Designer to Designer The Entry Platform

Natalie Futo-Wallace is the founder of Lielle Womenswear, a resort wear brand based in Redcar, North Yorkshire. Diagnosed with dyslexia early in life, Natalie leaned on her creative strengths which led her to study fashion design and construction at her local college before travelling and then heading back home to start her career.

What most people don’t know is that before Lielle, there was Kiwi. A brand she co-founded way before Instagram was a thing. Their way of marketing was taking pictures and posting them on Facebook seeing as they didn’t have a website yet. That went on for a few years until tensions were high and Natalie knew it was time to venture into something new - thus Lielle was born.

However, Lielle was birthed at a time Natalie describes as the ‘hardest time of her life’, as she sadly lost her mother due to sickness. In this interview Natalie really opens up about how difficult that moment was for her and her siblings, but how she turned her grief into strength.

With a fantastic work ethic and a strong support system, she has worked tirelessly to make Lielle the success it is today.

In this interview you’ll learn about:


How all the things you experience are not in vain and will lead you to your calling
The reality of working with friends and family
Turning grief into strength
The real and honest reality of building a brand from the ground up
How influencer marketing really skyrocketed Natalie’s brand

Visit Lielle Womenswear’s website - www.liellewomenswear.co.uk

Follow Lielle Womenswear on Instagram - @liellewomenswear

Follow Natalie on Instagram - @nataliefutowallace

Follow The Entry Platform on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for daily doses of fashion business and mindset content: www.theentryplatform.co // @theentryplatform.co

Before ntwrkd, Sabinah pulled together £500 to purchase wholesale pieces from a supplier in Manchester. In just a few months, she was able to use the revenue from that brand to start working on her own designs for ntwrkd.

Along the way, as you can probably relate, she had her own fair share of challenges. From problems with finding the right manufacturer, to the impact of Covid. At a time where her business was reaching new heights, the sales disappeared overnight, and her job at the time almost halved her salary.

It was tough. But she took it day by day.

Today, ntwrkd has been worn by many influencers all over the world including Yris Palmer and Lydia Dinga, and serves a group of loyal customers who love their affordable pricing, high quality and the representation of a South Asian woman at the forefront of a growing British label.

In this podcast episode we discuss:


How her 9-5 drove her to start her own brands
The production process behind her designs
The impact of influencer marketing
Why and how she’s creating a business on her own terms

Visit ntwrkd’s website - www.ntwrkd.co.uk

Follow ntwrkd on Instagram - @ntwrkd

Follow Sabinah on Instagram - @sabinahe

BOOKS MENTIONED:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Rich Dard Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Follow The Entry Platform on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for daily doses of fashion business and mindset content: www.theentryplatform.co // @theentryplatform.co

Seventh Stores is a two year old brand that has really been eleven years in the making. Bukki Ojo, founder of Seventh Stores, began her entrepreneurial journey at the tender age of 18 after college as a sales assistant in then Topshop Oxford Street.

No one could prepare Bukki for the blessings and pain she was to endure over the next decade.

Before Seventh Stores, Bukki ran two businesses where she had the opportunity to learn the business of fashion, putting her in an advantageous position to build Seventh Stores quickly.

However, she faced much rejection and financial pressure that nearly made her file for bankruptcy. In the midst of it all, her mother, who was also Bukki’s best friend, passed away. But not without equipping her daughter with the mindset and tools for success.



We discuss:


The origin of Seventh Stores
How faith has played a huge role in Bukki's life
The tough challenges Bukki has pushed through in business
The key to designing and building a legacy brand 
How to prepare for wholesale 
Advice for the next generation of designers 



Visit the Seventh Stores website

Seventh Store's Instagram 

Seventh Store's Twitter

Bukki Ojo's Instagram



Follow The Entry Platform on Instagram and Twitter for daily doses of fashion business and mindset content.

Visit our website

Reni Abina is the founder of VOGUE approved Nigerian-based luxury womenswear brand, Rendoll.

The label was founded in 2019 sparked by Reni sitting in the infamous Lagos traffic. The initial investment in the brand was £400 from her hair business at the time which she used to buy fabric and make the first ten designs, produced by local Nigerian tailors.

Over the last three years, as the business has grown exponentially, Reni has had to grow too and step into her CEO hat.

In this episode, Reni offers practical advice on:


Her first steps once she decided to pursue Rendoll
Her creative design process
The steps she takes when launching and promoting a collection
What her marketing strategy looks like today
How she’s dealt with the very tough moments in business



Visit the Rendoll store

Follow Rendoll on Instagram

Follow Reni on Instagram

Follow The Entry Platform on Instagram for daily doses of fashion, business and mindset content

Visit our website

Djulia Flach is the founder of German-based label Jeewl, a brand which specialises in luxury camera bags.

Djulia noticed a gap in the market whilst working as a freelance photographer, content creator and social media marketing. The idea came to her on and off for five years, but it was a quote on Pinterest “camera bags for women are either functional and ugly, or beautiful and not protective” which led her to officially launch Jeewl in 2020.

A recurring theme on the D2D podcast is that something goes wrong before it goes right.

In October 2021, Djulia set up a Kickstarter campaign to raise ​​£20,870 to help with her production costs. After one month, she raised £2,815 and made the hard decision to cancel the campaign. But where there is ‘failure’, there is always a lesson.

What people may not know is that crowdfunding can be used as a form of advertising and marketing.

This episode is for those in the early stages of launching their brand, something Djulia is still experiencing and shares with us in an enlightening conversation: “things become real, when you really work hard for it”.

Discover more about Djulia and Jeewl:

Jeewl Online store

Djulia Instagram’s  @djul___

Jeewl Official Instagram: @jeewl.official

Follow The Entry Platform for regular doses of fashion, mindset, and business gems on Instagram! @theentry_platform

Anosha Anwary is the founder of Avyaana, a beautiful Islamic modest wear brand. Think Ralph and Russo but for the modern modest lady!

Anosha’s story is one many of us can really relate to. There’s a lot of challenges we face behind the scenes. We don’t just draw all day (but oh, how we wish!)

Coming from a warzone country, her mother didn’t have the opportunity to get an education or a job. So she learnt how to sew really well. When Anosha went to 6th form and needed clothes to wear, she couldn’t find anything that respected her religion whilst being young and wanting to experiment with her style.

This led Anosha to start Avyaana. Her mum took her sewing skills to work and made all the pieces for her whilst Anosha studied a full-time degree and masters in law.

If not for her strong family unit and friends, Anosha doesn’t believe she would’ve been here today. You’ll hear the reasons why in the episode but to summarise:


She had to survive on £20 a week to keep her business alive
It was a challenge balancing her education with a growing business
She’s faced two legal battles already!
As Avyaana grows, it’s becoming more apparent that she needs a team so she can move towards the vision.

But there have been many beautiful moments, only because she has persevered through it all. This interview isn’t about religion, although we do discuss why it’s important for her as a designer. It’s really about the challenges all business owners face and the attitude you need to overcome them.

I hope you love it just as much as I enjoyed speaking to Anosha!

Don’t forget to leave us a 5* review. It really (really) helps.

Discover more about Avyaana:

Avyaana online store

Avyaana Instagram

Follow The Entry Platform for regular doses of fashion, mindset, and business gems on Instagram! @theentry_platform

Amazon Kitchen timer (not a sponsorship, just a shout out)