Today we’d like to introduce you to Frances.
Hi Frances, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Like most people, I lost my job during COVID, and I saw that people were becoming innovative, creating new apps to interact with others, and launching online businesses. I also grew weary of working in the day-care because I was constantly sick because of a weakened immune system. I wanted to try something new and see where it would take me.
While still a university student, I had begun researching online income streams after observing others succeeding with their business endeavors. Now that I had no job, I was unsure of what to do. I received a sewing machine as a birthday present before COVID started, but I had never opened it. At my university, I made friends with a lady who told me how she used to get extra money by sewing.
She said that she made bags and hair scrunchies out of unwanted t-shirts, washed them, and sold them for extra cash. She taught me the basics of sewing; I had no idea how to use a sewing machine. We started gathering unwanted clothes after that, I even searching through my own closet to see what I don’t wear anymore. It was all trial and error, but sewing was my greatest fear because I was afraid of making a mistake and afraid the product was not going to look the way I wanted it to.
According to a friend of mine who works as a fashion designer in the USA, and whom I had met through mutual friends, said to me, it’s acceptable to feel afraid, but in order to become somebody in the industry, you just need to practice until you feel it’s right. I put my big girl boots and began to practice, experimenting with various textures and colours to see what would go with this and that. I researched on YouTube how to make simple things such as hair bonnets, scrunchies, bags and I started of simple. I was always modifying my technique to see what would work better for me.
I ended up launching an Etsy store and began sharing some things on social media, but I had no idea what I was doing or what I wanted to accomplish. The primary goal was to generate revenue from the products I create as a side hustle, and now two years on as I write this, we have gained recognition as a non-profit organization and company that support marginalized communities in the fashion industry. According to one of our models, “We brought together people who would have never been friends with one another.” They currently remain in contact with one other and have made new friends of many ages, races, and cultures. We take a diverse group of people from the community and those who have worked in the industry for many years, so we don’t let the fashion industry’s criteria limit our brand.
Returning to the subject at hand, I had resumed modelling after relocating to Brisbane, Australia. I started modelling when I was twenty years old, and there weren’t many prospects in my small town. If you want to succeed in your career or business, you must relocate or take that chance.
I connected with more people in the fashion industry as everyone was learning how Covid and online connections will benefit them, since the world had changed. I always wanted to model at New York Fashion Week, and one of the people I connected with had done so. We connected through a Facebook group that was established after the Australian model firm whom I attended a one-day event with, had partnered and launched in the USA. I was so intrigued by this woman that I got in touch with her and inquired about how she came to be involved.
She had discovered that I had started sewing as a hobby after we had connected, and she had told me to apply to New York Fashion Week as a fashion designer. Coming from Australia, I honestly had no idea what New York Fashion Week entailed. I wondered what I would do and how I would go about doing it. She suggested that I apply, after I had declined a few times, so I took the courage to apply, and honestly wasn’t expecting to be accepted. To my surprise I was accepted as a “fashion designer” for New York Fashion Week, which was regarded as the largest event in the world.
The craziest thing was that I was chosen out of four thousand applicants across many different countries, and I remember the feeling, overwhelmed and shocked, as I had no idea what I was going to do next or even how to make this happen. I went to fashion school nearly fifteen years ago, but I didn’t enjoy it or the people there, so I just accepted this invitation without any experience, and got to work.
Many people are unable to understand the length and difficulty of starting a business unless they are experiencing it. You have watch and learn from scratch, which is a skill I have acquired after living in ten different nations as a child, long before social media and apps came about. Bringing everything together is the most difficult part, particularly if you have never done this before. As they say, first impressions do matter.
As someone from Australia, I can attest to the slow fashion market and the fact that we live far away—remember “the kingdom of faraway” from the animated movie Shrek? That’s us! Not everyone can simply pack up and go to a place they’ve never been too. I got on this plane to New York, and when I arrived, I was in a foreign land where I did not know what to expect or what to do.
It appeared to be simpler once we accomplished the first show, but it was still a little difficult to figure out how to carry out all the tasks required to bring the brand to life. Without a home base, it’s difficult; you have to either find and stay with friends or find additional family. My family lived on the opposite side of the globe, and when I arrived in the USA, I knew no one. However, that has since changed.
In last couple of years our business has grown rapidly that as of 2024 we have now been recognised as a non-profit organisation in 2024, we also became a finalist in four distinct business categories across two award events—the Leadership in Advocacy and Resilience and Adaptability through the Australian firm Heart of Health Care and Disability Awards—has helped us establish our credibility. The Beam in Business Awards’ recognised us for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion and Support Service Business of the Year are the other two categories.
Since community is something, I’ve always been passionate about, we have chosen to put more of an emphasis on it in the upcoming year (2025). Please understand that we will continue to host fashion shows and promote awareness of sexual assault in the business and what can be done to improve and make it a safer place for everyone. Our goal is to keep working in increasingly isolated regions of the world, such the Caribbean, Africa, and the South Pacific. Don’t get me wrong, we do a lot of things, like helping victims of domestic abuse find new homes and helping people grow their businesses locally and internationally.
I have been learning a lot about how to operate a business and how to organize this and that. Delegating work is the hardest part because when you have a vision, it is apparent what you need to do. Everything we do is trial and error; nothing is ever perfect, even for individuals like myself. The key goal for 2025 is realizing that you need people to help you grow your business and that you can’t do it alone.
Remember, you can create your life how you want it to be, you just have to dream, believe and do it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The process of moving from one nation to another, seeing new areas, meeting new people, and understanding how the fashion industry operates are just a few of the difficulties that come with starting a business from scratch and running it successfully. For instance, models must pay for their own lodging, travel expenses, and even participation in modeling; they are not compensated for walking. However, we want to raise more money for the organisation to distribute to those who have been helping us, whether it be through graphic design, photography, modeling, or paying for travel or lodging, or any combination of these.
Getting people to recognize and comprehend that running a business requires money in order to purchase supplies, make apparel, and so forth is another challenge. Getting people to understand that creating money in a business takes time and that even a tiny investment of $100 is a start is another challenge. You must believe in yourself, which is another challenge because not everyone shares your beliefs. You must start someplace.
Many of my close friends and family members have asked me why I don’t make enough money, when I will make money, or why I can’t find a normal work. “I hope it fails” or “This isn’t Harper’s Bazaar Magazine and the magazines you get published in aren’t real” were even said by someone I believed was a friend. However, I’ve discovered that you simply must persevere if you truly want something, regardless of the individual. I had to choose between doing this and returning to my 9–5 job at the daycare center, which I couldn’t do since I would also get sick from the children.
Another struggle when travelling for work is finding wi-fi to connect to social media and contact with others might also be difficult because you’re too busy with other things to constantly have data or a connection where you are. Being unfamiliar with the city you’re in and having to think quickly to find out how to travel from one place to another in a specific period of time can be another challenge. The positive aspect of social media, however, is that certain organizations have established secure areas for people to interact with one another, enabling you to meet locals.
The most challenging aspect of being a business owner is realizing how much work it takes to run a company and having the funds to do it. As a fashion designer, you have a lot of tasks to complete, therefore it’s challenging, but some days are better than others. Making costumes, figuring out how to sew certain items together, developing a fashion line idea that goes well with the host productions, pressing the clothing prior to the performance, selecting the models, and a host of other duties. I need the help so that I can concentrate on other things, which is why we need a team. I personally didn’t want to delegate chores since I had a specific idea in mind, but I discovered that other people’s methods aren’t all that horrible and that you can still get the same outcome when you let someone complete the task at hand.
Another struggle is getting people to understand that from a designer’s perspective we work with other people and aren’t responsible for other people’s behaviours and actions. Working with people is very hard because everyone has their own opinions and has their own ideas on the main goal. This is where we have to set boundaries to respect one another’s ideas and let them solve the problem to find the solution we need to achieve the goal.
At the end of the day, having a business is a good thing because you as a person are able to grow and manifest something you want for yourself, which is a better life. No matter how hard the objective is, it’s do able, you can achieve anything, if you work hard for it, and just keep trying to reach that goal.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have always been an activist for humanitarian causes in addition to being a fashion designer. I’ve always been good at solving problems. For instance, when Australia’s borders were closed due to COVID, our international students suffered physically, emotionally, and mentally. Some were having trouble interacting with others due to physical distance, others were having trouble cooking because they were ill, and still others were having money difficulties since their parents couldn’t provide for them because of lockdown.
In order to address this, we developed a menu that accommodates both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. We rotate the menu weekly and serve worldwide cuisine prepared by international students, with assistance from members of the local community. Over the course of the eleven weeks of the university semester, the initial enrollment of forty pupils increased. We struggled since some university staff saw us as competitors when all we wanted to do was cook for those in need, and we ended up cooking for one hundred and fifty students.
Since then, we have been on numerous platforms worldwide and been published, which demonstrates the kind of humanitarian activities we support. We now even incorporate this into our business operations, working with community members worldwide and supporting their entrepreneurial endeavors. I’m also an expert in connecting individuals from various cultures and backgrounds.
Over the course of our company adventure, we have connected individuals from all over the world, allowing them to grow both personally and professionally. For this, we have earned a reputation. I am not flawless, and I don’t always get it right. People sometimes forget that I like them and that I’m a human too. In addition to the business, I also have a personal life that I manage, but I don’t disclose it since it’s really nobody’s business.
This experience stems from my early travels, where I had the honor of residing in ten (Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Singapore, England, USA, and New Zealand) different countries, experiencing the world from a variety of viewpoints, and learning about the interactions between people and other societies. I’ve made advantage of this experience by telling tales of my accomplishments and observations. Because of this, people are now more inclined to go alone, try new things, and realize how lovely the world is. Like individuals, you can always learn from your mistakes and use that knowledge to improve the world.
We have been able to enhance our abilities in writing, speaking, and sharing our experiences through various publications. We have authored a few books and given speeches on a variety of subjects, including relationships, business, travel, and much more. We can always improve and broaden our skill set.
The thing I am most proud of is how many people have supported and believed in us over the past few years since we started this company. I am also proud of how much we have achieved in such a short amount of time. Okay yes, it is a little slow financially, but we will get there because we are changing and impacting the lives of people. We are encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone and be something they have always wanted to be, whether it’s pursing their dream career, building more confidence in themselves or just trying something they’ve never done before.
What makes us unique as a company is our commitment to achieving our objectives and encouraging people to realize their full potential. We’ll keep helping people with their endeavors and pushing them to develop both personally and professionally.
We are currently getting our website up and running, we will only be too delighted to show you once it is available.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Determination, perseverance, and patience are the most important characteristics or attributes one can possess to succeed. All of which are extremely difficult to do; being an entrepreneur is not always simple, and there are days when you want to quit because your company is not where you want it to be, or you are not currently earning the money you desire.
Determination is very important in a business because not all the time things happen the way you want it. Sometimes you have to let things go or to be the bigger person. What matters is that you keep trying, and don’t give up on your main goal, and don’t give up on what and why you started in the first place.
Perserverance is another quality in being successful, because no matter how difficult something is, there is always something good that comes out of the experience.
Patience is another quality that should be part of success, because it is not easy to start something, and you think that you’re going to make all this money right away. They say good things take time to build, and it’s true they do, so just keep going.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautifully.diverse.fashion/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautifully.diverse.fashion/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frances-helena?originalSubdomain=au
- Other: https://www.threads.net/@franceshelena.travels
Image Credits
1. Photographer – x2artphoto
Models front to back – Alexa, Cindy, Mykey
2. Darbeth Business Technology and Communications
3. Speak up Queen Podcast with Marika Wessels
4. Left to right
(Frances, Massiel, Courteney & Empress
5. Black History Month – Philadelphia
Created by Tye Jno Charles of TJC Creative
6. Reversible Silk Bonnets
Modelled by Chloe
7. 100 Successful Women with Vivienne Fam
8. Sisco Magazine in Nigeria, Africa
9. Left to right – Morgan, Cameron, Nathan, Isaiah
10. Beam Awards Finalist – Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion
11. Front to back – Heidi, Anthony, Michael, Safina, Anna & Sarah