This time five years ago, I was handed the keys to our first retail store.

This time five years ago, I was running my retail store in Melbourne, stocking more than 30 ethical and sustainable fashion brands while also organising a massive pre-loved designer wardrobe event with 20 industry peeps in the name of saving fashion from landfill. I don’t do things by halves.

October 2019 was gruelling. When I was handed the keys to my store, I walked into a space that wasn’t fitted out the way it was supposed to be, so we had to seal the concrete floor ourselves and open from scratch. It wasn’t meant to be like that, but I didn’t want to waste time fighting for it—I wanted to open when I’d planned to. I could have wallowed in my problems, but I’m the type to move forward and use challenges to grow stronger and get smarter.

So, we made lemonade with lemons, and I’m so glad we did.

Our Beaumaris store went on to build the most amazing local community of eco-shoppers, and we made an insane amount of sales for our ethical and sustainable designers.

It laid the foundations for our second store in Hampton the following year, and suburb by suburb, The Fashion Advocate built such a beautiful community.

I would catch the train from home and get off 5kms from the store so I could walk the rest of the way, choosing a different direction each day and hand-deliver postcards to mailboxes to promote the store. Me, the owner, the founder—because I knew I had to get creative with marketing when I didn’t yet have the budget for advertising.

I worked seven days a week most weeks, but I had an incredible support network—a beautiful team of staff who shared my vision, a partner who was (and still is, crazily) there for all the midnight push-throughs and meltdowns, and a mum who took over the reins when I needed to sleep on the floor for 10 minutes.

I worked HARD, but I LOVED it.

October 2019, five years ago, was intense, amazing, and rewarding—a massive growth period and a flex of everything I had.

But because I love what I do and I’m living my purpose, I got through it, and I’d do it all again because PURPOSE is powerful! If you're still searching for your purpose in business or you've fallen out of love with your ethical, sustainable, circular, handmade or slow fashion business, my Purpose For Profit Masterclass will give you clarity. 

When you run a business built on purpose, anything is possible. 

Claire x

If you've fallen out of love with your ethical, sustainable, circular, handmade or slow fashion business, my Purpose For Profit Masterclass will give you clarity - The Fashion Advocate
The Fashion Advocate ethical sustainable circular slow fashion business strategy mentor online course marketing how to

I spent my first five years in business stressed and in debt.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or if you're not making enough sales to survive, you're not alone. I've been there.

I was exhausted and I wanted to quit.

Then I worked out a strategy that dramatically changed my business, increased my sales, and saved me time. I want to share it with you!

READ MY STORY

Want to know the top three ways to grow a successful and sustainable fashion brand?

  • ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS

    Every week on Instagram, you can ask me anything about fashion, business, ethical manufacturing, sustainability, and growth to get the answers you need to overcome challenges. Marketing, PR, your strategy, sales, how to wholesale, Instagram engagement, customers, sourcing... Whatever it is, ask me your questions and I'll go LIVE on Instagram with the answers you need to move forward.

    FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM HERE

  • KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

    To build a successful, sustainable and profitable fashion business, you have to empower yourself with knowledge and learn from others in the industry. I ran one of the largest online stores for ethical and sustainable fashion for over a decade, and I learned the ins and outs and the rights and wrongs of building a business. Now I'm sharing my strategies on my blog so you can take what you need to grow!

    READ THE BLOG HERE

  • BUILD YOUR SKILLSET AND LEVEL UP

    The only difference between a big fashion business and a small fashion business is a different skillset. Everything your competitors know - you can learn. My online courses and masterclasses are specifically designed for ethical and sustainable fashion brands, labels and businesses, so you can build your skillset, level up, fast-track your success and increase your impact.

    BUILD YOUR SKILLSET NOW