So, tell us about your fashion-based business…what is it? How did it start? What was the motivation behind starting up the company in the first place?
Sisters & Seekers is an online clothing brand with a target demographic of 16-25 year olds, promoting edgy but wearable clothes. We became interested in the fashion industry from selling vintage pieces on eBay in 2012, and then moving on to do the same thing on Depop. From this we gained quite a big following, and decided this would be something we wanted to do ourselves with our own brand. We have always been interested in clothes and the fashion industry, and we realised from selling things on Depop and eBay that there was a gap in the market for new, vintage style clothes.
The pair of you are sisters, with a brand name ‘sisters & seekers’; is the name sentimental for you both? What message do you want to create with your brand name?
When we were setting up our own clothing brand, we knew we wanted to incorporate ‘sisters’ into the title. We wanted the name to be about us as sisters but also about uniting women with fashion. We want the name Sisters & Seekers to reflect how a sister is someone you can rely on, share things with, and be inspired by. We want the site to be a place where you can find what you seek, and be a part of the sisterhood.
Your Instagram has quite the following! What did you do at the very beginning to build this up? And what tips would you give to those who want to build their own business Instagram page?
To build up our Instagram page we sent gifted clothes to bloggers in exchange for posts aimed at their following, and we hand packed, and still do with every package that we send, making people want to share it on their profiles. This made us different, and this is crucial to get customer attention. We also kept our page active 24/7. The key to a successful Instagram platform is being consistent in both the theme of the page and the photos posted, as well as getting back to people, such as through direct messages. We’ve always loved what we’ve done, and to succeed and work hard you need to be passionate about what you do.
How would you describe the general style and vibe of your label?
On Instagram, you see a lot of outfits that look amazing on a photo, but you can’t imagine wearing them going out to the shops or the cinema for example. Sisters & Seekers aims to create clothes that combine both of these aspects, being both stylish and wearable for the everyday. We have aimed to incorporate vintage details into current trends, with a neutral based colour palette.
How did you get interested in the fashion business? Who are your biggest inspirations?
From a business perspective, we are inspired as young business owners by Tash Oakley and Devon Brugman, who own Monday Swimwear (they are literally goals!). We love everything that they stand for – through being inclusive of all body shapes, all styles, and therefore all women. They have a great work ethic, and have been successful in such a short amount of time, which is something that really motivates us.
What would you say is the part of the business that you love doing the most?
We absolutely love the creative style of the business, which we wish we had more time to do at the minute. We design all the pieces in each collection in a way that makes every piece relate to each other in some way. We also really enjoy directing the photo shoots and styling the models, as it’s amazing to see our designs come together in a full campaign.
What would you say is the worst?
The long hours and lack of sleep are some of the hardest parts of the business. We are both full time students at university, so trying to juggle our list of priorities can be quite difficult. The time we spend on Sisters & Seekers means that we have to sacrifice a lot of our extra time, such as evenings and weekends. However, we believe that the more you put in, the more you get out.
If there was one thing that you could improve with your brand, what would it be?
Because we are a small business with a growing team, it is difficult to turn around new collections really quickly, which is hard due to competition from massive fast-fashion companies. This is something we would like to improve on.
Who would be your dream client to work with?
We would love to have the opportunity to work with Bella Hadid. She is such a style inspiration to us as a brand, and we could totally see her wearing Sisters & Seekers.
Where would you like to see the business go in the next 5 years?
We want our business to rapidly grow, with more and more people hearing about us. We want to develop our team further, and release collections more regularly. The goal is to improve, and to make Sisters & Seekers a fashion name that you would know.
What advice would you give to those who want to build their own fashion brand? What are the things you wish you had been told when starting yours up?
Be prepared to work harder than you imagine you will have to. We were prepared for this, but didn’t realise the number of hours we would have to put in. It is important to always picture your end goal, you have to keep reminding yourself of where you want to be, to motivate yourself not to give up. As much as we say this, anyone can set up their own brand if you believe in yourself and what your business stands for, and there’s no better feeling than achieving your goals!
