About Us

About Built Different Goods

Hi everyone,

My name is Michael, and I'm the founder of Built Different Goods.  People often ask me why I called the business "Built Different."

The answer is simple...

Because I am.

A workplace injury changed my life forever.

Before my injury, I was like many Australians. I worked hard, provided for my family, and never imagined that one day I'd wake up and be unable to do the job I'd always known.

Since then, I've had two spinal surgeries, and I'm now waiting for my third.  Every day comes with pain.  Simple things that most people take for granted can be a challenge.

The hardest part wasn't just the physical injury—it was losing the person I thought I was.

When your career is taken away from you, you begin to question your purpose.  You wonder how you're going to support your family.  You wonder what your future looks like.

For a while, I honestly didn't know.

Then I realised something.  My injury changed my body... ...but it didn't change who I was.

I could either let my injury define me, or I could build something from it.  That's where Built Different Goods was born.  But this business isn't just about me.  It's about my son too.

My son is plus size, and watching him try to buy clothes was something that broke my heart.  He'd find a design he loved, only to discover it didn't come in his size.  Time and time again, he was left with boring, plain options while everyone else had all the choice.  As a dad, that's hard to watch.  Nobody should ever feel like they're worth less because of the number on a clothing tag.

That's when everything came together.

My injury taught me what it feels like to have your life changed in an instant.  My son showed me what it feels like to be overlooked every single day.  Built Different Goods became my way of changing that.

Today i create clothing for everyone—from small right through to true 5XL—because i believe style shouldn't have a size limit.  I create designs that let people express who they are, not hide who they are.

For me, "Built Different" isn't just a business name.  It's my story.

It's about living with pain but refusing to give up.  It's about taking one of the hardest moments of your life and turning it into hope.  It's about showing my son—and anyone who's ever felt different—that different isn't something to hide.  It's something to be proud of.

Every hoodie i print...  Every T-shirt i ship...  Every order that comes through our website reminds me why we started.  Not because I wanted to build a clothing brand.

Because I wanted to rebuild my life.

And if, along the way, i can help someone feel confident in what they're wearing, feel included, or simply smile when they put on one of our designs, then every surgery, every setback, and every challenge has led me exactly where we're meant to be.

Thank you for listening to my story, and thank you for supporting a small Australian family business that's built on resilience, inclusion, and the belief that being different is something to celebrate.

Because sometimes...

The things that break us...  Also build us.

Thank you.

Built Different Goods.

info@builtdifferentgoods.com.au

Phone: 0386587405

Address: P.O. Box 8233, Shop 15,100 Hall Road, Carrum Downs, Victoria, 3201