Momentum: “We were launched on Shopify DTC, but I knew early on that I did not want to trust a single channel. We have extended to Amazon Us, a wholesaler in New York in New York and have recently been approved to launch with Nordstrom.com.”
Recognition and rapid growth
Only 18 months after the launch, does Estetika attract attention all over the world. The brand was given the choice of the editor at the 2025 Beauty Shortlist Awards in the UK, Australia and the US and won silver in the 2024 Clean and Conscious Awards.
Now it has attracted the attention of the American retail giant, Nordstrom – although the path was not there without challenges.
“I went to the New York Now Trade Show with my 16-year-old daughter and my 80-year-old mother. I really wanted to go to Nordstrom and just when I was about to talk to them, another founder hit them away and I missed it,” Wanda recalls.
Although initially discouraged that she did not get the network option she desperately wanted, Wanda left that trip with new connections. “We have found an American agent who received us for Nordstrom, and Nordstrom said yes to selling Estetika Online, which is great. We will officially launch with them this year.”
Navigate by the challenges
Half of my customers come from the United States and I have not advertised there
The journey has not been without obstacles. “One of the first major obstacles? Trademark. We came across resistance when we tried to register Estetika in the US because of similarities with existing brands. That has taught me how important IP strategy is, especially if you want to scale up internationally.”
International expansion brought its own complexities: “Then the rates came. If a small brand, sudden international policy changes can be discouraging. We had to pause our next shipment, re -negotiate with our supplier and make a decision: do we continue to grow in the US or I retreat? I chose to grow strategically.”
Although it was a discouraging process that the international market is taking on, the organic importance of foreign customers Wanda has given the confidence to take the risk. “Half of my customers are from the United States and I have not advertised there, so I am very enthusiastic to explore this market more.”
Perhaps the most important challenge has been personally: “And of course there is the emotional challenge. I am a solo mother and founder. I still have three children and still run my interior design company part-time. There are days when I feel like I am 12 things, because I am!”
What distinguishes Estetika
Wanda’s approach to building Estetika reflects its design background and dedication to authenticity. “Our lead is in our originality and in our restraint. I don’t hunt trends or copy other brands. I design every piece as if it is going to a luxury house because for me the same design deserves interiors.”
The bags are made with recycled materials and designed with a flat base, so it is easy to see products inside, maximize the space and make the organization a cent. “We do not use ready-made forms. Our silhouettes are unique. We use recycled vegan doctrine and ECO-certified linings, but sustainability is not our sales argument, it is our standard.”
The focus remains on the customer experience: “We are daring, fashionable and above all, we focus on how our customer feels when she opens her Estetika bag: confident, calm, in control.”
Heavily fought wisdom for fellow founders
Wanda’s advice for prospective entrepreneurs comes from a lived experience: “Don’t wait to be ready. You will never be. Launch the version you can do today and refine it later.”
“Try to order in small batches to test the market and avoid air freight in the beginning, usually you will not be sold out at the launch. Learn, adjust and grow with intention.”
“Fall in love with the problem, not with your product. Obsession-worthy brands solve something useful.”
“Protect your margin. Especially when you are in the product. Cash flow is queen.”
“Be visible. I previously avoided speaking in public, now I have done live interviews on National TV. Your story is more important than you think.”
“Surround yourself with other founders. I have won more of casual WhatsApp chats with women in the business world than any formal brain. You need people who get it.”
Perhaps even more important: “Mindset is everything. If you are not cut for the entrepreneurial world, it’s okay. The fact that you tried it is worth the lesson.”
Estetika has just started. The brand is spreading to new markets, develops new product reaches and works on exciting collaborations, while they continue to refine their offer. Strategic partnerships with premium retailers in the US, the UK and the VAE are under development.
“But more importantly, I am dedicated to building a brand with a long service life, something that my daughters and son can look at and say,” My mother built that. “
As Wanda says: “This is not just about selling product, it’s about giving women a moment of calmness while you juggle the chaos of life. Because you should never be a luxury and stylish you should be everyday.”
From a disappointed teen search from the Mother’s Day to international partnerships in the retail trade, Wanda’s trip with Estetika proves that the best business opportunities sometimes hide in sight – waiting for some waiting
Estetika -Bags are currently available at www.estetika.com.auAmazon Australia, Amazon US and via Alrossa New York, with the launch of Nordstrom.com soon. Eone with the vision to see the gap and the courage to fill it.
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