Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in fashion apparel but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Marley Bogle, co-founder and creative director of Fluid Union Apparel, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Fluid Union Apparel is a gender-fluid clothing company that truly believes clothing has no gender. We are a brand who bases all fashion principles on the idealism of Androgyny, community acceptance, and pushing societal boundaries. We are an online genderless boutique that cares more about empowering people through style, than dividing them by gender and sold in the form of moderate-priced European streetwear displayed in clothing, accessories, and prints. We ship internationally, but as were a Canadian female-owned brand, our main consumer is the Canadian and US market at the moment. Our typical customer is someone whom appreciates a good ready-to-wear trend yet while creating their own.
Tell us about yourself
I've always had a love for fashion since I was a little girl. I was born in a small town with big city dreams. Therefore, when I got the chance to choose a career path, I decided to go to school for Fashion Design in the city and never looked back. Having multiple jobs that I've been grateful to have out of graduation, that never fully "stuck" with my skill set, even though I did technically enjoy the job itself but maybe not so much the environment, was the personal awakening I needed to realize that instead of constantly working to help grow other brands while forever searching for that perfect fit- why not build and grow that for myself. Ultimately being able to work for myself.
What personally motivates me every day is when I get the chance to see my customers, truly understand and love our products in any suit that fits a personal need of theirs and or allows them happiness. So much so- they trust us a brand and come back to purchase again, comments on our Instagram, leave a positive review, and or the best part- takes a photo of themselves in our product and re-shares it.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner, was taking something as small as a dinner topic conversation idea, into an actual concept, into a tangible brand during the beginning of the pandemic that exceeded any business plan expectations. This allows us to break even as a company within three months of launching and reinvest all profits into a relaunch after eight months.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner is realizing how important it is to stay on top of social media marketing as a brand. So needing to have a full grasp of your online brand identity yet never having fully having control over cancel culture, which is truly terrifying and sometimes crimping/ exhausting when you know it is not the best for your mental health to be on social media on the regular yet being forced to, when owning a business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Stop overthinking it; just start, and you'll learn as you go.
- Put your blinders on. Be intelligent by doing your research but do what feels right and unique to you. That is what will allow your brand to sell in a vastly diluted market.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://fluidunionapparel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FluidUnionApparel/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluidunionapparel/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marley-bogle-374539110/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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