Our passion became fashions

Do friends admire your style, or do you have a great original idea? Four women tell us how they cracked the fashion world

[PAGEBREAK]Do friends admire your style, or do you have a great original idea? Four women tell us how they cracked the fashion world

“I dreamt of getting my hand-made necklaces into Liberty”
Jamie Rubin, 35, started her jewellery business two years ago and now fans of her eclectic necklaces include Victoria Beckham, Emma Thompson and Sienna Miller. An American by birth, she came to London with her British husband Sam five years ago and now works from home in north London where she lives with her two sons, Natanel, seven, and Noah, four.
“Beads had been a passion of mine since I was a child when I used to make bracelets from shells and stones. In my teens we moved to Arizona and I learnt more about beads from the native Americans. I started making jewellery for friends and in my late teens I funded travelling around with the rock group Grateful Dead by making bracelets and necklaces.
When I was 24, my brother died and I went to Israel to get over it. It was there I met my husband. We moved to London when my elder son was 18 months old. We had no family nearby and I didn’t know a soul. One day, I saw a woman wearing a beautiful necklace and commented on it. She told me she had made it herself and I thought, ‘I can do that’. We became friends and she showed me where to find gems online. I began threading them onto suede lariats and selling them to school run friends.
Some time later a woman who was a jewellery buyer asked me where my necklace was from. I explained it was my own design and she asked to see more. I made up some prototypes and had to act really cool when she ordered six styles of each in four different colours on the spot. At that stage I had no idea how to order more than a few stones.
I began making more necklaces in our spare room using money from my grandfather and my late brother to buy materials. The big hurdle was getting buyers to see me. I must have annoyed some people with my persistence.
I set myself targets. One dream was to get into Liberty.
I found out who to contact and pestered them. Then I was featured in a local magazine, which led to an article in The Times that I sent to Liberty in a beautiful box. Finally, I got an interview and an order.
I would always say don’t be swayed by advice to be commercial. Stick to your style, but make sure it is unique. For example, I chose semi-precious stones to set me apart from the high street.
Although I want to expand I am determined to stay exclusive. I have to be careful about where I am stocked and the product has to be updated constantly because of copies. Two years in and I haven’t paid myself a salary. The toughest part is juggling work with the kids. On my deathbed I won’t be thinking, I wish I’d designed this or that pendant. I’ll be asking myself, did I give my family all the love I could?”

Top tip If you are selling a product that’s looked upon as fashionable it’s vital to keep up with trends. Create a strong identity and put your own spin on whatever fashion is doing.

Jamie Jewellery can be found at Liberty, Harvey Nichols and Coco Ribbon in London and boutiques nationwide. Call (020) 8457 1313; www.jamie.uk.com for stockists.

[PAGEBREAK]Want an "it" bag?
“I wanted a pink leather bag, so I started up a company that made them”
Former PR consultant Alison van der Lande, 40, originally from Plymouth, started her leather accessory business two years ago. Despite having no training in design, Alison’s styles have reached “it” bag status and attracted an army of celebrity fans, including Elizabeth Hurley, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mariah Carey, Pierce Brosnan and Sir Elton John. She lives in Selborne, Hampshire, with her husband Justin, an IT marketing director, and her children, Daisy, ten, Luis, nine, and Max, seven.
“I started out in marketing, then moved into public relations working for clients from Fairy Liquid to Barclays. About five years ago, we decided to move to the country as we’d always dreamed of having our own garden, fresh air and room for our kids to run about.
We moved to Hampshire and bought a cottage that needed modernising and extending. I gave up my job to oversee the building project and spend time with the kids. It took a year to finish, but then I began thinking, ‘What next?’.
One day, I was shopping for a new weekend bag and was appalled by the lack of choice. I’m a pink person and I wanted a pink leather bag, which I could hoik over my shoulder but still feel smart. Over £700 there were interesting, colourful styles, but the middle market was full of boring brown bags or black holdalls.
I did some research and when I still couldn’t find any, my husband said I had two choices. I could either walk away from the idea and when someone does something similar in two years get bitter, or start up business.
My husband and mother invested £8,000 and I set off on a round of trade shows. I would draw what I wanted and lay different coloured leathers with contrasting linings together. I got some funny looks, but I knew what I wanted. The hard part was convincing a factory abroad to work with me. Who was I? A woman from England who couldn’t draw.
It took three attempts to find the right factory. From the start I wanted the business to fit around me and my family. I made a point of finding outlets in Rome and Venice, which I could get to in a day, rather than further afield.
You need guts to get noticed. My advice to anyone contemplating doing what I did is be cheeky and do your homework. I knew the price would be dictated by quality – this would then dictate the shop. I convinced Selfridges that they needed something bright and beautiful and found similar shops in Oslo, Hong Kong and Fifth Avenue.
It’s been tough. Anyone who has their own business will tell you they work twice as many hours as they would if they were employed. On top of a nine to five, I work early mornings, weekends and Sunday evenings. But last Christmas I paid myself a bonus, not a salary, for the first time because our turnover exceeded six figures.
The upside is I can turn the phone off and go to a school concert, which I never used to be able to do. My most exciting adventure to date has been exhibiting at London Fashion Week. To suddenly find myself at the age of 40 involved in fashion is thrilling. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, the practical advice of my husband and my mother helping to keep the home running when I ran out of washing powder. Then there are the friends who have come to the rescue when we have deliveries. I’ve learnt to cherish funny moments. They become life-savers when the outlook is not so rosy.”

Top tip Before you do anything else, do lots of research into the existing market. No one can ever do too much.

For a brochure or to find a stockist near you, call 01420-488552 or visit www.alisonvanderlande.co.uk.

[PAGEBREAK]"I've never been happier
“There was a giant within me I had to awaken”
Pat Copeland, 59, opened her boutique Joseph M eight years ago and stocks designers like Matthew Williamson and Ben de Lisi. Pat lives in Darlington with husband David, 58, a teacher and daughters Rachel, 34, and Vickie, 31.
“I’ve always loved fashion but when I started work the emphasis was on practicality, so I trained as a secretary. But I was bored in my job. I felt there was a giant within me I needed to wake.
When I saw an ad for a job running lingerie parties, I jumped at the chance. Later I set out on my own, sourcing clothes to sell at parties, but I always wanted to open my own clothing store.
Then I found a property in Darlington and took out two loans to buy and refurbish it. For stock, I set up appointments with designers at London Fashion Week but I vastly overbought, spending £98,000!
We opened in January 1997. I’d done all the publicity myself by calling contacts and relying on a poster in the window. But after the first flush of custom, we went dead. Then determination kicked in and I called everyone I knew, enticing them in. Things picked up and now they couldn’t be better. I’ve more than trebled our initial turnover and soon we plan to open a second branch and expand our web business. I’ve never been happier.”

Top tip If you want to succeed, develop tunnel vision. Focus on your goal and ignore those who say you can’t do it.

Joseph M, 01325-489821; www.josephm.com.
[PAGEBREAK]My cashmere collection
“I was entranced by a cashmere knit – so in true Remington style, I bought the company”
Stephanie Laird, 47, was a ballerina before having children. Five years ago, she was so delighted with a cashmere sweater she bought that she tracked down the local designer Hillary Rohde to find out about her work. Three years ago, she bought Hillary’s company and now designs her own range
as well as catwalk and couture pieces for Matthew Williamson, Margaret Howell and Pringle. Stephanie lives in Edinburgh with husband Sam, an architect, and children Freya, ten, Tam, seven, and 18-month-old Vita.
“A classical dancer’s career span is limited, so it’s wise to have something to fall back on. At first I concentrated on having a family, but as they grew, I wanted a career that would fit around them. My mother was a fashion journalist and
a wonderful seamstress, so I grew up around clothes and was always fascinated by the costumes I wore as a dancer. Although I’d always been interested in fashion, my leap into that world happened more by chance.
In summer 2000, I came across a beautiful cashmere knit in a boutique in Edinburgh. The shopkeeper explained that Hillary Rohde was a local designer, so I resolved to meet her. I turned up at her workshop, hoping to enquire about her sample rail, but I soon found myself deep in conversation with her. She had been in business for 30 years and was huge in the States. Her knits had even graced the curves of several Hollywood stars, including Lauren Bacall. We became friends and about a year after meeting, she invited me to work with her.
In September 2001, we suffered a major setback with the terrorist attacks. It had a massive effect on the US market and I think was the final straw for Hillary. She began to talk about selling the business. I knew that this was my future, so in October 2002 I bought the business with a bank loan.
Probably the toughest thing was going back into the working world. Whereas before my input had been a couple of weeks of intense work every season, I suddenly found that I was working incessantly. But my proudest moment was receiving a huge order from Browns in London and now we also supply N.Peal. Things are going fantastically well – we are big in Switzerland and Milan and in Germany there’s a Jil Sander shop, which only stocks us.
When things go wrong I very much shoulder the burden, but I get such a huge thrill from being at the helm of my own business.”

Top tip Don’t involve too many people in the creative process – you’ll end up with so much advice you’ll lose your confidence.

Call 0131-2253948; www.hillaryrohde.com.