Beautiful Soul Blog 18th April 2010

Miss Butterfly-SS10 is now stocked at the V&A, with several pieces proudly on display at the entrance of their gift shop. I am told that the Rei Coats and Satoka Coats are receiving positive feedback and the V&A placed a duplicate order this week, which is fantastic news and such an achievement. (This order was actually made at Fashion Enters Workshop and the quality of the manufacture exceeded my expectations).

I have made a bespoke piece (personally) for Lily Cole (made from a gorgeous deep purple vintage kimono) and Beautiful Soul has relocated to a London based studio, overlooking the fabulous Portobello Road. This is the perfect location for our clients to come and visit and select their own Japanese vintage kimono personally; contributing to the journey of their Beautiful Soul garment. Strictly by appointment only. Please contact: info@beautiful-soul.co.uk.

In addition Beautiful Soul is taking part in collaboration with Think.Act.Vote – designing a show piece that will be hand delivered to No.10 Downing Street, as part of the campaign and appear on a number of catwalks including UK Aware, Alternative Fashion Week and “The Future I Choose”, Think Act Vote party.

Any new fashion label will tell you the same thing; the pace of the fashion industry is incredibly fast and it is a constant juggling act. If you are a new label reading this blog, please do not panic or be too hard on yourself. Stay focussed, work hard and keep your feet firmly on the ground. You can achieve your goals if you believe in them.

To give you an example, this time last year I was visiting London Fashion Week (February 2009) for the first time in my life. I can safely say, the juggling act does get easier and the hard work does start to pay off.

Having exhibited at London Fashion Week (Estethica) successfully for the last two seasons, I am beginning to find my feet. I am absorbing as much as I can, from every experience, in order to evolve and build a strong foundation for Beautiful Soul.

It is incredibly daunting at times, as if like me, you are funding everything yourself, it takes courage and conviction to keep going. The Fashion Industry is extremely complex and running a fashion label is not just about making a pretty design. Going about it with a compassionate outlook adds to the challenge, and fuels my determination.

Building your brand and understanding your position in the market is incredibly important and this takes time.

The best advice that I can give to any designer who is looking to set up a fashion label, is that you have really got to ‘want it’. Starting out is extremely demanding on your time and it takes dedication.

Building contacts plays a fundamental part of your growth and making mistakes is a good thing; if you are able to use the experience constructively.

Back in November 2008, when I decided to set up Beautiful Soul, I had very little experience of the fashion industry, and was working out of my bedroom, on my own. It became apparent that I needed to engage on some business programmes, as I needed to talk about my ideas. There are some fantastic business programmes available to start ups and I will share details with you over the coming months.

Being an ethical fashion label, I made contact with the Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF). I made a point of taking time out of my hectic schedule and actively engaged on their seminars. I would leave the Rich Mix, London, E1 6LA, the home of the EFF with a spring in my step. Working alone can be lonely and to spend time with like mined individuals was a blessing. It fuelled my imagination and gave me confidence. It was a release.

In February 2009, Beautiful Soul won the Ethical Fashion Forum’s Innovation award and received business support from the dedicated team and industry experts.

During this time, I met a wonderful designer; Christopher Raeburn. Christopher has been an inspiration of mine for some time. When I decided to give up my career (Insurance Broker for 11 years) and return to University to follow my dreams of becoming a fashion designer, I religiously watched Project Catwalk. I had come from an office environment and although I have always been creative, I was exploring and nurturing my method of translation. Christopher was one of the contestants on the show and I watched him create his masterpieces week after week. I still think he was the obvious winner, but I am actually glad that he didn’t win. I believe it is Christopher’s time now; he is ready, focussed and is up to the challenge.

The Innovation programme also introduced me to a number of talented and passionate designers, including Julia Smith, Mia and Sika. We are fighting the same battle, from the same corner, but we are just going about it in our own unique ways.

I would recommend joining the Ethical Fashion Forums Social Network, as it is free and is a fantastic way to build your contacts, knowledge of sustainable fashion and encourage the growth of your business. The Ethical Fashion Forum has definitely contributed to the progression and growth of Beautiful Soul and I am sincerely grateful.

I had better wrap up now, as I have boxes to unpack at my new studio!

I am incredibly happy that I am no longer working from my bedroom (alone) and I can finally offer work placements and pass on some of my energy. For more information, please contact: info@beautiful-soul.co.uk.

…Until the next time.

Nicola, Beautiful Soul xxx

PS Beautiful Soul will be showing Miss Butterfly-SS10 at the ‘The Collection’, in association with Fashion Capital and Edge Models on 15th April 2010, at Vendome, Mayfair.SW3 2HP.

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