Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: The Wardrobe is a women’s online boutique, our HQ is based in sunny Brisbane QLD. We have been established for over 10 years within the e-commerce space with a loyal customer base of Wardrobe women across Australia and New Zealand. Our ladies love to shop with us because we provide a premium and user friendly website showcasing the latest seasonal trends from well-known Australian and International brands.
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational and list some of your major career achievements).
Ans: I was the kid at school that was a little different, always loved fashion and stood out from the crowd because of my unique style. It took me a few years after graduating to figure out what path I wanted to take, before long the penny dropped and I ended up studying fashion design at East Sydney Tafe, it was at that moment my journey began. After graduating I spent time learning the ropes and slowly working my way up through the fashion industry. My first job in fashion was for Billabong as a product developer, it was a great opportunity and the brand was in its prime at that point in time. Now almost 20 years in I am still as passionate about the industry, I have been fortunate to work with some amazing businesses along the way both big and small. I have traveled to various locations around the world sourcing trends, going on buying trips, designing garments, managing brand development and channel distribution, sourcing factories, and working with suppliers on development and critical path. I am very proud to be part of the team at The Wardrobe, where I am able to utilize my skills and experience to help The Wardrobe continue to grow within the e-commerce community.
Q 3. What is the inspiration behind The Wardrobe?
Ans: Our team behind the scenes is really what makes The Wardrobe, they are a bunch of amazing women who inspire creativity and worth, and their work ethic is second to none, which is reflected in The Wardrobe. Our team really appreciates diversity in fashion, we all live in a time where the fashion industry has been evolving and e-com has become a trusted way to shop and pass the time. The Wardrobe is one of the first online fashion boutiques catering to women, inclusive of size for the mature market, we believe every woman is beautiful regardless of age and size. Stay tuned because we have big plans for W. to widen our age demographic so our fashions can be inclusive of age as well as size!
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. Believe in your ideas, don’t let other people’s opinions sway yours
2. It’s Ok to not know everything (work with those who compliment your skills)
3. take your time, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: 1. Think outside the box
2. There are no bad ideas
3. Set smaller goals that help you towards your big ones
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: Fashion never sleeps!…… Actually working within the fashion industry requires you to be available and switched on all the time, even when you don’t expect it! There are a lot of moving parts within the industry.
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: A positive attitude, a lot of drive and a great team.
Q 8. How do you go about marketing within the business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: Social media has been a massive contributor to our marketing stream for creating brand awareness for The Wardrobe. However there are a variety of platforms out there and we are still experimenting with the best social stream for our business. Overall when we are creating content for The Wardrobe community we do our best to use real and relatable women within our demographic, by doing this we create relatable content which our ladies seem to love.
Q 9. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Be open and raw with your progress, everyone’s journey is different and unique. It’s okay to make mistakes provided you learn from them and move on. A good tip is don’t compare yourselves or your business to others, doing this only creates self doubt and that is the last thing anyone needs, find your path and stick to it.
Q 10. Where do you see the business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: We want to be the go to destination for women inclusive of age and size, with a wide range of premium brands, we hope by 10 years we are a global destination.
Company Detail:
Company : The Wardrobe
Contact : Abi Stephen
Address : 13 Stratton St
City : Newstead
State : QLD
Zip : 4006
Phone : Australia
Email : 1800-700-024