Designer to Designer

Natalie Futo-Wallace is the founder of Lielle Womenswear, a resort wear brand based in Redcar, North Yorkshire. Diagnosed with dyslexia early in life, Natalie leaned on her creative strengths which led her to study fashion design and construction at her local college before travelling and then heading back home to start her career.

What most people don’t know is that before Lielle, there was Kiwi. A brand she co-founded way before Instagram was a thing. Their way of marketing was taking pictures and posting them on Facebook seeing as they didn’t have a website yet. That went on for a few years until tensions were high and Natalie knew it was time to venture into something new - thus Lielle was born.

However, Lielle was birthed at a time Natalie describes as the ‘hardest time of her life’, as she sadly lost her mother due to sickness. In this interview Natalie really opens up about how difficult that moment was for her and her siblings, but how she turned her grief into strength.

With a fantastic work ethic and a strong support system, she has worked tirelessly to make Lielle the success it is today.

In this interview you’ll learn about:

• How all the things you experience are not in vain and will lead you to your calling
• The reality of working with friends and family
• Turning grief into strength
• The real and honest reality of building a brand from the ground up
• How influencer marketing really skyrocketed Natalie’s brand

Before ntwrkd, Sabinah pulled together £500 to purchase wholesale pieces from a supplier in Manchester. In just a few months, she was able to use the revenue from that brand to start working on her own designs for ntwrkd.

Along the way, as you can probably relate, she had her own fair share of challenges. From problems with finding the right manufacturer, to the impact of Covid. At a time where her business was reaching new heights, the sales disappeared overnight, and her job at the time almost halved her salary.

It was tough. But she took it day by day.

Today, ntwrkd has been worn by many influencers all over the world including Yris Palmer and Lydia Dinga, and serves a group of loyal customers who love their affordable pricing, high quality and the representation of a South Asian woman at the forefront of a growing British label.

In this podcast episode we discuss:

• How her 9-5 drove her to start her own brands
• The production process behind her designs
• The impact of influencer marketing
• Why and how she’s creating a business on her own terms

Seventh Stores is a two year old brand that has really been eleven years in the making. Bukki Ojo, founder of Seventh Stores, began her entrepreneurial journey at the tender age of 18 after college as a sales assistant in then Topshop Oxford Street.

No one could prepare Bukki for the blessings and pain she was to endure over the next decade.

Before Seventh Stores, Bukki ran two businesses where she had the opportunity to learn the business of fashion, putting her in an advantageous position to build Seventh Stores quickly.

However, she faced much rejection and financial pressure that nearly made her file for bankruptcy. In the midst of it all, her mother, who was also Bukki’s best friend, passed away. But not without equipping her daughter with the mindset and tools for success.

We discuss:

• The origin of Seventh Stores
• How faith has played a huge role in Bukki's life
• The tough challenges Bukki has pushed through in business
• The key to designing and building a legacy brand 
• How to prepare for wholesale 
• Advice for the next generation of designers 

Reni Abina is the founder of VOGUE approved Nigerian-based luxury womenswear brand, Rendoll.

The label was founded in 2019 sparked by Reni sitting in the infamous Lagos traffic. The initial investment in the brand was £400 from her hair business at the time which she used to buy fabric and make the first ten designs, produced by local Nigerian tailors.

Over the last three years, as the business has grown exponentially, Reni has had to grow too and step into her CEO hat.

In this episode, Reni offers practical advice on:

• Her first steps once she decided to pursue Rendoll
• Her creative design process
• The steps she takes when launching and promoting a collection
• What her marketing strategy looks like today
• How she’s dealt with the very tough moments in business

Djulia Flach is the founder of German-based label Jeewl, a brand which specialises in luxury camera bags.

Djulia noticed a gap in the market whilst working as a freelance photographer, content creator and social media marketing. The idea came to her on and off for five years, but it was a quote on Pinterest “camera bags for women are either functional and ugly, or beautiful and not protective” which led her to officially launch Jeewl in 2020.

A recurring theme on the D2D podcast is that something goes wrong before it goes right.

In October 2021, Djulia set up a Kickstarter campaign to raise ​​£20,870 to help with her production costs. After one month, she raised £2,815 and made the hard decision to cancel the campaign. But where there is ‘failure’, there is always a lesson.

What people may not know is that crowdfunding can be used as a form of advertising and marketing.

This episode is for those in the early stages of launching their brand, something Djulia is still experiencing and shares with us in an enlightening conversation: “things become real, when you really work hard for it”.

Discover more about Djulia and Jeewl:

Cara Melzack is the founder of London-based knitwear label Cara & The Sky.

Cara’s career began as a fashion buyer, working for a number of retail brands including Ted Baker and M&co. After being made redundant from her last position, Cara made the life-changing decision to take her experiences and start her own brand, launching Cara & The Sky in 2019.

The brand has since been stocked in 65 boutiques across the UK and Ireland, alongside being nominated for Drapers Independent Womenswear Brand of the Year 2020. But the journey has been far from easy, and she often spent late nights isolated in her storage unit, packing hundreds of orders and shipping them out.

We delve into:

• The ins and outs of the business logistics
• 3 elements to be ready for in knitwear
• What boutique owners are looking for in stocking potential fashion brands
• The harsh realities of running a solo business
• How to navigate a brand in those early stages

Quote by Cara: “Your business is an evolution, and where you start isn’t where you end. It’s never going to be perfect”

Discover more about Cara & the Sky:

Karina Molby is the founder of Liverpool-based womenswear brand Molby The Label.

Overnight, during the pandemic, Molby The Label went from a few hundred people to now boasting of nearly 80,000 followers. The brand has been seen on Made in Chelsea stars, A-list celebrities, and the biggest influencers on Instagram. Karina manages a full team of seamstresses and assistants who help her bring her designs to life, with an e-commerce site that opens every Sunday and sells out in minutes.

What people did not see though were the five collections she made on her sewing machine which received little to no orders. For five years, Karina worked as a buyer at Boohoo whilst running a brand that made no money. She’d pour her heart (and coins) into collections and cry herself to sleep when no order came through. Now, the brand has to control the demand by shutting down their e-commerce store once they’ve reached full capacity for orders.

Karina’s story is a tale of persistence and being so certain about what you want in life. I asked Karina, why did you continue even when things didn’t look good. She said she just knew it’d work out.

In this episode, Karina and I discuss the 5-year grind and how she remained persistent, the moment that changed her life forever, the one key thing every designer must do, how influencer marketing skyrocketed her business, and how she manages her amazing team.

This honest and open podcast makes us realise that you don’t need to achieve perfection to be successful - and sometimes it’s okay to go with the flow!

Discover more about Molby the Label:

This week we speak to co-founders Jen and Zoe of luxury loungewear and lifestyle brand, Sunday Luxe.

The two met in 2015 through their work in advertising, Jen and Zoe share similar work ethic values and this came about from their upbringings. From an early age, under her grandma's influence of helping her fix holes and zips, Jen fell in love with fashion and her sewing machine. Matched with a mindset to live a luxurious life and watching her parents work hard, Zoe’s love for fashion expanded when she was met with shooting for premium brands like Marie Claire.

Jen and Zoe grew an instant connection at work when they realised that their conversations were led by wanting their own business. Their entrepreneurial mindsets made them realise the gap in the market for loungewear that makes a statement yet is still classic and made to with the finest of fabrics.

Years on, they obtained successful careers and still managed to keep in contact, as Zoe eventually moved to New York and Jen laid the foundation of Sunday Luxe.

In this episode, we take a trip down Zoe and Jen’s journey into running a fashion business and how being customers for their own brand enabled them to create the perfect loungewear label. We also discuss how their combined skills benefited roles now, how money comes to play when you have a co-founder and the importance of having the right mindset to help achieve success in business.

This is a great episode to remind you that setting up a fashion business may not be easy, Jen and Zoe experienced some difficult obstacles along the way of launching and even after launching, but you’ve got to be strong and leave the comparison habits at the door.

I hope you enjoy this episode and if you do, please leave a review 5* review on Apple as this helps us grow our platform.

Discover more about Jen and Zoe and Sunday Luxe:

This week we speak to Ola Alabi, co-founder of Shoreditch-based fashion label, Cold Laundry.

Born into a Nigerian heritage, Ola grew up in London and Kent and spent his childhood traveling with his adventurous parents- a key destination being the artistic markets in Italy where he witnessed different design practices. This early influence introduced him to the world of fashion design and helped shape his creative expression and independence.

Following a brief career in professional football, Ola went on to work at River Island, where he met his wife and fellow co-founder, Cerise Alabi. Together they shared a passion and interest for fashion design and dreamed big for a future they knew would involve being entrepreneurs. Years later - after one failed footwear label, a few creative projects, and an inspirational 6-month trip to Korea (Asia) - they launched Cold Laundry in 2019.

Ola and Cerise have since achieved major success, organically generating 1 million in sales during the first trading year and opening their first brick & mortar store in July 2020.  The couple have work-balance down to a fine art, where Ola focuses on marketing, creative direction, campaigns and collaborations, and Cerise focuses on the product design - the rest is shared amongst the Cold Laundry team.

In this episode, Ola paints a real picture following the journey of Cold Laundry, from the couple’s early days hosting a pop-up store in Boxpark, Shoreditch up to their future vision - which is nothing short of creative!

We discuss the importance of networking with people (such as suppliers and manufacturers) in the early stages, being resourceful in order to generate cash flow (it’s not just about the idea, designers!), and trialing price points for products. We also touch on hiring team members and the inside POV of selling wholesale to retailers.

It’s hard to not be inspired by Ola and Cerise’s aim to achieve a state of mind, feeling, and lifestyle - and Ola consistently finds himself immersed in the fashion world. You don’t want to miss this one that teaches us - “Passion drives success”

Discover more about Cold Laundry:

Natasha Inman is the founder of Dubai-based luxury loungewear label, State of REM. Leeds native, Natasha describes her upbringing as completely normal and predictable - get good grades, go to university and build a life. This led to her studying a Maths degree and then climbing the finance corporate ladder to where she is at now, juggling an intense 9-5 as a Middle East Financial Controller in Dubai, and State of REM - her ‘night shift’.

In this episode, we discuss her experiences as she navigates understanding the Arabic consumer from a British business owner's perspective. As well as her current challenges running State of REM (a lot of manufacturing drama!) and the strategies she’s putting in place to overcome them.

Natasha also expresses her gratitude to her small but great support system. Moving to Dubai from the North of England was always a dream, she manifested her reality and she’s now manifesting the success of her brand.

As always, I hope you enjoy this podcast - this is a great episode for someone who’s currently building a brand way out of their comfort zone as well as balancing other commitments.

If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a 5* review on Apple podcasts! We’re giving away a £50 gift card of your choice once a month to a lucky listener who takes the time out to show some love. That’s enough of me talking, enjoy!

Discover more about Natasha Inman and State of REM:

Neda Dixon is the founder of London-based fashion label Lavand Stories. Born into an Iranian heritage, Neda was raised in a traditional household by her stay-at-home mother and her father, who owned a successful business.

Neda fell in love with fashion from an early age, refusing to dress on anyone else’s terms but her own. At just 11 years old, she created a book called The World in Neda’s Eyes, where she wrote “when I’m older, I want to be a fashion designer” - her younger self influenced her older self.

This early passion led her to study Fashion Design at University, and following one career change and the realisation that being happy wasn’t about her bank account but instead doing what she loves, she went on to establish Lavand Stories in 2018.

In this episode, we discuss the financial stigma of working in the fashion and creative industries, making sacrifices and building a social media presence, which isn’t always an easy journey. Neda also has an overwhelming love affair with her customers. At the heart of Lavand is the concept: “functionality over a pretty design - can she sit in it, dance in it, hold the rail on the tube in it?”

Neda is such an inspiration, and if she has taught us anything it would be that trial and error plays a massive part in running a fashion business and growth.

Overall, this motivational podcast doesn’t shy away from the challenges and prescribes a lot of tough love, or as Neda puts it: “Don’t just be motivated when things are good – ALWAYS be motivated.”

Discover more about Neda Dixon and Lavand Stories:

Ngoni Chikwenengere is the founder of London-based womenswear label, We Are Kin. Her past experiences and fashion conscious approach inspired her vision to create a body inclusive and sustainable brand, something that she felt was missing from the market.

Born in Zimbabwe, Ngoni fell in love with fashion as soon as she set eyes on the beautiful designs that were featured on the fashion TV during her childhood, as well as being influenced by her mothers personal style.

This early mesmerisation inspired her to study a Fashion Diploma and then a BA in Fashion Design at the University of Northampton. In her final year, Ngoni was selected to showcase her debut collection at Graduate Fashion Week in London.

In this episode, we talk about how Ngoni’s mindset towards the fashion industry changed after seeing the destructive damage it was causing.

Her mantra “people and planet over profit” is a key highlight of our discussion, focusing on using sustainable and ethical methods in the design and manufacturing process, as well as how emerging designers can play their part (even on a budget).

We further discuss fashion’s lack of body inclusivity and marketing for size-inclusive garments and Ngoni tells us about life post-university, with the advice that networking is one of the most important qualities an emerging designer needs. Ultimately, it’s not always what you know, but who you know.

Overall, this mind-bending podcast focuses on real thought-provoking topics as well as being so inspirational. Before you dive in, we’ll leave you with this quote from Ngoni herself:

“Do great s***, be amazing and make the planet a better place!”

Discover more about We Are Kin & Ngoni:

This week we are joined by Cabrini Roy, founder of a London based womenswear label which shares the same name. Cabrini’s British and Filipina heritage is heavily influenced in her minimalist and hand-crafted designs, and her slow-fashion ethos is at the heart of her brand.

Her love for fashion came about when she was just 9 years old, where she first started to design, and four years later she turned her talent into a reality. Her mother was her muse growing up and inspired her to develop her passion further through her education. She began her journey studying fashion and textiles at the University for the Creative Arts which then led her to the London College of Fashion, where she studied fashion design and womenswear.

In this episode we discuss how she set-up Cabrini Roy without having the business tools and experience as well as giving us an insight into the day-in-the-life of running her brand. Cabrini’s challenges and experiences inspired her to set up a community orientated programme where she teaches basic pattern cutting, ways to communicate with manufacturers and most importantly finding joy in passing down knowledge.

This educational podcast is all about not limiting yourself to just one thing. Why do that when you can do them all? Trust me, you’ll want to add this one to the list!

Discover more about Cabrini Roy:

This week we are joined by Larissa Muehleder, founder of New York womenswear label Muehleder. Her empowering contemporary pieces are sculpted out of Neoprene, a fabric she takes pride in being comfortable, flexible, and more importantly, that her customers can wear and still eat a burger in!

Born into a Nigerian and Austrian lineage, Larissa moved around a lot as a child; from Germany to Paris, and briefly Senegal before finally settling down in Brooklyn, New York. The adventures shaped her resilient and “go with the flow” attitude, which soon led her to the High School of Fashion Industries at the young age of 16.

Her love for fashion design further inspired her to study Business and Fashion Marketing and Merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Technology. It was from here, along with her mother’s strong entrepreneurial influence, she began to adapt to the challenges of owning a fashion business and maintaining its values.

Muehleder label, and notably, Larissa’s designs have come a long way since; dressing major celebrity clients including Cardi-B, Zendaya, and Ashley Tisdale, to name a few.

In this episode, we talk about the hustle and grind of crafting and selling a fashion label. This isn’t always an easy task as Larissa explains her own personal experiences of pitching from boutique to boutique in the center of New York, but also the learning curve and success that came from it.

She also touches on her overwhelming love for her clients, and how building a relationship and listening to your customers, as well as being truly authentic, is essential for running a successful fashion business.

You don’t want to miss this exciting podcast that overall focuses on work hard, play even harder!

Discover more about Larissa and Muehleder:

This week we are joined with Fanfare Label founder, Esther Knight, who has given us such an in-depth episode of the world of sustainability in the fashion industry. Esther studied Business Studies at Northumbria University which she calls a ‘calculated decision’ as she always knew she wanted to be a fashion buyer but wanted a broader range of education. After completing her studies she went on to pursue her buying career, her last role being a buyer at Vivienne Westwood.

In this episode, we spoke about so much from how working in buying really exposed her to the true cost of fashion whether socially, ethically or economically. We touched on the dangers of the chemicals in our clothes and how they affect the people who make our clothing as well as the huge silent trafficking issue in the fashion industry and how that comes to play.

We also spoke about Esther’s hardest part of running Fanfare which is marketing with a very limited to no budget, where she gives tips on what you can do and how sometimes, you’ve just got to do everything until you can afford to hire a team.

There’s so much to learn and touch on and if you are planning or have started a fashion brand, it’s certainly your responsibility to invest time into learning all you can about sustainability. If you love this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share this with somebody who needs to hear this!

Learn more about Esther and Fanfare Label:

Sabrina is the founder of London-based womenswear brand Sabby Lou Knit who focuses on creating beautiful figure hugging pieces to compliment a woman's body. Sabrina’s passion for knitting started in school whilst knitting in her D&T classes, inspiring her to study Fashion Textiles at London College of Fashion, then furthering her education at Royal College of Art before leaving early to pursue her business.

What I loved about this conversation was the honesty Sabrina gave us about how challenging it can be to run a business, giving her own personal examples of not selling products at her pop up store. But what I admire more is her commitment to succeed doing what she loves - which is paying off as she built her own fashion studio from the ground up.

To learn more about Sabby Lou Knit:

Before Jedidiah paused the internet with Kylie Jenner wearing her Vashtie dress in 2020, she was made redundant from her full-time job just a month before. What seemed like an overnight success was actually, at the time, 4 years in the making - and what comes with overnight growth isn’t always glamorous.

Born into a Nigerian and Ghanian lineage, influenced by her hometown of Hackney East London, Jedidiah always had a flair for fashion, and creativity was encouraged in her home. So it was no surprise that whilst studying Fashion Journalism at London College of Fashion, she knew very quickly that if she were to pursue fashion, it was going to be something within design.

Upon graduation, she began working as an events coordinator and invested in courses to learn how to construct garments, sewing pieces for clients in the evenings and weekends. Fast forward to 2021 and Loud Brand Studio’s is a force to be reckoned with, as well as Jedidiah being listed as a Forbes 30 under 30 this year.

Having just recently launched her new collection, Iru, inspired by Nigerian food, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jedidiah to bring things back to the beginning and take you behind the scenes of what comes with fast growth.

Discover more:

Anifa Mvuemba is the founder of luxury womenswear label, Hanifa. Born in Nairobi, Kenya to two Congolese parents, Anifa migrated with her family to the US during the war. Anifa studied Fashion Merchandising briefly at Morgan State University, whilst her parents thought she was studying business, but she dropped out to pursue what she really wanted, fashion design.

She self taught herself how to create garments and began taking custom orders, saying yes to everything and learning on the go. Anifa has experienced many ups and downs during the period of running her business, at one point quitting for one year to soul search. Through the tough times, she’s persevered and is now running an admirable 7 figure fashion label.

In today’s episode we spoke about EVERYTHING! From Anifa’s childhood, getting her parents to see her vision, the 24 hour work days, how she funded her brand, dressing many celebrities, and of course creating the world's first 3D fashion show in 2020 which broke the internet.

I guarantee you will love this episode because it’s such an open and raw account. If you do, please leave a 5* review on Apple podcasts and share it with somebody who needs to hear this today.

Discover more:

Kam and Sharon are cousins turned co-founders of British womenswear brand, For the Frill. The pair grew up very close living together, attending the same schools, and vacationing. In 2019 Kam, who is 27 working in banking, and Sharon 28 working in housing, launched For the Frill which they describe has a chic, elegant style for empowered women who are unafraid to turn heads.

Whilst they had and have this amazing vision of where their brand could take them, it hasn’t come without its challenges, the biggest one being a year delayed launch due to incompetent manufacturers they found on Alibaba. This resulted in them moving their production back to the UK which gives the duo greater oversight into the progress of their collections.

We spoke about the magical moment when Maya Jama wore and posted a photo of herself in their Nala satin dress and the impact it had on the business as well as emotionally after all their hard work. As well as, what is it really like having a co-founder especially when you are family?

I believe you’ll really enjoy this relaxed episode and if you do, please tap 5* on the reviews so we can give other people the opportunity to discover this podcast. Speak soon, designers!

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To learn more about For the Frill:

Emily Raines is the CEO of a UK-based clothing manufacturing company, The Fashion Studio. With 2 locations, a showroom in Central London and a factory in Bedford, this is a great factory to consider working with - especially if you’re looking to start producing clothing soon.

I thought it was timely to talk to Emily at this point because we’ve had our workshop, which by the way if you missed it, you can purchase the recording on our website. I’m also in the middle of group coaching where a lot of our designers are looking to launch this year, if not next. Whilst I have a good experience of production, it felt like the right time to speak to an actual CEO and for you to hear what someone in her position would expect when being approached by a client (i.e. you).

This conversation gives you an insight into how manufacturers think and operate, it’s a friendly reminder that they have their own schedules and paid clients so it’s important to be efficient and think of what you can do to cut through the noise and have a manufacturer take you seriously.

Towards the end of the episode, Emily talks about her services and how she can help your brand go from an idea in your head to a final finished sample. I hope you enjoy this episode - if you do, please give it a nice 5* rating because it really helps. Enjoy!

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To learn more about Emily and The Fashion Studio:

Aimee Kewn is the founder of Goldesse Swimwear which is a sustainable swimwear brand ethically made in the UK. As well as the founder of The Swimwear Start-Up which helps ambitious female founders build their own swimwear brands. Aimee actually helped Candy launch her swimwear brand who I interviewed on Episode 6 so make sure you give that a listen too.

In this episode, we spoke about Aimee’s sudden firing from her job and then moving to Canada in a matter of weeks which is when she decided to launch her first swimwear brand with a co-founder. This brand sadly collapsed and Aimee learned some really tough lessons about having a business partner. Around 18 months after that, Aimee started Goldesse and the rest is history. You will luckily get to learn about how to start a swimwear brand too as well as the dangers of attaching your self-worth to your business.

In 2021, Aimee’s magic word is money, she talks to us about how to monetise your skills so that you can create a comfortable income for yourself.

I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do, please tap the 5 stars on Apple podcasts because that is how more people like you find us and helps us continue running this podcast.

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To learn more about Aimee, Goldesse and The Swimwear Start-Up:

I’m so excited for this week's episode as we have a highly anticipated guest on the show. Not only is she a new designer, she managed to bring her brand to the six-figure mark in 3 months, get featured in Vogue, and has built a cult community around it.

Aimee Smale is our guest this week, she is an Essex gal born into a really hard-working family, she saw her dad go from a salesman to owning a business which had a positive influence on Aimee’s work ethic. Aimee studied and pursued Fashion Buying before becoming a buyers assistant at ASOS but she knew from the start she wanted to start a fashion brand, so she took what she learnt at ASOS and turned it into Odd Muse.

In this episode, you are going to discover the power of starting now, whether you have the resources or not, how to keep yourself afloat as a new self-employed entrepreneur, the behind the scenes of scaling a company so quickly, and why community is so important.

If you love this episode, please tap and leave a 5* rating and share it with somebody who really needs to hear this today. Speak soon, designers!

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To learn more about Aimee and Odd Muse:

Hello, Designers! This week we are joined with Sonia Shah, a North Londoner who comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Sonia Shah talks to us about her upbringing influenced her work ethic, how wearing the same clothes as everyone in university sparked the idea to create a fashion brand and start-up fashion business lessons.

I love talking to designers especially those who are balancing their full-time job with a business because I’ve been there and I know many of you may be in that position in yourself. Sonia also mentions how The Entry Platform has helped her business journey so far which is honestly what we’re all about.

If you were in the Clothing Manufacturing Workshop 101 then you know that we gave so many gems away from specific manufacturers, to CAD illustrators and productivity tools. The whole point of this is to help you grow so thank you for your support, for tuning in weekly to the podcast, and for giving me a clear and defined purpose.

If you like today’s episode, please tap and leave a 5* review!

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To learn more about Sonia and Zaila Zekhara:

Welcome to the Designer 2 Designer podcast. This week our guest is Suzanne Vinnik, founder of by Vinnik, a sustainable all-inclusive womenswear brand based in Los Angeles. What’s really interesting about Suzanne’s story is that she was originally an opera singer, she’s sang in front of royalty but her initial love of fashion from her childhood brought her back to it years later.

Suzanne talks about getting through the rough periods such as being in an abusive marriage and periods where she struggled financially, but her positive and resourceful attitude has pushed her to be in an amazing place where her business is profitable and she genuinely loves the community she’s building.

Suzanne has such an inspiring story and is a testament to believing in your dream! If you love this episode please leave a lovely review and subscribe to hear more of our weekly episodes.

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To learn more about Suzanne and by Vinnik:

Welcome back to D2D! This week we are joined with Jade Egemonye, the founder of Rozana LDN, a womenswear brand for the tall ladies! Jade is 6ft tall and finding nice, affordable clothing has been a struggle. Tall ranges, especially within the UK, are pretty much non-existent so Jade has boldly gone to cater to a market that the fashion industry doesn’t pay enough attention to.

Jade gets into so much from manufacturing nightmares, how to approach manufacturers on Alibaba, and how she found her confidence as a tall woman. She also explains how she manages her time building a brand, a tall-woman-friendly community, and working as a manager in the construction industry. Did I mention that Jade is 22?!

I won’t give away too much but if you like this episode please leave a review or just rate us - this will really help the podcast. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

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To learn more about Jade and Rozana LDN:

Welcome back to D2D! Today we are joined with Chloe Williams, or you may know her as Chloe Chanel on Instagram, formerly the co-founder of Mama’s Boutique which she has now solely rebranded to Embi Studio. I discovered Mama’s Boutique when I was about 16/17 years old and the brand played such a pivotal role in my dream to be a fashion designer. There was nothing like it at the time and it was my first experience seeing young women (especially black women) create a clothing brand from scratch - I was so inspired not just by the designs, but by the fact it was possible.⁣

This is why I’m a huge advocate for sharing the journey. Let people in so they can be inspired and feel like it’s possible too. I love that social media enables us to do this now - these conversations are what Chloe and I both felt like we needed when we embarked on this journey.

Chloe delves into her early influences, the early days of Mama’s boutique, the reality behind owning a fashion brand, and why this rebrand was so important to her. Stick around because this episode will leave you fired up! If it does, as I predict, please do not forget to subscribe and leave a lovely review so we can help more designers and founders on their journey.

And on that note, I hope you enjoy today’s episode!

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To learn more about Chloe and Embi Studios:

Happy New Year designers!  We are back to resuming our weekly schedule. Thank you so much for your patience with us, as you saw the end of 2020 was (amazingly) busy with new launches going on but in 2021 we’re only going to get better! Our aim this year is to support you to the fullest and be a source of inspiration - that’s it. That’s the tweet.

This week we are joined with Yasmina Ossai (@yao.mina), a womenswear fashion designer from London who’s brand, Minanovski (@minanovski), launched right in the middle of the UK’s first lockdown. Originally on the path to be a lawyer, Yasmina stumbled into the fashion world when she had a wedding to attend in 2019. She didn’t want to pay a ghastly price for a mandatory traditional garment so she decided to make her outfit herself. Using YouTube she taught herself how to sew and the rest is history.

Join us as we speak about overcoming your fears, launching during a pandemic, and how a MTO brand runs on a pre-order system.

If you love this episode please leave a review, subscribe, and share it with somebody who’ll appreciate today’s message.

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To learn more about Yasmina and Minsanovski:

This week I’m joined by Jide, one of 4 co-founders who created the luxury tailoring brand, Velviere. Velviere was formed after a trip to Vietnam where they had some pieces tailored for them and received raving compliments back home in the UK. Taking on board the feedback, Jide and his co-founders decided to create a brand. Jide opens up about the obstacles he’s encountered and the reality of building a fashion brand with no fashion experience whatsoever. After working in investment banking for 10 years, Jide took the plunge and became self-employed to focus on Velviere full time. However, this did come with it’s challenges, especially with an unplanned pandemic which we dive into later on in the podcast. I hope you enjoy this raw and candid conversation, it sure did inspire me to keep pushing no matter what. 

If you love this episode please leave a review, subscribe, and share with somebody who’ll appreciate today’s message.

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To learn more about Jide and Velviere:

This week I’m joined by Benjamin Kyei whom I met a few months ago, some of you may know him from the live Q&A session we held on Zoom during The Entry Course earlier this year. Ben and I talk about his first failed business which in hindsight, prepared him for his brand that he runs now, GOSSE au CŒUR. He also shares some insights into working with manufacturers on Alibaba and how he managed to negotiate an MOQ of 1000 down to 300. Ben keeps a vision board to keep him focused while building his brand. On this vision board, he photoshopped a picture of himself on a British GQ cover. Just three months after releasing his first product, Ben was contacted to be featured in British GQ. You’ll hear us speak briefly about manifestation as faith plays a huge role in Ben’s journey.

If you love this episode please leave a review, subscribe, and share with somebody who’ll appreciate today’s message.

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To learn more about Benjamin and GOSSE au CŒUR:

I put up an IG story asking who you’d love to hear on the podcast and to no surprise, Rokeya Khanums, founder of Khanums, was probably the most requested. We recorded this episode a few weeks before the masterclass and it’s so amazing the relationship I’ve been able to grow with Rokeya in a short space of time. Khanum's is a fashion brand that specializes in embellished garments, most recently swimwear which launched in summer. Rokeya really opened up into everything about her life from being unemployed for 18 months, getting rejected every single day from jobs, having her son in her teen years, and how proud he is of her now. We discussed the obstacles she’s learned from delayed production to design infringement, what’s catapulted Khanum’s growth to the point she was able to build it up to a 6 figure company in 9 months whilst working full time. Get a notebook and pen out for this because serious gems were dropped! 

This week on D2D we have Chelsea Samuels, the founder of Svelte, a premium womenswear label. What I really loved about our conversation was the hustle and work ethic Chelsea has, it truly inspired me. Chelsea mentions that when she didn’t have as much money for swing tags, she would print and cut them out herself and attach them to her pieces. Whilst in university, when all the students had gone home, Chelsea would stay behind with a teacher till 9 pm improving on her craft. She is truly a no-excuse kind of woman and I think this episode will be a push for you if you find yourself swimming in excuses and not coming up with solutions. I hope you enjoy this episode. Please do comment, subscribe, and share - it only takes 30 seconds! This would really help our podcast and The Entry platform grow and bring more designers into our community!

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To learn more about Chelsea and Svelté:

This week I am joined with Candy Cooke, the founder of Elicit Swim. Candy founded Elicit in 2019 after feeling the desire to create quality swimwear which made women feel unstoppable on their travels. We talk about how Candy manages her brand whilst working 9-5 as a social media manager, the production process including working with manufacturers abroad, how she raised money for her brand, and the many lessons she has learned so far on her fashion business journey.

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To learn more about Candy and Elicit:

This week we're joined with Ayah Abukhazneh, the founder of Shop Neutres - a modest wear brand with a mission to create affordable sustainable fashion. Ayah originally majored in English Literature and Journalism and still hopes to pursue journalism in the future. In this episode, we have an honest conversation about sustainability for early-stage fashion brands, what Ayah has had to learn adapting to becoming an entrepreneur, and her vision for Neutres. 

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To learn more about Ayah and Shop Neutres:

This week on the Designer2Designer podcast I am proudly joined with Katrina Vrakas the founder of Create, a jewellery brand based in New York which specialises in custom solid gold jewellery and solid gold jewellery essentials. Born and bred in Wisconsin, Katrina is from a family of entrepreneurs which ignited her entrepreneurial spirit, but it wasn’t until being made redundant unexpectedly that she began to pursue Create and make it a FT business. We discuss so much in this episode from her family’s influence, how Create was born and the challenges she has faced including the impact of COVID 19, how Katrina has had to adapt to become an entrepreneur and the vision for Creates future. I’m sure you’ll love this episode and feel super inspired to chase your dreams.

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To learn more about Katrina and CREATE:

This week we have Ardelle Fawehinmi, the founder of womenswear brand ARDELLE. Ardelle studied at the BRIT school before undertaking an undergrad degree in Fashion Styling and Production at UAL and recently finishing her masters in fashion design at Kingston University. We talk about her university experience, working at the one and only Hugo Boss including tips for interns. We then dive into everything about Ardelle which she founded last year in 2019, including the mental challenges she has experienced in building a brand.

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To learn more about Ardelle, you can follow her Instagram and shop ARDELLE below:

This week I’m speaking to Dami Howells, the mastermind behind DAMIHOW Active Wear. Dami created her fitness brand as she was tired of not finding any stylish gym wear and the lack of diversity in the industry. We had a great conversation about overcoming obstacles, the importance of resilience, working a full-time 9-5 job whilst growing a brand, and seeing her brand featured in Vogue and Women’s Health Magazine.

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To learn more about Dami, you can follow her Instagram and shop DAMIHOW below:

Today’s guest is Alie Mackintosh, the founder of AYM Studio. A British Made to Order brand based in Sussex, creating sustainable and ethically made womenswear. You may have spotted Alie’s designs on Kim Kardashian or even Hailey Beiber. I caught up with Alie to find out how she went from sewing all her pieces herself to growing a team,  dressing the biggest celebrities in the world, her sustainable MTO business model, the ups and downs of her journey so far, and how AYM has been navigating around COVID 19.

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