( LMAS) Makes a difference to BAME enterprise
High fashion London based company Gisella Boutique has undergone a business stylemakeover with the help of London MAS.
The mother and daughter owned company which has produced outfits for Gina Yashere at the MOBO awards was not advancing as quickly as it should and called in London MAS to help them to move the business forward.
Mother Gisella Asante decided to set up the boutique in June 1999. She had spent her early years in East Africa and travelled to Asia and South America frequently before settling in the UK in the 1980s. This background provided her with a distinct and unusual synthesis of the non-western and western styles which resonates in the clothes that she makes.
The company had achieved a good business reputation but plans for growth were hindered due to limited resources and lack of support. They decided to call in the London MAS for guidance.
Says daughter Jan:“ Prior to our meeting with London MAS we were experiencing some of the typical challenges encountered by BME and SME creative businesses. Due to the labour intensive structure of the small scale manufacturing aspect of our business, it has been consistently difficult to dedicate time towards strategies for future business development.”
The
London MAS’ Grant Baker who has a background in the retail market began working with
Gisella in August 2006 and after an initial consultation was able to identify some key areas of improvement, namely marketing and the location of the boutique.
Says Grant,“ It is evident that Gisella have amazing potential, they work with high quality fabrics and have the skill to make high class outfits, however they were marketing themselves to a very narrow bespoke sector which was restricting their success. The have had a series of positive press article appear in influential magazines however this press was not turning into sales and they were losing opportunities.’ engage | uk ISSUE FOUR 2007