Member Article

Fashion entrepreneur launches spring/summer season

An enterprising national fashion retailer and single mother of two from Portsmouth has just launched her Spring/Summer season and new website to exploit growing demand for her funky clothes.

Adel Kaseke, 36, who lives in Southsea with her son Jamal, 10 and five year old daughter Nandi has been awarded a start up business loan from Transmit Start-Ups to help develop her women’s fashion business, Curvyswan.

She said: “This funding has been invaluable to me as it has given me the opportunity to have a great website which is going to be the perfect marketplace for my clothes. It has also enabled me to re-vamp my stock of fabrics and take full advantage of the Love Southsea market where people can buy my clothes directly.”

Melanie Shee, business advisor and mentor, Transmit Start-Ups said: “Adel’s passion for her business is second to none. She makes sure her clothes are beautifully designed and produced to a high standard and all done by her personally. Since receiving our loan her business has grown rapidly and we are delighted to have been able to support her. She is definitely a perfect example of a Curvy Swan.”

Originally from Zimbabwe, Adel came to the UK in 2001. She created Curvyswan when she broke her ankle and was confined to a wheelchair. She had always loved sewing and dressmaking after helping her mother make clothes while still at school and saw a niche market for curvaceous women who wanted fashionable clothes in sizes up to 24.

With time on her hands she set about launching her business initially just designing the clothes. After a few months she realised the profit margin would be much greater if she manufactured them as well so now creates the whole garment. Her clothes are available on the national ASOS website as well as the Love Southsea market stall and now on her new website www.curvyswan.co.uk.

She said: “Even though I haven’t got a physical shop I approach my fashion line in exactly the same way as High Street retailers do. I have a weekly release of new lines as well as seasonal launches. For example, for this new Spring/Summer selection I have used really bold, bright neon colours as well as florals, so people who wear my clothes stand out from the crowd. I love being able to make all my clients, but in particular curvy women, look fantastic.”

Adel’s determination to succeed has also led her to promote her business by creating a potentially record-breaking corset which is currently being assessed to see if it has broken the Guinness World Record for being the largest ever. Made from 40 metres of bright red satin and handmade satin roses, the corset is 10m circumference and 4m high.

Curvyswan is a registered trademarked clothing label.

Transmit Start-Ups is part of the Government’s national start up initiative backed by former Dragon’s Den businessman, James Caan. It provides loans to enterpreneurs all over the country and further information is available on www.transmitstartups.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Transmit Start Ups .