Over the coming weeks we’ll be featuring regular articles concerning the exciting developments of all of our If we can, you can Challenge finalists, finding out where their entrepreneurial journeys have taken them over the past six months. First up, Rosie Willett of Rosie Willett Designs.
When Rosie won the If we can, you can Challenge for the Northumberland Gazette, she was working hard on developing her fashion-led individually hand crafted tiara range, and working out ways to contact stockists of high end bridal boutiques across the country.
Upon catching up with Rosie, she said, “Everything’s going really well. I have five stockists now, and my aim is to have ten so I’m half way there. It’s an exclusive product and it’s only me making it so it’s not something I’m going to pitch to loads of shops. I’m really thrilled because my designs are being sold amongst the best gown designers in the wedding industry, so I’m absolutely over the moon with how my products are being received.
My first stockist is in Northumberland which is where I’m from, and the other four are in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Preston and Sheffield. I’ve mainly concentrated on the North and the Midlands up until now, but I would definitely like to have my tiaras showcased in the south of the country and I’m about to pitch down there.
I finished my brochure just as I was announced as the If we can, you can Challenge winner, and I made sure I spent a lot of time and energy getting the look and feel of it right for the market I want to target. I think it has definitely helped me to get my product into boutiques because rather than just cold- calling buyers, they can see the quality and branding of my work. The feedback I’ve received from the brochure has been extremely positive so that has given me a really good introduction whenever I go to an appointment.”
When I asked Rosie what’s been the biggest highlight over the past six months, she struggled to come up with a definitive answer- “I can’t decide! When I got my tiaras stocked in the boutiques it was a truly fantastic feeling. I got a real confidence boost because all of the stores stock incredibly exquisite collections in the wedding industry, and the fact that my tiaras sit amongst them is simply amazing.
I also managed to get one of my tiaras showcased on ITV1’s Coronations Street for-"
“WHAT??!”
[Laughing] “Yeah I can’t quite believe it either. I sent them my brochure and the costume designer, Lance Milligan, got back to me and said he loved what I was doing, and they were really keen to work with northern based designers. He said there was a character getting married in December, and would I design a tiara for her?
So for Carla’s Scottish themed wedding I designed a tiara that was based on a heather design and coordinated it with her amazing purple gown. I had quite a lot of contact with Lance and we’ve developed a really good working relationship. They’ve even asked me back to design something else for a character getting married in January."
Cue my Coronation Street obsession: “Who’s that for then?”
“I don’t think I’m allowed to say yet!”
Hmmph...
“I’m also really excited because I’m designing something at the moment for a few characters in Hollyoaks for a wedding on Christmas Day- don’t ask me who though!”
Upon asking Rosie where she saw herself in the next six months, she replied, “I’m going to be concentrating on getting the rest of the stockists on board, and then I have plans to launch a wedding stationary range that would coordinate with my headpieces.
I’ll also be designing my next collection and I have some really good ideas on what this will look like, but I’ve had to hold back a little because I know I’m going to be really busy in the spring and summer months. I’m looking forward to it all though!”
We wish you all the best of luck Rosie!
To view Rosie’s collections and for more information, head to www.rosiewillettdesigns.co.uk, and you can visit Rosie’s profile page by clicking www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/rosie-willett
No comments:
Post a Comment