With the UK fashion sector’s annual revenue estimated to be just under £60 billion, it is a highly competitive sector in which you need a strong brand to differentiate your offering. Given this, I wanted to speak with an expert about how to build a fashion brand that stands out from the crowd.

In this episode, I speak with Henrietta Rix, Co-Founder of RIXO, a leading British womenswear brand. Together with her co-founder Orlagh McCloskey, the pair founded RIXO in 2015 to bridge the gap between great fitting pieces and unique designs and offer a dynamic in-person experience too.

Keep listening to hear Henrietta’s advice on starting a fashion brand and why sticking to your roots and gut feelings will help you to distinguish your brand from its competitors.

Henrietta’s advice:

• When building a dynamic brand, be true to yourself and to your original idea
• Find a gap in the market
• Be passionate about what you do
• Timing is vital but stick to your original mission to bring back the dynamism
• Instagram is a readily accessible and fast way to spread your brand’s image once you know what you want to do
• Immerse yourself in the product and become familiar with every single aspect of production and sales
• Know every department of your business inside out even if you’re delegating a lot of it
• Listen continually to your customers - imagine you are one of them, learn from their feedback
• Pay attention to company culture and make sure your staff are loyal to the ethos
• Know your competitors but don’t worry about them, no need to copy them
• Don’t overproduce; try sustainable initiatives like rentals/preloved/alterations
• Avoid wastage and dead stock at the year’s end

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason. Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason.

Let us know how your start up journey is going or if you have any questions you would like us to discuss in future episodes.

FF&M recommends:

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the Show.

With 70% of respondents of a Forbes survey stating they believed personal branding is important, it’s clear that founders need to consider how they promote not just their business, but also themselves as individuals while starting their company.

Eshita Kabra-Davies is the founder and CEO of By Rotation, the UK's first peer-to-peer fashion rental app. Eshita founded the platform in 2019 to challenge the notion that ownership was not the only way to consume and enjoy fashion. Since then, she has successfully built a very strong personal/professional profile internationally alongside her business.

Keep listening to hear Eshita’s advice on why to question what to put out there in terms of professional and personal self, and why it is important to consider the platform context

Eshita’s advice:

• Be careful how you use your time as social media can take up a lot of it
• Don’t feel the pressure to post personal content if you don’t want to, you can build a brand without sharing your personal life too
• You don’t need to be on every platform, pick a few that work but less is more
• LinkedIn is just for professional, specific information
• Put the business first before your personal content if you need to prioritise one
• Be aware of the community that follows you and ensure you speak to your audience

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason. Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason.

Let us know how your start up journey is going or if you have any questions you would like us to discuss in future episodes.

FF&M recommends:

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the Show.

Building an engaging brand is one of the most challenging parts of starting a company. This is especially true in competitive sectors where you need to cut through the noise to create connections with your target customers. So I wanted to hear from experts on how to build a brand from scratch.

Lucinda Chambers and Serena Hood are co-founders of Collagerie: a leading fashion, interiors, beauty and lifestyle marketplace. The former British Vogue editors founded Collagerie in 2019 and quickly built their brand through interesting and dynamic ways.

Lucinda and Serena share their advice on what to do first when building a digital brand and how to ensure your brand story and visual identity work well together.

Lucinda and Serena’s advice:

• Work hard to realise the idea that’s in your head when designing the look of your brand
• Persevere until you get this right; don’t hesitate to start again from scratch if you’re not convinced
• If you are not a designer, employ someone who is
• Know your own weaknesses and either choose a partner who complements your strengths, or hire someone who does this
• Settle the visual side of your brand first; tone of voice will follow on
• Take time over choosing the name; experiment with a few, try them out on friends
• Use focus groups/groups of friends and bombard them with questions
• Use social media; take time crafting promotional emails
• Believe in what you do; authenticity shows and will build trust in your customers
• Never be afraid to ask advice; admit your vulnerability
• Take time out and step back when you’re struggling to resolve a problem
• Collaboration can be valuable

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason. Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason.

Let us know how your start up journey is going or if you have any questions you would like us to discuss in future episodes.

FF&M recommends:

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the Show.