Tara Murray
A Western Health nurse and her sister have become fashion designers, launching their own company, ScrubLab.
Van Nguyen, who works at Sunshine Hospital, said she came up the idea after having to pay a lot of money to get good quality medical scrubs from overseas.
She decided that there had to be a better option for local healthcare workers.
“The idea came when I graduated and became a registered nurse. I realised we didn’t have access to premium quality scrubs in Australia,” Van said.
“I wanted access to better scrubs in Australia, however I wasn’t particularly good with design. I approached my sister Linh, who has a natural flair for fashion and asked her at the time to design some scrubs.”
Van said it had been difficult juggling her job and starting a side business, especially during a pandemic.
She said it had involved a lot of late nights and working around her shifts, but it had all been worth it with her colleagues loving the scrubs.
“They absolutely loved it,” she said.
“It’s like we reinvented the wheel. They asked me where I got them from and immediately wanted to place orders.
“Now the majority of nurses at my workplace don a pair of our scrubs. It’s been a very humbling experience.
“We have had customers emailing us to thank us for these wonder scrubs, and that they cannot wait for more colours and styles.
“We definitely have seen a big increase in sales – about 300 per cent increase.”
Van said they would love to expand the business internationally, with a focus in New Zealand and Asia.
