When you think of iconic Australian fashion brands, it’s hard to go past BlackMilk. From its humble beginnings selling handmade leggings online to building a cult following of ‘Sharkies’ with more than 1.1 million social media followers globally, BlackMilk is one of Australia’s true ecommerce success stories. Under the leadership of Jackie Kruger, who stepped up as CEO during one of the most turbulent periods in the brand’s history, BlackMilk is proving that slowing down, listening deeply, and leaning into community is sometimes the only way forward.
In our latest Add To Cart LIVE ep, Jackie lifts the lid on what has easily been the toughest — and most transformative — year of her career. From the sudden loss of BlackMilk’s founder James Lillis to reshaping the brand’s go-to-market strategy to navigating the chaos of a full Shopify replatform. The result? A masterclass on how to lead with passion, pragmatism and purpose.
Slowing Down to Speed Up
For years, BlackMilk was famous for its frantic, high-frequency drop model — launching a full collection every fortnight. It kept cash flowing but came at a hidden cost: creativity, focus, and team sustainability. Jackie made the tough call to halve that cadence and focus on deeper, more thoughtful monthly releases.
We used to go to market twice a month. Full campaign, full collection. It was chaotic at best.
This wasn’t just about pacing — it was about survival. The old model was wearing down the team, limiting the ability to fully tell the story behind each collection, and creating an unsustainable rhythm for customers too.
“We needed to go deeper, not so far. We put so much care and effort into every product, from graphic design to marketing, but we just weren’t giving them enough air time.”
The shift wasn’t without risk. BlackMilk’s model relied heavily on those frequent injections of revenue. Cutting back meant fewer immediate cash hits, but it also allowed more focus on product, customer engagement, and creative execution.
“It felt like ripping out one major cash injection every month. But I just knew we had to. We couldn’t keep running on adrenaline. We had to create space for our products and our people.”
Despite reducing the frequency of drops, Jackie noticed that customers connected more strongly with the releases. Campaigns felt less rushed, and the team could finally breathe — and create. Less noise, more story. For ecommerce professionals caught in the constant cycle of ‘more’, this is a valuable lesson: faster isn’t always better, especially if it’s coming at the cost of quality and connection.
Don’t Just Replatform, Rethink
In 2023, BlackMilk made another bold move. Leaving Magento behind for a complete migration to Shopify. For Jackie, this wasn’t just a tech upgrade; it was a chance to completely overhaul how BlackMilk showed up online.
“It’s been a game-changer. The amount of visibility I now have is night and day compared to before. Our ability to plug in new apps, do different bits and pieces — it’s so much easier.”
With the help of MI Academy, BlackMilk used the replatform not only to improve functionality but also to refresh the look and feel of the site and improve UX.
We’d had the same design since about 2017. It was feeling tired — but our customers were so used to it. This gave us a chance to modernise, to add animations, movement, and sprinkle some magic…We wanted it to feel like our very own little Willy Wonka chocolate factory.
Of course, making a big change in a brand with such an emotionally invested community wasn’t without challenges. The Sharkies had opinions — and they didn’t hold back.
“The feedback was swift and fast — and honestly, it was really hard on the team because we were proud of it. The sweat, the tears, the all-nighters — it all went into this launch.“”
Despite the initial pushback, Jackie and her team stood by the changes, balancing their community’s feedback with insights gathered through customer research and a clear strategic vision. A replatform isn’t just a chance to swap tech. It’s a rare opportunity to reimagine your customer journey, reconnect with your brand DNA, and lay the foundations for the next chapter.
Community is a Double-Edged Sword — Lean Into It Anyway
BlackMilk’s legendary community, affectionately known as the Sharkies, are more than just fans — they’re collectors. Some own hundreds, even thousands, of BlackMilk pieces, and they care deeply about the brand.
“The depth of product that some of these customers own would blow your mind.”
That passion, though, creates pressure. Especially during a period where Jackie had to lead the brand through the sudden and tragic passing of founder James Lillis, a website overhaul, and a business transformation. Instead of shying away, Jackie leaned into the tough conversations. She decided to announce James’ passing via a personal video message to the community.
“I thought about how I’d want to find out if a friend had passed away. It didn’t feel right to do it via a social post or an email blast.”
Later, when the community pushed back against the new website design, Jackie didn’t hide — she listened, responded, and adapted where it made sense.
If you’ve got customers who have invested that much — financially and emotionally — you have to show up for them.
For ecommerce brands, this is the unavoidable trade-off of community. The people who love you the most will hold you to the highest standard, but they’re also the ones who will stick with you when you get it right.
From Tactics to True Leadership
Jackie’s story is a raw example of what real leadership looks like when things get messy. From pulling back the go-to-market cadence, to steering a full replatform, to leading a team and community through the unimaginable loss of their founder, Jackie didn’t just manage projects — she protected the soul of the brand .For anyone building brands today, the big takeaway is clear: no amount of tech, process, or playbooks can replace showing up with creativity, vulnerability, and care.
