From Barbie Doll Dresses to BO Label: My Fashion Brand Journey
Since I was a little girl, I’ve loved creating dresses for Barbi dolls.
That later on evolved into a love for styling my own outfits. If you know me, you know I love to match things. Whenever I am going anywhere, my first question is always:
What am I going to wear?
Dream of Starting a Fashion Brand
Over the years, I dreamt of launching my own fashion brand. I didn’t know exactly how it would look, but when “The Devil Wears Prada” came out, I envisioned myself as a stylish businesswoman like Meryl Streep’s character—though with more kindness and heart. (You know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen the movie.)
Journey to Designing
Every now and then, the dream of starting my own fashion brand would resurface. But it is interesting how things came about for me to actually that that step.
There was a point where I realised I was more in masculine energy and decided to shift to feminine energy. I started to wear more feminine attire, but since I couldn’t find what I wanted in stores, I began designing my own pieces.
This led to my signature dress inspired by the abaya, traditional women’s wear in the UAE.
That could have been the start of my dream, but it wasn’t (not yet). Instead, I put it on hold and started a new job, which consumed me entirely.
It took me an additional year to realize that if I didn’t take action this time around, my dream would never materialise.
So I did.
Launching BO Label by Barbara Osiecka
Without a formal fashion design education (though I’m studying now) and without extensive experience on the shop floor (aside from two years back in university), I launched my own fashion brand: BO Label by Barbara Osiecka.
Rewind. It didn’t just happen like that!
Before setting a launch date, it took me around a year to find the right tailor, and a few months of making samples and experimenting to create the product I wanted. I designed packaging and did a photoshoot. There was a lot of work behind the scenes even before launching.
Launching something new is exciting. It’s great to receive congratulations from your friends and family and to feel proud that you’ve reached that point. But that’s just one milestone among many on the path to building a successful fashion brand.
I’m well aware it doesn’t take a day to build a brand, and success is not guaranteed. For example, when you launch something new, you still need continuous income coming from somewhere else to sustain yourself. For instance, many successful entrepreneurs have had side hustles or full-time jobs while building their brands. Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, sold fax machines door-to-door before her brand took off. Having a steady income allows you to invest in your dream without the immediate pressure of it being your sole source of livelihood.
Balancing a job with building a brand is challenging, but it’s often a necessary step. It is also a great test for you to see: is this what I want to do? You might realise it is not, and that’s alright.
Inspiration and Determination
Sara Blakely is my inspiration. When she first put her product in department stores, she dedicated two years to visiting every single store that sold Spanx, explaining and demonstrating the product to the salespeople, and then standing in the store for eight hours to tell customers about it. Two years?!
She didn’t have everything figured out, but she learnt. That’s why I am not scared. I know I work hard, and honestly taking action is more important than having all the possible knowledge beforehand. Knowledge, especially these days, is something you can gain quickly while doing. Some might think I might be naive, going unprepared. But you know what…
I simply didn’t want to give in to procrastination.
And what I quickly realised when I started to work on my fashion brand was that I enjoy the work, even though sometimes it is frustrating and sometimes I feel like I am all over the place.
At the end of the day, only when we take the risks, we can reap the rewards.