Mayfair lady: meet the first women’s only tailor in Savile Row

‘I am the first women’s-only tailor in the history of Savile Row’

I first tried my hand at start-ups when I was 11. I started hosting charity fundraisers in the garden every year, raising hundreds of pounds – a lot of money for an 11-year-old. A few years later, I stumbled across tailoring as a way I could work with clothes but not necessarily in the fashion industry. I wanted to learn as much as I could as quickly as possible, so I spent every summer between the ages of 15 and 19 in Jermyn Street and Savile Row.

School was followed by university, where I studied bespoke tailoring and costume. I wanted a challenge, and following guidance from my inspirational mentor Gary, I started looking into how I could start a business based around women’s made-to-measure. I was initially told that women are “too hard to please” and more interested in “fast-fashion polyblend, not investment pieces”. I thought that idea was a little antiquated: every woman I know struggles with high street fit. Why not do great quality, flawless service and a perfect fit for the same you’d pay at the high end of the high street?

I wrote a business plan and asked my parents if, instead of paying my final year of tuition fees, they would consider investing that money in my business – hence the “gamble” in my company name. After analysing the business plan and seeing I wasn’t going to give up, they eventually agreed.

Last June, I left university on Saturday, moved to London on Sunday and joined a start-up in the city. I had based my business plan on quotes from a particular supplier, but when it came down to it, they said they had reconsidered and couldn’t work with me as I was “too young”, with not enough business experience. They also said that they “don’t really work with female suppliers, as they’re too unpredictable”.

It took me four months to go from business plan to reality. My first sale was in October last year to the chief executive of Virgin Money, who bought 12 items on the first day and set up a direct debit for a jacket/dress combo each month. She got a great deal!