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Name: Michele Helene Cohen
Business: Wabi Sabi Eco Fashion Concept
Industry: Clothing & Accessories, E-Commerce
Location: Sevilla, Spain
Reason for starting: As a professional women I was constantly struggling to find day to evening office appropriate clothes that were stylish, comfortable and versatile enough to accompany me to meetings, events and then on into the evening. Finding clothes, shoes and accessories that worked well together and still gave me a little variety for traveling with a carry-on suitcase was another nightmare. I realized that I couldn’t be the only one looking for versatile clothes like this.
After a little market research I saw that other professional women across the world had the same problem. Health and wellbeing is also an important part of any womans life. There were plenty of options to buy natural cosmetics and organic food, however, there weren´t many options for clothing and the options that were available were not work appropriate. I decided to combine my fashion needs and wellness routine to create a contemporary women’s workwear brand made with 100% certified organic fabrics.
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How do you define success? Being an entrepreneur isn´t easy so I think it is important for us celebrate the many things that happen each day that we can consider to be a success; close an important deal, find that perfect fabric for a new design, or get an email from a happy client.
Biggest Success: Of course turning the company into a multi-billion $ brand is on my “to do list”, but celebrating those smaller moments of success help fuel me with energy to conquer bigger things down the road.
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? There is still a stigma around the word “eco” in fashion. People have the impression that organic clothes are just for granola crunching tree-huggers. It is definately not true. There are amazing, elegant and sophisticated fabrics that allow us to create designs on par with any mainstream fashion brand. I spend a lot of time educating customers on what it really means to wear sustainable fashion, showing them how chic organic can actually look.
Related: 4 Tips for Growing Your Business
Who is your most important role model? There are many people in business who I admire, however, I think it is important for each person to pave their own path and create something that is not only unique but also authentic and even a little bit personal.
[box_light]Website www.wabisabiecofashionconcept.com
Twitter @wabisabiEFC
Facebook www.facebook.com/Wabi-Sabi-ecofashionconcept[/box_light]
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Edited by The Story Exchange