BusinessWings: Violet May is female-orientated, both in terms of your customers and your team…
Claire Collins: These kinds of products are usually designed by men, but we have a team of female designers. I didn’t feel there were any products out there that were functional and stylish.
Before we arrived, there wasn’t a brand out there designed by women, for women in this particular product sector
For instance, one of our lead products is a gorgeous leather laptop case with a beautiful, padded, satin interior and a shoulder strap that makes it easy to carry.
It’s definitely an undeveloped sector. Before we arrived, there wasn’t a brand out there designed by women, for women in this particular product sector.
BW: Where are you producing the goods?
CC: We do the design and development in London and prototype and manufacture in Spain. I want to be able to vouch for the origin of my products, and I can honestly say that no one has been exploited to make them.
It’s something I feel strongly about. Many of the big brands moved their production to Asia, and people said it wouldn’t be financially viable to manufacture in Europe.
But I felt strongly about leveraging the hundreds of years of leather craftsmanship in Spain and Italy. If you’re a private limited company maybe you can decide to not make as much profit.
Obviously it is a matter of conscience but, from a business point of view, there is growing concern among consumers about how products affect people and the environment. It’s something that we really emphasise in all our brand messaging.
My target demographic — 25-55 year olds, or ABC1 females — care more than most.
BW: How did the idea for Violet May come about?
CC: It came about because I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I felt there was a gap in the market for this and I’m passionate about accessories and fashion, so I researched it and wrote a business plan.
I’ve written a million and one business plans before but always killed the plan off. This one just wouldn’t go away — so I had to do it.
I was looking through the Evening Standard and I saw a new company doing laptop cases. I thought: “I have got to do this!”
You also have to be ready. It takes a lot of courage to start your own business and to put your money where your mouth is, and I don’t think I was ready until that point.
BW: Why not?
CC: I left the corporate world when I left corporate America, so I wasn’t afraid of leaving that.
My dad was a businessman and had a few ventures. With one of them we lost everything, and that was one of the things that held me back for a long time.
But you eventually realise that you are not your parents — you are your own person.
