ABOUT US

Our Team

Mario Milici

Founder and Creative Director

UpShop Industries is driven by Mario, and it’s fuelled by his dedication.  The ethos and principles of upcycling at the core of UpShop reflect Mario’s approach to design– and to life.

With three decades of design experience across furniture, building and education sectors, Mario has pioneered creative ways to repurpose materials and manage waste streams.  

Both trade and design qualified, he understands how to design, make and manufacture at small and large scale.

In 2015, Mario founded UpShop Industries to divert used material waste from landfill.  He is deeply committed to collaborating with businesses on long-term waste strategies to move them into the circular economy.

Beyond UpShop, Mario can be found restoring classic cars or bushwalking the Grampians National Park. 

Dimitri Margiolis

Design & production assistant

With a Bachelor of Industrial Design, Dimitri’s work philosophy is guided by a commitment to sustainable design, which makes him a perfect fit for UpShop.

“Sustainability is core, it has to be central to good design. If designers and manufacturers don’t have one eye to sustainability it can’t be good design in a wholistic sense,” says Dimitri.

As our design and production assistant, Dimitri takes a hands-on role in all aspects of product development, assisting with design, making, prototyping, quality control, batch production, and waste minimisation.                                                               
Dimitri is also a talented multi-instrumentalist, and outside of UpShop you’ll find him immersed in playing and recording music or catching gigs with mates.

It’s no surprise Dimitri pulls together UpShop’s music playlists to set the motivational vibe for each day!

Linda Nguyen

Commercial machinist

With nearly four decades of experience in commercial sewing and pattern making, Linda brings invaluable expertise to UpShop. Her problem-solving skills and determination ensure no job is too tough to tackle.

Linda's proficiency with industrial, non-recyclable materials is second to none, and she handles large volume batch runs with ease. Her skills in these areas are increasingly hard to find in today's market.

Linda once ran her own fashion design business, and is as adept with fine silks as she is with tough pvc vinyl!

Outside of work, Linda is passionate about fashion design, creating elaborate celebration cakes, playing guitar, and singing.

Cipta Croft-Cusworth

Production assistant

Cipta, who leads a double life as a toy maker extraordinaire, lends his dynamic energy to a hands-on production role at UpShop. 

For over a decade, Chipta’s journey as a toy maker has been intertwined with a deep commitment to sustainability, particularly through recycling. 

“Recycling has been a big passion of mine. My focus has been on transforming recycled plastics like milk and shampoo bottles into innovative toys,” says Cipta.

At UpShop, he loves being able to work towards a shared passion, which is no waste or less waste.

Find Citpa’s toys on Instagram @ggntoys 

Our Story︎︎︎
Our Beliefs︎︎︎