‘WE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD’
Setting up their own businesses was a leap of faith for these three women, but knowing they were helping others was the motivation to spur them on
The women who set up their own businesses to help others
‘I wanted to dress women like me’ Nayna Mcintosh left a high-flying career to set up Hope Fashion, aimed at midlife women, and it’s had the seal of approval from the Duchess of Cambridge. She is also an ambassador for Smart Works, a charity helping women get back into employment.
Iwas on holiday in Jamaica when I turned to my husband, Harvey, gin and tonic in hand, and said I couldn’t carry on with my job. Having worked in fashion for 30 years, including being on the launch teams for George at Asda in 1989 and Per Una at Marks & Spencer in 2001, the joy had gone out of it for me.
By that point, in 2013, I had reached the management board at M&S, but I realised that life is not a rehearsal, and I didn’t want to carry on getting the 6.52am train into Paddington every day and work in the way I had. So I left my job without any plan, and took what I called ‘me-ternity’ leave, giving myself time and space to read, reflect and work out what I wanted to do next. It meant that I could be there for my two children, Arthur, then 15, and Florence, 13, as well as my stepsons, Oliver and Joshua. I wanted more time with them, more time with Harvey and more time for me. Above all, I knew that I needed a break.
At the time, I was 52 years old and mid-menopause, and I was taken aback by the physical impact this had on my body.
The idea of starting a business for women like myself took hold. I’ve loved fashion since I was a Saturday girl at M&S when I was 16, but I was finding it harder to dress my changing body. My usual style no longer worked and I felt that middle-aged women were being under-served by mainstream fashion brands, and that we deserved better.
A NEW HOPE
In autumn 2015, I launched my brand, Hope Fashion. My husband and I put in a chunk of our money and I also got investment through my contacts. I chose ‘Hope’ because it is my mother’s name. Although I am not a designer, I know what works, so my team and I liaise with manufacturers in Italy to create styles that suit the looks and lifestyles of grown-up women. We think body shape is more relevant than clothes size, so we have devised a system based on that, rather than traditional sizes eight to 20. Most of our range is priced between £65 and £135.
We were very fortunate to be given an opportunity for a piece to be selected for the Duchess of Cambridge’s wardrobe, thanks to an introduction through a mutual contact. When she wore a £95 cobalt blue skirt on the first day of her tour to Scotland with Prince William last May, it sold out straight away. Our factory in Italy immediately started making it again.
That was definitely one of the high points of the past six years, but
I come from a long line of strong women
running my own business is not without challenges. I have never worked so hard in my life but, fortunately, I come from a long line of strong women. My grandparents came to Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation, bringing their children over as soon as they could afford to. My mother, Meikle Hope, who is now 80, arrived in Plymouth in October 1956, settling with the family in Birmingham, where she worked as a seamstress in a factory before later having a market stall selling jewellery and accessories. She and her four stylish sisters have most definitely been my inspiration.
To begin with, I doubted myself and worried I didn’t have the skills to start out on my own but, challenging as it has been, I am very proud of what we have achieved. We had a sign on our office wall that says: ‘Setting up your own business is a bit like jumping off a cliff and building an aeroplane on the way down’. That is exactly how I feel. If you think about all the things you don’t know, you will never get past go. There comes a point when you just have to hold hands, believe and jump…
• Visit hopefashion.co.uk