Entrepreneurship

Lusso Technology Update

It’s been a while since I did an update on what’s going on behind the scenes at LR HQ and that’s because we’ve mainly been waiting on the result of an Innovate UK application. At the end of May, we submitted an application that was the most intense application I’ve ever written. I had input from various individuals from around four companies, and we were splitting the project into three partners; the NCC, PES Performance and Lucy Rose.

I put my heart and soul into the application, was up until 11pm editing and adding bits until the deadline. I was confident I’d done the best job I could have done.

If you’re not failing, you’re not trying:

The story goes, Bill Gates showed his business plans to 1,200 people, 900 said no, 300 showed some interest and 11 made him a billionaire. That’s not even 1%. Can you imagine if he gave up after the first 100 no’s or even the first 500 no’s? That’s quite a battering – 900 people saying they don’t believe in the business you’re building and it is testament to most entrepreneurs that deal with this on a nearly daily basis.

The True Meaning of Success?

This is a speech I wrote and delivered at my Graduation Ceremony in 2017 in front of nearly 1,000 guests. I thought I’d share it on my website as I think it is still as relevant today and helps me gain perspective.

The personal side of success

Looking back on the past 4 years, University has been a time of immense growth. For those who don’t know, I have had a medical condition since I was 13 that in some respects made me different. I was not allowed to drink, or learn to drive, continue playing sport or be an independent teenager exploring the world with friends like so many of my peers.

The Yes People

One of the first pieces of advice that I can remember when I was starting out on my Lucy Rose journey, was ‘surround yourself with Yes people’. Easier said than done, and I am only now coming to realise how important this statement is.

It is not the critic who counts:

I’m no stranger to feelings of doubt and a lack of confidence, especially in the context of failing. We are all told from a very early age that failure is synonymous with negativity and bad feelings – you did something wrong and you should be punished for it. This could not be further from the truth.

The Goldfish Mentality

I recently heard a truth that a goldfish will only grow to the size it’s reasonably able to due to its surroundings. Simply put, it is constrained by the size of its tank.

Transfer this to humans and the same can be true. Our growth is limited by the people surrounding us. MIND BLOWN.

The one thing successful people have in common

There are days in everyone’s life in which we lack self confidence and the uphill road seems as though it’ll never end. We have a vision for the future and sometimes this becomes a bit murky and we wonder how on earth we’re going to get there from our current situation. The good news is this is completely normal and you are not alone in these thoughts.

You do You

A journey that an entrepreneur takes is a messy one. There is no such thing as linear growth or linear momentum, it’s all over the place and to an extent that’s what makes it fun.

But as everyone will tell you ‘you have to speak to people’ you have to ‘get out there’ and this is what this blog post is all about – conversations.

The Rise of Slow-Fashion

Follow us on Instagram @lucyrose.ltd

Follow us on Instagram @lucyrose.ltd

But first…fast fashion:

Over the past couple of decades, our fashion habits have been fuelled by the catwalk at high street prices. This has been driven by high street brands manufacturing clothes at lightning speed to keep up with the trends. The downside to this however, is that trends are just that – trends. They don’t last long and before you know it, your whole wardrobe isn’t ‘cool’ anymore.

This leads to consumers discarding their clothes almost as quickly as they bought them, and unfortunately this ends up in landfill, or is incinerated.

What are the Environmental Impacts associated with Fast Fashion:

But where does that leave the environment? Not in a very good place it seems. Over the last 20 years the increased speed of clothing and footwear production has seen a huge impact on our planet and according to Codo Girl, over 1.2 billion tons of CO2 is being emitted each year.

In order to make these clothes quickly, the use of man-made fibres such as polyester and nylon has increased. According to the Textile Exchange, polyester production accounted for over 50% of all fibre production in 2018 . Since this material is man-made, it cannot biodegrade. Over 73% of all disposals are dumped in landfill and can sit there for up to 200 years.

So what can we do to help slow fashion?

There has been a dialogue around ‘slow fashion’ for a few years now which puts emphasis on the quality of product over price point. Bigger fast fashion brands are starting to get some bad press around their sustainability efforts and the damage they are causing not only to the planet but also to their workers. All for profits.

This is not right. We all live on this planet and we all deserve an eco-system which works with us, not one we are at war with for the sake of a higher dividend at the end of the year. Of course, business exists to make money but those profits should go directly back into reaching a sustainable supply chain which in turn will make the product more desirable.

Lucy Rose and Slow Fashion:

Here at Lucy Rose, we put huge emphasis on the quality of materials used and longevity of the shoes. These are not to be worn once and tossed out to landfill. These are to be cherished, loved and respected. Just as those who make them should be too.

Until next time,

Em x