Two Jewish women who launched a clothes shop for teenage girls have won a fashion industry award just nine months after opening.
Vicky Lane and Lisa Wise launched Dresswise, their clothes store, in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, in January.
They scooped the prize for Young Fashion Independent shop of the Year at the Drapers Independent Awards.
“We actually entered the awards for a completely separate category, best store design,” a delighted Mrs Wise said.
“When they looked into the shop, Drapers themselves actually put us into that category. Then we were shortlisted, and they sent a judge into the shop to visit, and the rest is history.”
Mrs Wise said that she and her business partner “have been friends for a very long time”.
Mrs Lane, from Elstree, has two children, while Mrs Wise, from Shenley, is a mother of three.
Mrs Wise said: “We’ve always loved going shopping together for our girls.
“We really noticed, as they’ve gone into their teenage years, that there’s a huge gap in the market. They want to wear the likes of Topshop, Miss Selfridge and River Island, but it’s not made for their bodies, for teenagers — it doesn’t fit them properly.”
Mrs Lane agreed. “We didn’t talk about starting the business for very long”, she said. “We spoke about it one evening when we went out for dinner, back in September last year, and by October/November we had premises and we took the shop.”
Mrs Wise had previously worked in children’s education and her business partner had worked as a PA, but neither had worked since having children.
Lack of retail experience proved less of a handicap than might be imagined when it came to opening the shop — Both had expertise they could call on.
“Both our husbands have always run their own businesses, and our families have a lot of history in the fashion business,” Mrs Wise said.
The pair said that an online store would be coming “imminently”, with Mrs Wise saying that she hoped the award would enable them to “reach out to many more customers.
