As children we’ve all dreamt about the career path we may take when we grow up.
Some of us have realised these dreams, while others still hold onto ideas and passions whose embers flicker on.
Jessica Mole, who recently moved to Cape Town, dreamed that she would one day create clothing which would empower women to feel confident in their own skin.
Now, at the age of 24, she is realising her dream, and even though she may have taken a detour by first pursuing a career in education, her passion for fashion burned on and left her longing for change.
“As a child I would sketch in my little notebook and draw crazy designs which is nothing like what I design today. I always liked to sew, my gran taught me how to sew at a young age. I was teaching for a few years and I loved it, but I just thought that I would love to make a career change,” said Ms Mole.
“I started my personal styling business because I want women to know that they are beautiful. This was my heart and dream and I thought I have to try it. So far so good. It’s been exciting to discover more about myself and what my customers want.
Ms Mole, who launched her clothing line Jessica Anne earlier this year, hosted a personal styling workshop in Woodstock on Saturday August 26 after the success of her Joburg workshop earlier this month.
Here she displayed a few of her pieces which include kimonos, shirts with classic silhouettes and skirts made with quality fabric. She also gave women basic tips on how to dress to feel confident.
Ms Mole advised women to always have basic, classic clothing staples in their wardrobes such as black tailored pants, black skinny jeans, white collared shirts, a denim jacket, a trench coat and a tailored blazer which can be worn on many occasions.
Once you have these basic items you can build your look from there and dress them up or down, adding trendy items to personalise a look.
She said a kimono is a great accessory to add interest to an outfit, or to cover up when you don’t feel as confident about your body.
She also advised women to treat themselves to great underwear, as it’s the first thing you put on and it can immediately improve your confidence.
“Having the right size underwear also improves the fit of your clothing, so having your measurements taken at an underwear store will improve the fit of your clothing,” she said.
“My vision behind making clothes is for women to feel amazing when they wear them. I focus on creating clothes that are timeless and also work for different body types.Knowing what to wear and how to wear it makes a huge difference to how you feel about yourself.”
Ms Mole said she never went to design school and is self-taught, having learned skills necessary to start her business and design clothes from YouTube, Google and a few online courses.
Today, she is at the helm of her business and does everything from designing, creating technical drawings and managing her social media accounts to marketing.
“Being an entrepreneur is a one-man show, I have to wear so many different hats. I do design, manufacturing, social media, design my website, the marketing and admin. I want to get to a place where I’m more on top of my business, but at the moment it’s what I’m doing now.”
Ms Mole advised other women wanting to start their own businesses to know their “why” which is the core behind your business concept. Know why you want to start and why you’re doing what you’re doing, she advised.
She said knowing this will keep you sane and focused while you’re doing all the things you have to do for your business to succeed.