My first mentoring session at ASOS HQ by Samantha Mcewen from Isolated Heroes

On Friday we had our first mentoring meeting with Alison Lewy from Fashion Angel at ASOS Marketplace HQ in Camden. To say I was a little nervous was an understatement!! Being the kind of person who panics over EVERYTHING, I had visions of getting out the lift on the fourth floor of Greater London House to be greeted by scenes of the devil wears Prada. I couldn't have been more wrong! My mind was automatically put at ease as soon as I entered the reception and was introduced to the lovely Alison Lewy and Letitia Allman from ASOS Marketplace.

Alison Lewy and Samantha Mcewen at ASOS head office

I have been following the Fashion Angel Website for some time now and monitoring their progress with other designers. Therefore I jumped at the opportunity when Fashion Angel announced that they would be working with ASOS Marketplace for a second consecutive year mentoring a young designer and developing the strategic and operational direction of their business to secure it's growth and sustainability.

As soon as we arrived at the building we were taken on a short tour and introduced to members of the buying and selling team, a host of stylists, the woman's wear department and most importantly the ASOS Marketplace team.We had a short sit down with James Hart (E Commerce Director of ASOS) who asked for our feedback on ASOS Marketplace and any changes we thought could be made as sellers. It was great to be giving the opportunity to have our ideas and opinions considered by someone in such an influential position. We were then shown inside the press showroom where there were Sooo many pieces that I wanted to take home!!

ASOS reception area

Soon it was time to get down to business and for our first mentoring session to start. Alison and I headed to one of the main meeting rooms where we sat down for a good three hours talking over everything from the Isolated Heroes brand history, to our current client base and where I want to take the brand in the next few years. It was great hearing Alison's advice and having someone who has so much experience in the fashion industry give us guidance.

Running a clothing label which is only in its first 18 months is an extremely daunting task as not only do I design and make all the pieces I also handle the majority of PR, Client liason and maintaining our website. Therefore sometimes the business sides of things become a little overwhelming and it is hard to find the time to map out exactly what the next steps should be. It was great to be able to sit down with Alison and set up some next clear steps for the brand. Alison gave me so much invaluable information on everything from fabric suppliers, manufacturers for our product, how to correctly cost our items and also some great guidance on trademarking and selling our products wholesale.
The first mentoring session has by far been the best business experience Isolated Heroes has had to date and we are now buzzing with information! I already cannot wait to get back down to London for the next one!

By Samantha Mcewen
www.isolated-heroes.com

See how Fashion Angel Business Mentoring can help your fashion business.