Meet the Stockport entrepreneur helping menopausal women with her new clothing business

An entrepreneur from Stockport has launched a new clothing business with the aim of helping women who experience symptoms of the menopause.

Jane Hallam’s new venture Esteem, set up with a £25k startup loan from Manchester lender Business Finance Solutions (BFS), uses a technical high-performance Italian fabric that alleviates the discomfort of excessive perspiration and menopausal hot flushes by allowing air to circulate.

Esteem’s debut No Pause collection features vests, slip dresses, palazzo pants, knickers and pyjamas.

Jane is using the five-figure funding to support the company’s first production run, which will see the clothing products manufactured by lingerie maker AJM Sewing.

With the brand initially introduced at the Moda exhibition in February through Lingerie Insight magazine, Jane now intends to exhibit at trade exhibitions across London, Paris and Las Vegas.

She also eventually plans to launch a men’s clothing range along with pregnancy, transgender and bedding lines.

Discussing her new venture, Jane said: “The team at BFS immediately saw the potential in Esteem and has really supported me in taking the business to the next level where we can build our brand awareness and get the range in front of the right trade audience and buyers.

“75% of women experience nightsweats during the menopause and, as a sufferer myself, I couldn’t find anything to keep me drier that wasn’t shapeless and old-fashioned.”

She continued: “There is a growing awareness and willingness to talk about the impact of the menopause, led by women in the media from Kirsty Wark and Zoe Ball to Jennifer Saunders.

“I’ll now be using my business and the Start Up Loan to help to find a solution to the issues it presents.”

BFS is the North West delivery partner for the government’s national £310m Start Up Loans programme and lending partner of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Roger Seddon, BFS’ head of lending, commented: “Jane has created a niche product that will help millions of people and has the potential to expand into many other markets in the future. She took a big leap of faith to launch the business in 2015, leaving a full time job to do so, and has already had a hugely positive reaction to the range from the trade.

“Jane has the passion and expertise to make Esteem a big success and is at a stage where she needs an injection of funding to take her business to the next level; something we are delighted to be working with her to achieve.”

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