To celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), Morfosia is proud to feature inspiring women who have built their own paths within the fashion industry.
International Women’s Day is a global moment to recognise the achievements, resilience and creativity of women around the world. In this blog, we’re celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit of female founders who have turned their passion into thriving brands, including jewellery artisan Laia Ossorio, founder of Laia Ossorio, Laura Tønder, founder and designer of KETTEL and Josefina Gomez Yiche, co-owner of Studio Vintage.
Building a business in fashion is rarely straightforward. It requires courage, persistence and a strong sense of purpose. Through their experiences, these founders share insights into what helped them grow their brands, the mindset that kept them moving forward and advice for women who are considering starting something of their own.
Starting a company always involves risk. Yet it can also be deeply rewarding. Our hope is that these reflections and tips from women who have taken that leap will inspire and support you, who are dreaming of doing something similar.
LAIA OSSORIO
What mindset or belief helped you most when building your brand? What advice would you give women wanting to start their own?
“I believe perseverance and hard work are key to moving forward. Starting a business is tough, especially without a solid financial foundation or a network of contacts.
Enthusiasm and desire are paramount; loving what I do and having clear goals are what have kept me going. And if it doesn’t work out, that’s ok: it’s alright to let it go, because knowing when to stop, pivot and pursue another project when something isn’t working is also valid.”
LAURA TØNDER
What mindset or belief helped you most when building your brand? What advice would you give women wanting to start their own?
“You can only do it if you enjoy it, because you will have to dedicate so many hours to it that you have to be passionate about it.
Even if it starts small, and you might be the only one who sees the vision, if you simply enjoy doing it someone else will eventually discover it and see the value in something made with passion and enjoyment.”
How important was trusting your gut?
"It is everything, many times over and over when I started Kettel Atelier people underestimated the project, and did not think it could grow. But I had a gut feeling that the passion and enthusiasm was there - from my side and our community. We raised and grew from my gut feeling and the trust of them."
JOSEFINA GOMEZ YICHE
What mindset or belief helped you most when building your brand? What advice would you give women wanting to start their own?
"At the beginning the priority was simply selling and keeping the business running. As we grew and sales became more stable, we gained the luxury of being more selective about what we bring into the store. Now we can focus on sourcing more pieces that are truly special.What I value most about our business is that we get to shape it around our own taste and values. Sustainability is a core belief for us. Vintage clothing is not only more sustainable, it’s often superior in quality, more affordable, and with more character.My advice to women wanting to start their own project would be to focus on finding their voice and what makes their perspective unique."
How important was trusting your gut?
"Trusting my gut has been very important. At the beginning I had doubts about starting a business with a close friend, but we are two women trying to build something meaningful together, and our friendship is actually one of the strengths of the business.
In a 50/50 partnership it’s essential that each person brings different strengths to the table. Knowing your own weaknesses, communicating openly, and being clear about responsibilities makes everything work much better — if you have everything clear you can have lots of fun.I believe it’s very important to follow your intuition. Even if you make mistakes along the way, those can always be fixed. It’s better to follow your gut and learn through experience than to ignore it and end up somewhere you’re not comfortable."
Launching a business can feel daunting. There are practical challenges; financial security and navigating risk as well as internal pressures like self-doubt and overthinking. But one of the most powerful lessons shared by the women in this blog is that there is no single ‘right way’ to start a business. The most important thing is finding your own path and trusting your intuition.
Whether you are dreaming about starting your own brand, exploring a new path or supporting women-led businesses, every step contributes to a more inspiring and inclusive future for fashion. A step we hope you feel more excited and maybe a little less apprehensive about now after reading this blog.
Let us know what you think!