Exquisitely British - The British Entrepreneur Club for Luxury Brands 

Fehmina Dassu

Founder of Petit Fashion

Fehmina Dassu is the founder of Blackburn based designer childrenswear brand Petit Fashion. 

 

1. Tell us a bit about yourself

 

My name is Fehmina Dassu. I am 39 years old and from Preston in Lancashire. I worked as a Nursery Manager for 19 years, before deciding to start Petit Fashion. I have a beautiful daughter, called Zahara, who takes up my time when I am not working. She is extremely active so I am kept busy at all times. 

 

2. Where did the idea for Petit Fashion come from?

 

I have always had a keen interest in fashion and having an 8 year old daughter means that I have been buying my fair share of girls clothing over the past few years. This interest in children’s fashion and my desire to face a new challenge, is the reason I decided to start Petit Fashion. 

 

3. Who is your ideal customer?

 

This is an easy one to answer. Mini fashionista’s! We have a few, but one in particular who knows what she wants and cannot wait to get into the changing room to try it on, without any help from her mum. She then proceeds to have her own mini fashion show just for her mum and us.Customers who are also brand aware, as we sell designer collections, so this helps for sure.

 

4. What has been your biggest challenge?

 

Like with any new business, we faced the challenge of creating brand awareness. Another challenge has been our efforts to stock higher-end brands, due to the fact we are a new business. We have certainly relished these challenges and have worked endlessly to overcome them. 

 

5. What has been your biggest highlight? 

 

There have been a few to be honest. I have loved meeting our lovely customers. We have built a loyal customer base and some have become personal friends too. It is also really cool when we receive web orders from far and beyond places, such as Indonesia! We have a running joke with our courier about wanting to go with the parcels to these places. 

 

Another highlight would be being approved as stockists for brands, such as Ralph Lauren, as this was certainly a challenge at the start. We also had boxer Amir Khan, make an appearance for our official opening last year.

 

6. What or who are you inspired by?

 

Well both my father and brother are entrepreneurs. I take inspiration from them and in particular my father, who at the age of 64 is still working away. I am also inspired by successful business women, with Diane Von Furstenberg and Victoria Beckham being the obvious ones, due to their success in the fashion industry.

 

7. Do you have any advice for other entrepreneurs? 

 

To stay strong and determined, as you will face many challenges along the way. This strength and determination, will help you in challenging times. It is also very important to get the right team behind you. For us this has meant web developers and marketing companies. 

 

8. What does your "typical" work day look like?

 

I manage our boutique, which is located in Blackburn. I also manage our website, which would include tasks such liaising with our web developer, graphic designer and photographer. I am also the fashion buyer, which is definitely the most fun part. We are always looking for new and exciting brands and I get to preview the next seasons collections nice and early…which is great as I have an 8 year daughter! 

 

9. Do you have any favourite British brands? 

 

Jessie and James are a big favourite. Having previously been designers at Vivienne Westwood, Jessie and James left to start their own childrenswear brand and their designs are as you would expect from designers who worked at Vivienne Westwood….classic with a bit of edge.

 

10. How do you manage the work/life balance? 

 

It is important to get the right balance and as a mother I am very mindful of this, that’s why I find it easy to manage the balance well. 

 

11. What are your plans for the future?

 

We are looking to continue to increase brand awareness both for our boutique and for our e-commerce site. We hope to increase our e-commerce sales globally.We will also be looking to increase the number of brands we stock as we grow.

 

www.petitfashion.com