Growing ONLINE FASHION Forward
If you are one of the fortunate ones to have met Leanndra Englezakis in person, you will immediately realize that her beauty is not just skin-deep. She is dynamic, gentle, passionate, and extremely focused on making her business work. She is serious about delivering a service to her customers. This is not your average Online Fashion boutique. She knows her customers by name, she also puts outfits together for them and acts as their personal consultant and confidante.
Leanndra grew up in Krugersdorp in a family of five children. Things were tough and she felt that she did not fit the mould at school. Although she started working part time at the age of 13, she only left school and moved out of home at 16. Her teenage years was a nightmare; she lacked a support system and thought she would work in restaurants for the rest of her life. At the age of 20 she got married and started working for her father-in-law. At 29 she got divorced and was head-hunted by a logistics and then a telecoms company. She stayed in this line of work until she met the love of her life.
Leanndra put on a lot of weight when she had her two babies, 14 months apart. After some trying times, she toyed with the idea to start a business from home to be with her boys. Because of her own struggle to find clothes that fit in conjunction with her love for fashion, she did some serious market research into the Online Fashion industry. She lined up women in the area, family and friends that were willing to support her when she opened.
To generate sales in the beginning, she gave clothing on consignment to people she knew and reinvested as much as she could to grow the business gradually.
Embellish Me is a huge supporter of local brands. All the clothing that is available from Embellish Me is made in South Africa. Leanndra feels strongly about the fact that local suppliers are more accessible, and it makes quality control much easier.
This woman has an eye for putting outfits together for her clients. She admits that it is more work but see it as a win-win situation because it creates re-sales. She knows that word-of-mouth goes a long way, if you keep up your end of the service and she is confident in her ability to deliver.
The business focus on online sales but use fashion shows, popup shops, Instagram and Facebook to advertise and introduce new collections.
She urges young people and stay at home moms that feel down and out to motivate themselves through self-help programs, there are many such free programs and clips to choose from online.
In her own words: “If you are feeling low, it could be because of bad conditioning – but you can undo that – visualize what you wish for and go for it! Beauty is not defined by your size or shape. It is defined by the way you feel. It is a journey. Embellish Me is here to assist women on their journey to self-discovery. I am now doing what I love and have been on a great journey of self-awareness and self-love.”
www.embellishme.co.za