August 25, 2020

LIBERATED GRITTY | ISABELLE QUINN #friendsofxnihilo

Long time #friendsofxnihilo, I can confidently say that Isabelle is beautiful inside and out. Founded by Isabelle Quinn, the namesake label has always stayed true to the original vision of creating for the romantic, unconventional and carefree modern girl. Her amazing pieces appeared in X NIHILO’s #7 campaign shoot. Demonstrating what she does best; from essential basics to effortless silhouettes, Isabelle Quinn has always pulled inspiration from the independent women around her, wanting to create pieces that uplift and empower their individuality and femininity.

Take a peek with us into her daily life and behind the scenes of her amazing fashion empire with this one on one interview with Isabelle!

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur and designer?

No funny enough I went to university to become an accountant and absolutely hated it. I quickly moved to do a Bachelor of Business in Marketing and Digital Marketing, which lead me to what I do today! I actually just fell into the fashion side. Mum is an artist and so crafty so we would sew on weekends for fun and I would create the dresses I dreamed about... it then grew into Isabelle Quinn!

What does a typical day look like for you?

I am an early riser so I usually get up around 5/5:30. I will check emails, IG and sales to see what has happened overnight.

Next, I always love to start my day with a workout as it sets my day right and gives me the focus and energy I need for the day! Most of the time I do a bootcamp workout or else I swim, walk, run or do Pilates! After this I’m usually in a rush to get to work, we start at 8am (but I’m always late) lol! I make sure I grab an almond milk latte on my way in because I am a coffee addict and it’s one of the highlights of my day!

Every day is different in the studio and usually very busy. Once I arrive in, I chat with my team and plan out what’s important for the day then it’s onto more emails, Instagram and looking at our accounts/analytics. Being a small business, I have my hands in almost every aspect of the business from website design, social media advertisement, email marketing, photography, styling, socials, designing, quality controlling, emails - the list goes on!

I always eat lunch at my desk as I don’t have any spare time. I leave the studio around 4pm and I like to try get a walk in the afternoon. I live right next to the beach but that depends how busy I am as it doesn’t always happen! Once I get home throughout the afternoon/night I keep working on emails and socials, have dinner with my husband and watch some TV – we are watching Tiger King on Netflix right now! But honestly every day is different in my business and that’s what I live for!

What motivates you?

My husband Bronson and my mum Maree. They push me to be the best version of myself and I work my hardest to be successful and make them both proud.

Hardest thing about your job?

Not enough hours in the day! There is constantly always so much to do. But I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way!

Best thing about your job?

The reward of seeing beautiful, confidant women wear my designs with their own twist. I LOVE seeing how girls’ style and put my designs together and am so grateful they chose to buy my clothing and support my label.

Career highlight so far?

Most recently having my own little store at Pacific Fair! This was a pop-up shop for 4 months and gave me a really amazing taste of retail! Pacific Fair is one of the biggest shopping centres within Australia and having my label up next to Australia’s leading brands was an amazing achievement for me! Apart from this I would say participating in Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia being chosen as one of the top 5 emerging designers nationwide. Another highlight (I’m so sorry I just can’t choose one) would be hiring my best friend Rachael and working with her every day! It was something I wanted to do for so long and I ticked it off my goals list!

Pinch me moment?

Being featured in Vogue Australia (a dream).

How would you describe the Isabelle Quinn girl?

Cool, Edgy and fashion forward.

Best advice you’ve received about owning a business?

If it was easy everyone else would be doing it. So, keep hustling honey!

What should people expect from Isabelle Quinn in the future?

We are looking to do a pop up in Sydney at the end of this year! So, all Sydney ladies keep your eyes peeled! We have a big Sydney customer base, we are so excited to meet all our beautiful customers and share our designs. Design wise I have been working really closely with my manufacture to put more steps in place to be as sustainable as possible from start to finish. Looking at using fabrics, which we have not used before such as hemp and organic cotton, which is exciting. As well as working on the production process and looking after all the workers! We will be sharing more of this at the end of the year…

Do you have a favourite design, or one that holds the most sentimental value to you?

Oh, very much so! The Martini Midi Dress (which was initially designed as my engagement dress) has a very big place in my heart! This one takes a very long time to produce as it is made of millions and millions of sequins and makes it very hard to make! It is the type of dress that is worn to the most special occasions like engagements, hens and birthday’s so it’s such an extraordinary piece!! I put a lot of time and effort into this design and it came out so beautiful.

If you weren’t doing this, what if anything would you be doing?

I think graphic design or social media management! I love the strength social media holds on the online market in our day and age!! I’m quite interested in website design, photography and content creation.