the fashion feed - episode 60 - how a career in buying prepared me for business with abi @ claude & co

Today’s guest is Abi Dakin who is the creator and founder of unisex brand Claude & Co! Abi & I first met years ago when I was her supplier at Next and we instantly hit it off so I was really excited when I saw her take the leap to start her own business.

It’s produced in a beautiful factory in Portugal with the highest quality fabrics and the best attention to detail.

Her background working as a buyer often left her feeling there was a big gap in what was offered for children. Unisex "newborn" clothing being white, or neutral is great - but not knowing the gender of your baby shouldn't mean you have to stick to monochrome and "expected" outfits.

In this episode we discuss :

How buying helped Abi prepare for entrepreneurship
What a career in fashion buying looks like & the turning point to make her leave
How it feels to run a kids brand without having children
A behind the scenes look at trade shows around the world
The importance of having good supplier relationships to build your brand

links mentioned in the episode

You can keep in touch with Abi via the links below:

https://www.instagram.com/claude_and_co/

https://www.claudeandco.co.uk/

listen

You can listen by clicking through to Apple Podcast here

Remember to hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss an episode!

learn

If you’ve been inspired by these tips from Abi & would like to start or grow your own fashion brand then maybe you’d like to take a look at my 4 week online course which is launching again in January 2021

I created it in April 2020 and over 200 people have taken part so far with lots of positive feedback about how much it has helped them with confidence & basically getting a rocket up them to actually make it happen!

Across the 4 weeks we cover brand identity, visual aesthetics, manufacturing & marketing the business on Instagram. There’s also pre - recorded workshops inside the group on mindset and brand photography which you can enjoy at your own pace

Whether your business is a seed of an idea or fully fledged then you’re welcome to join me when the doors re-open! To receive a reminder on when you can join, click here to register your name on the waitlist & you’'ll be the first to hear all the details!