Clara Pinto

MEET THE MAKER

My name is Clara Pinto and I’m running my womenswear fashion brand in London. I have my studio in Hackney, where I produce everything. My focus goes into textiles, which is the most time Consuming part of the production. Two years ago, without any business training and not a clear idea about the fashion scene in London, I started offering a bespoke service to people who showed interest. After two years I’d developed a clear visual identity for my brand, been part of art residencies abroad and in London ( The Alexander McQueen Foundation, Textile Íslands, to name a Few), designed and produced costumes For ballet and circus and produced my own jewellery line,in collaboration with Swarovski, Which was stocked all over Europe by Anthropologie.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEEDBACKS?

Crafting Business programme gave me the chance to actually be a business. Without that knowledge, taking my business to the next level would have taken me much more time and mistakes! My objective is to build a brand that provides accesible objects of desire, pieces that are irreplaceable and will cherished, preserved and worn with pride. My biggest realisation with the course is that is was time for me to put bespoke to The side and enter the fashion calendar, delivering two seasons each year. My aim is, season be season introduce new products and collaborate with artists to produce jewellery and millinery as part Of every season. In the last four months I’ve learnt how to value and respect my work, how ambition needs to be backed with a sustainable and Reasonable plan, how the more you know about business, the more creative you can be and the amount of time you save, how important it to practice pitching, and how to put accounting first to actually Run a business. Looking back, I can say that everything mutated after doing the course. It was like cleaning and organising my ideas and my focus. With a plan everything is contained and easier to pull through.

FIVE THINGS YOU’LL BRING WITH YOU FROM THE EXPERIENCE:

• Take your time, but be consistent
• Invest in your business
• 40% of your time should go to marketing
• Stick to your niche
• Take holidays