We talk a lot about building brands, but not enough about walking away from them. IIXIIST was my first business, my breakthrough, my identity for almost a decade. Closing it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t clean. But it was necessary. This is the truth about what it really feels like to let go of something that no longer fits, even when it still looks like success from the outside.
Rebecca Klodinsky
Founded in 2019 by Rebecca Klodinsky and Lachie Henderson, The Prestwick Place is an multi-million-dollar luxury jewellery label disrupting the diamond market with lab-grown diamonds, full price transparency, and 100% handmade in-house pieces on the Gold Coast.
With a first-visit-driven business model responsible for 75% of its sales, largely on Instagram, its value and trust orientation has transformed luxury customer loyalty. Klodinsky had built her brand in the swimwear sector beforehand with IIXIIST, a cult label that she eventually chose to leave behind. Here is her candid story of letting go of one success to build another.
“We talk a lot about building brands, but not enough about walking away from them. IIXIIST was my first business, my breakthrough, my identity for almost a decade. Closing it wasn’t easy, it wasn’t clean, but it was necessary. This is the truth about what it really feels like to let go of something that no longer fits, even when it still looks like success from the outside.”
The rise and weight of IIXIIST
For Klodinsky, IIXIIST was a defining chapter. “Letting go of IIXIIST felt like a death. Not just of a brand, but of a version of myself that I’d spent years building from scratch. I started IIXIIST with $2,000 and an idea, a bikini brand I believed in more than anything else. Over time, it became so much more, a global label worn by the biggest names in the world, a source of financial freedom, personal identity, and credibility. It was mine. And it worked.” From runways to red carpets, its designs caught the eye of influencers and celebrities, cementing its status as a must-have label across continents.
But even a thriving business can lose its spark. “When something you love stops feeling right,” she explains, “it became heavy, the pace, the pressure, the expectations. It stopped feeling aligned with who I was and where I was heading. I was evolving, but the business stayed the same, and holding onto it started to feel less like ownership and more like resistance.” That growing disconnect set the stage for a difficult but pivotal choice.
“Walking away felt like losing a part of me,” she confesses. “There’s this idea that quitting means you’ve failed, that closing something down means you couldn’t make it work. But no one really talks about the bravery it takes to walk away from something successful, just because it no longer fits. For me, that next chapter was The Prestwick Place.” This shift marked a turning point, leading her to co-found a brand that would redefine her path.
A new beginning with The Prestwick Place
I grieved it. I questioned myself. I felt guilt for stepping back. But I learned that just because something is working doesn’t mean it’s right.
“Starting over and finally breathing again,” Klodinsky reflects. “I co-founded The Prestwick Place with my now husband Lachie, and from day one it felt different. It was slower, more meaningful, and deeply aligned with who I’d become. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t chasing, I was choosing.” That choice paid off, within years, the brand surpassed $3 million in annual revenue, doubling its non-jewellery sales year-over-year. Unlike the relentless drive of IIXIIST, The Prestwick Place offered a new rhythm, one rooted in intention and authenticity.
Yet letting go came with its own weight. “The part no one talks about,” she writes, “letting go of IIXIIST wasn’t just a business decision, it was emotional. I grieved it, I questioned myself, I felt guilt for stepping back from something that still looked good on paper. But I learned that just because something is working doesn’t mean it’s right. Success without alignment will eventually suffocate you.” It’s a candid look at the cost of change, one rarely acknowledged in tales of entrepreneurial triumph.
In the end, her journey is about growth through release. “Outgrowing who you used to be,” she concludes. “What IIXIIST gave me was invaluable. But what The Prestwick Place gave me was space, to grow, to evolve, and to build something that reflects where I am now. Letting go wasn’t the end, it was the beginning of something that feels more true than ever.” From a bikini empire launched with $2,000 to a jewellery brand reshaping luxury, Klodinsky’s story reveals the power of knowing when to hold on and when to let go.
Now, The Prestwick Place is not only a company, it’s proof of her reformation. It was born of the creative fraternity of the Gold Coast, from which both IIXIIST and The Prestwick Place had their origins, her path reflects a local flash with global relevance. By forsaking one achievement, Klodinsky forged another, proving at times the strongest move is the one to get up and walk away and to start anew.
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