I’m an accidental entrepreneur. Growing up in communist Eastern Europe, being self-employed and owning your business meant you were a misfit, rejected by the system. But somehow I secretly dreamt that one day I will work in fashion for myself.
Having worked for over two decades in the fashion industry now, I have seen recessions come and go, brands be all the rage one day and bite the dust the next… One used to have to go to college to work in fashion, but now anyone can be a designer and launch a brand. Yet, no matter how lowered the barriers to entry may be and how much technology has made it easier to be your own boss – the business fundamentals have not changed at all.
I believe we all have gifts to offer the world. Success is not how many likes and shares you get on social media, but having the freedom to do what you love in any way that works for you.
At a time when being multi-passionate is the norm, it is entirely possible to turn your passion for fashion into a profitable, purpose-driven venture, that sometimes serves a higher purpose and leaves a lasting legacy.
Over the past 20+ years, I have worked for small and large British luxury brands. From womenswear clothing, soft and hard accessories, to launching my own fine jewellery brand, I’ve managed the design, product development and production processes and teams, all the while creating winning products that generated millions in revenue.
After fifteen years working for brands, I left being an employee to co-found one of the first, at the time, online manufacturing platforms connecting designers and brands to fashion manufacturers worldwide. I spent years working closely with start-ups, small and medium-sized fashion brands, raw material suppliers and manufacturers on one hand and software developers and marketers on the other. Quite literally, there isn’t a single aspect of building and growing a brand and business that I have not been involved in. I’ve tried, tested and learnt invaluable lessons the hard way.
Through mentoring and client work I was able to see first hand (repeatedly) the problems in the fashion industry. The biggest cause of most business problems faced by brands and entrepreneurs, more often than not, is the lack of knowledge and understanding of how fashion on the inside really works.
The fashion industry is complex and unregulated. It is unforgiving to people who don’t make the effort to learn how it all works. All too often creatives feel like outsiders and make rookie mistakes out of fear and lack of know-how.
But it doesn’t have to be this way!
My passion to help start-ups and small brands launch and grow meaningful brands led me to create Fashion Insiders & Co.
Starting, launching, and scaling your business should not have to be stress-inducing or so difficult that you end up hating the process.
My gift to be able to break down the design, development & manufacturing process and simplify it into actionable steps to help entrepreneurs identify and overcome their business challenges. Most importantly, to build their knowledge and confidence so that they can launch and grow meaningful, profitable brands.
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