The problem solvers
These clever women spotted a gap in the market and came up with unique ideas
Meet the women who’ve created businesses out of their everyday dilemmas
‘I’ve got the bug for business!’
Julia Dee, 59, from Alton, Hampshire, has turned a wardrobe crisis into a thriving career she adores
‘Running my own tailoring business, I love solving my customers’ problems. And one issue that came up time and again was the damage done to clothes by moths. No one wants to see their favourite top or jumper destroyed this way, and these insects are notoriously difficult to get rid of. Yet using mothballs can make clothes smell horrible, while many insecticide sprays damage the environment. So I vowed to find another solution.
I’ve always been something of an entrepreneur. Aged eight, I’d make little dolls’ cushions using sample swatches of fabric my mum brought home from the London store Liberty, then sell my creations to local children.
MOTH MAYHEM
After studying fashion, I found a job as a tailor in Bahrain for eight years. Back in the UK, I found work as a sales assistant on the shop floor in Harvey Nichols, where customers often asked if they could have next-day adjustments made. The store’s alteration department took three weeks, so I started offering my tailoring services. I’d smuggle garments out at night and bring them back the next morning! The positive feedback I received sparked an idea; perhaps I could make a living from my skills.
I launched my tailoring business gradually with odd jobs for family and friends, but when I put an advert in Vogue, demand increased. I rented studio space in Battersea and took on staff, including tailors, a receptionist, HR and a bookkeeper. It was big, busy and booming – and I loved it.
Over time, my clients began to tell me about their wardrobe dilemmas, and I became determined to help. When they didn’t have enough room to store their clothes, I rented out part of our studio as storage space. When they told me that standard coat hangers were too wide for their cashmere garments, I created a range with just the right curve on them so that they wouldn’t damage the fabric. I went on to design a selection of storage boxes, shoe boxes and garment bags. For me, it wasn’t just a business – it was about taking care of people’s clothes.
Yet the problem that kept coming up was moths. Very often, you don’t see them, you just see the holes – and, by then, the damage has been done. After looking into the science to develop a natural range of products to fend them off, I spotted a moth trap in a hardware shop – a sticky piece of cardboard, impregnated with a moth pheromone to attract males. I tried one in my flat, and it worked.
NATURAL SOLUTION
The German manufacturers agreed that I could produce some traps of my own. It was crucial to get the look right – I opted for a fashion-style illustration of a wardrobe with hat boxes and shoes strewn around and candy-striped packaging. My customers loved them!
The traps were so popular that I branched out, developing hanging and drawer sachets (from £3.70) filled with herbs and essential oils, a natural reed diffuser (from £5.50) and a chrysanthemum spray (£22), all designed to get rid of moths. My starter pack (£35) is a bundle of my products, plus a guide on how to get rid of the insects. I’m proud that all my products are completely sustainable because none of them contain plastic. They also smell a lot more pleasant than mothballs!
The business has grown organically, without business partners or loans, and now my annual company turnover is roughly £300,000. Tony, my husband, took over the finance side a year ago. To this day, each burst of success brings me excitement and energy for the next challenge ahead.
I’ve got the bug for business and I’ll never underestimate the power of that passion.’➺ • thewardrobecurator.co.uk
‘It was big, busy and booming – I loved it’