In this profile interview we meet the amazing Rachel Holland, a highly successful fashion stylist, consultant and art director who has worked with designers and publications from across the world.
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| Rachel Holland |
Please tell us what is a typical business
day for you?
It depends on what sort of project that I've got
on, but if it's a non-photoshoot day then I usually start the day with plenty
of tea and checking through my emails, then replying to any of the urgent ones.
I then go through my calender and look through my days to-do list, what's
scheduled in and if I have meetings, appointments or events that I need to go
to.
On a photoshoot day, the day usually involves me
being picked up early in the morning with all of my rails, samples and styling
kit and am taken to the set, where I meet the team and setup with my assistant.
So, if it's a non photoshoot day then I work
through my list of requirements such as, having informal meetings via
phone or skype with my creative team, designing moodboards for styling and art
direction visuals, sourcing specific clothing items or pouring through various
lookbooks or coming up with ideas for future work. Then there's the admin side
of things, the finances and invoicing, the usual sort of business work that
everyone has to do! Then I may go to a few press agencies to pull some pieces
for an upcoming shoot, it really depends on what projects I have on and what's
been asked of me in the brief. I always try to make sure that at the very least
I go for a walk or try to get to the gym on days like these and I also keep up
to date with what's happening in the world of art, news, politics, science
and fashion.
What made you start the business and how did you
get started?
It really started by accident, though I've worked
for myself in some capacity since I graduated from university. My business
started when I was made redundant from a job that I really loved, so I decided
to venture out on my own, as I really enjoy to be creatively free with my own
work. I started off not really knowing what I was doing and then as time went
on my role as a 'prop designer', 'set stylist', 'designer', 'consultant' and
'writer' and all of the other things that I was doing narrowed down to
'stylist' as this was what was the most in demand skill from me and also what I
was being hired to do. Gradually the other work faded away, though it still
comes in handy now as I still draw on the these other skills when needed.
Once I got into the swing of things as a regular
stylist, I set myself up as a business and
I've worked onwards from there. I like the idea of going back into my
previous skills now that I'm more established to really evolve my work deeper
as a creative and also to develop some new projects.
What would you say has been your greatest
accomplishment in the business world to date?
It's hard to pinpoint what is my greatest accomplishment
when I view all of my achievements as good in their own way. I feel that my
greatest moment has been producing work that I'm really proud of personally,
rather than following the crowd of what's on trend or popular right now.
Everytime that I achieve something that I know is completely original, then I
feel fulfilled. For me that's more important than anything else.
What has been your biggest
challenge in business so far?
This has been without a doubt getting
myself established and being taken seriously as a creative within the industry.
Fashion is a notoriously difficult industry to get involved in and the
boundaries and rules of normal business change within it. Lots of people give
up because it's so hard to infiltrate, but I've weathered the storm and been
very determined and ultimately I've tried to work progressively towards my
goals, making my work speak for itself rather than trying to gain instant
recognition from my peers.
What are your future plans for the
business?
At the moment I'm looking at that
intensely...asking myself what is the next step and where do I want to be in a
few years time. I still haven't 100% answered that for myself so I couldn't
commit to an answer right now. All I know is that it will be developing my work
further in the areas that interest me and being less of a people pleaser. Plus
I'm toying with the idea writing a book amongst other things!
If you had to do it all over
again, what would you do differently?
I would go and get more industry
experience before officially starting my work by shadowing other people in the
industry and gaining confidence that way. I entered the industry blind with
only my creative skills in place. I had no idea how things worked and I
underestimated the difficulty of establishing myself, I had to figure it all
out on the job, as I went along. It was intense!
Why is it so important to inspire
young women in particular to follow their dreams?
Because women have a history of being
pushed back or for being scared to ask for more, at least in my experience it
happened many times to me when I was in employment. That's behind a lot of the
reasons that I started wanting to work for myself, because even though you can
work with lovely, modern people, ideas of sexism are still rife. In my
employment history I would often land very good jobs with lots of
responsibilty, managing teams of people in a mostly male enviroment and yet I'd
still be expected to do the washing up, empty the recycling bins and make
everyone tea as part of my job. That sort of treatment led me away from wanting
to work for another business as it continued to happen over and over again even
when I was promoted! That and being spoken over in meetings or not getting
sufficient credit for my work, it became tiring.
I believe that the future lies in women being
able to start profitable businesses from the kitchen table, with almost nothing
and leading the way for a new generation of girls to create their own pathway
and dream job rather than looking for approval elsewhere. Businesses created on
our own terms that have a positive impact on each other and society, I wish
that I had started working full-time for myself much sooner!
What advice would you give to
somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?
Realise that you're not going to get
where you want to be overnight and you will have to work harder than you've
ever worked for the first few years to become established. Get some experience
shadowing someone who's career you aspire to and learn everything that you
possibly can from them. Also, build up your own visual language, define what
makes you excited creatively and start working towards creating your own visual
identity. Then take baby steps towards your goals, allowing room to make mistakes
and experiment. Also realise that the fashion industry is a very small world,
so be mindful of your actions, don't step on another person to get where you
want to be quickly, take your time and created a trusted name for yourself. In
the long run you'll be glad that you did this. Also, trust yourself, your gut
instinct will tell you the right path for you.
What or who inspires you in business
and why?
The people who inspire me in business
are the people doing things differently, on their own terms, with kindness,
integrity and who are making the world better in their own unique way. A few
people or companies that are inspiring me personally at the moment are Danielle
La Porte, The World Land Trust, Greenpeace, Satya, Kirsty Mitchell, Cereal
Magazine, Marianne Williamson, and fashion-wise All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.
Check them out, you won't regret it!
What is your favourite inspirational quote?
Be the change that you want to see in the world.
Rachel Holland
