As a girl growing up the big dream was to be a fashion designer, with my own fashion company. One day armed with my lap-top and sketch-book I made the first step. This is my story of how I grew my fashion company into a successful vintage brand, during the early 2000’s, during the dot.com boom.
It took just two years of hard work and I had done it. I had my own business premises on Salford Quays, a great on-line shop, a team of interns working with me. I had my designs made in Manchester factories. They were selling in boutiques across the U.K, I was even making sales on-line as far as Europe, Russia and even the U.S.A.
My collections were sold on my web-site and in shops around the U.K. Stockist included Junk shop Manchester, Athena Boutique Edinburgh and ASOS Marketplace. The company was being featured by newspapers, magazines, on-line blogs. One of the high-lights was being asked to feature in an advertisement. For the famous brand “Kenco Coffee”. They wanted me, to be seen drinking it!
So this how I did it, started my own vintage fashion company. Including any pitfalls I faced along the way.
Company Vision Collette Costello
My company was born in my home town Salford a City next to Manchester. Salford has produced many talented people and is now the home of the BBC.
I was inspired to start the company back in 2008 the time of the dot.com boom, the world then was changing fast. The towns, cities that my Grandparents lived in, existed now only in photos. Even my own childhood was becoming a thing of the past. I wanted a way to capture all these stories before they disappeared. So I designed my first fabric collection, “Victorian Britain”. It captured the stories told my Grandmother, about growing up in inner city Salford. A world before TV, phones, the internet, a world of poverty, yet full of charm.
Ethical Manchester Fashion Company
Inspired by old fashioned values, I wanted my fabrics to be reused, remade and kept as family air looms. My fabrics were printed with love in the U.K, using eco-friendly inks. The fabrics are designed to be cherished for a life-time, creating less waste for landfill.
I have always struggled to exist in the world of fashion and textiles, as it is so unethical. So I committed myself to producing only fabric and fashion ethically made. My product range included the dresses produced in a U.K factory, along with handbags and purses that were made on site in-house with vintage style clasp fastenings. The bag featured is my favourite and I still use mine today.
My Story:
To start any company you need money. I won two grants £1500 from the Princes Trust Enterprise. And £2000 in the Salford Business start-up awards. I have never been in debt, so was very hesitant to take a business loan. These loans seem to be offered a lot when you are starting out. It took about six months in total get the grants.
I had to go to loads of meetings about setting-up a business. Most of them were about paying tax, calculating V.A.T and insurance. I was not allowed to actually own any of the money, it had to be paid directly to the suppliers.
Business Premises
I had a business premises for my fashion e-commerce business, based at Waterside business park, Salford Quays. Fashion samples were made on site and the web-site managed from here. Fashion interns worked with me sometimes in the office. I also taught a number of very popular dressmaking courses from this studio.
Fashion Industry
I was at the stage now where I had designed my fashion collections. I had the money and now it was time to find a factory to make the fabric and clothes. Using the grants I invested in stock, which was a collection of 65 digitally printed dresses. Most factories will only do minimum orders, 50 dresses costed well over a thousand pound to have made.
Dealing with factories is risky. I had the fabric for the dresses printed in my own design using the grant from the Princes Trust. The fabric was printed by Digitex in Trafford Park, they printed it with a fault so it could not be used. Digitex refused to reprint it and there was nothing I could do, new designer no money why would they care.
Another factory I dealt with took some of the fabric for my dresses. They suddenly stopped answering their phone, so I could not get hold of them. Luckily no other money had been paid. Eventually I had the fabric reprinted by another printers. I found a factory that did make the dresses. I lost £1500 in cash from the grants due to being ripped off by untrustworthy factories, so always be careful.
As the company grew, vintage became bigger, the latest trend and more in demand. I was often approached by customer wanting vintage style dresses for special events. Such as proms, weddings and posh dos! This inspired my later 1950’s Prom Collection.
Fashion Photo-shoot
To get some great photographs of my fashion collections for the web-site. I worked with photographers including Emma Phillipson. Organising a shoot around Media City and Salford Quays. There were many people involved, with eight models taking part. Along with a team of hair and make-up artists.
Working with other people was a great way to tap into the skills of others. When organising photo-shoots I needed models, MUA’s and Photographers. Often I would advertise on sites such as Gum Tree and look for talent on networking web-sites such as New Faces. Usually we would work on a skills swap bases. Everyone working together for the same outcome. Excellent images to use to promote ourselves.
Fashion Marketing
My fashion e-commerce web-site was commissioned when I moved to the studio. To sell and promote the new range of vintage style purses, handbags, dresses and skirts. My fashion collections were all designed in-house. Customers buying through the site were from across the U.K and worldwide. Gaining exposure for the company was a priority and was done all on-line.
Using social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Meet-up and Eventbrite. I worked with a team of guest bloggers that wrote interesting fashion articles. To add original content to the web-site. I also spent a longtime building up internal and external links with other web-sites. The result was the web-site ranks on the front page of Google for Manchester Fashion.
I had journalists regularly contacting me for more opportunities. I was even asked to appear on TV a channel 4 programme and did appear on BBC radio Manchester. Press coverage gained for the company included features by BBC on-line. The Guardian on-line, Red and Elle Magazine. The Manchester Evening News along with numerous other publications. PR companies would invite me to special events. I attended Manchester Fashion Awards, a clothes swapping event with Louis Redknapp. And was asked to judge fashion catwalk shows.
Networking on-line is great and I complimented this with holding events. Including a launch party, “Salford Has Talent” at Mojo in The Rum Room. I invited press to the launch event. Salford On-line came to film and vintage blogger Old-fashioned Sue attended. Creating a real buzz around the event. I also held fashion meet-ups at Sugar Junction in the northern quarter.
Fashion Shows
My first ever fashion show was Leeds Fashion Show 2008, “Dress Me Beautiful”. My designers were inspired by 1920s vintage fashion. I hand-painted all the fabrics used in the outfits. They were bright, colourful and quirky. I was specially selected from other fashion applicants to take part.
On the night of the “Dress Me Beautiful” show, I arrived at the venue. Where I was greeted by my group of models. Hair and make-up was arranged and the models were dressed. It was very chaotic, as the models were shared by all the designers. As soon as the models had done one catwalk show, they were being dressed for the next. The feeling of seeing my designs on the catwalk was amazing. Collette Costello, was now a real fashion designer!
There were professional photographers taking pictures. Journalists from magazines interviewing the designers. It was so exciting and I was hooked on the world of fashion. I went on to show my work at “Manchester Fashion Network” events and was short listed for the “Manchester Fashion Awards 2010”. Where the awards were presented by “Wayne and Geraldine Hemingway”.
Yet sadly in the end I was unable to compete with the rise in fast fashion. Unwilling to buy into unsustainable, mass produced fashion I closed the company and returned to teaching.
Since the early days of starting my own fashion company I have worked on many other projects. In 2024 the company was relaunched as Sew Sub Club. Encouraging people to learn to sew by providing online courses and pre-cut kits. Working towards a more sustainable future for fashion.
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