Start Up Strong
Courses to help sustainable fashion start ups, start up strong
Do you have an idea that you'd like to get started with? Or do you feel that you are still in the early stages of your business wondering how to make it both sustainable and successful?Â
This collective learning journey is designed to support fashion start-ups like you.
What is Start Up Strong ?
This virtual lecture series will be spread over 10 downloadable sessions, start, and pick up when and where you like.
Drawing on a wealth of sustainable fashion industry knowledge from Rachel Sheila Kan and the Circular Earth community you will learn specialisms like ethical marketing, social entrepreneurship & niche product development.
Every week we will cover a different area of the fashion business.
With sustainability at the forefront, we journey into the nitty-gritty of a successful fashion business: from finding trusted suppliers, designers and technical knowledge - to project management and landing the project & seasons on time.
As a gift to you we will also have a bespoke one hour 1-to-1 mentoring session where we can consider everything that has been learnt in the context of your own business niche. For this we can bring in experts from your industry segment if needed.
Meet your course leader,Â
Rachel Sheila Kan
Hi, I'm Rachel. I am standing for a world of fashion with integrity and transparency.
I have been a designer & design manager in the commercial fashion industry for over 20 years.
After my own personal education journey, I turned my drive for sustainability in the fashion industry into a career. I now enjoy working as an industry consultant, and lecturer in sustainability & business ethics.
I have designed this course with fashion start-ups in mind after working with many and listening to their needs.
Drawing on my background in the industry at large and my sustainable knowledge and contacts, I enjoy troubleshooting sustainable challenges and introducing bespoke action for each brand and fashion business that I work with.
I hope that you will enjoy coming on this learning journey together with me.
Find out more about my work:
Core course modules:
Vision building & creating your future
Business model design & social enterprise options
Marketing & sales channels
Sustainable brand & product certifications
Sustainable design development & production
Circularity in the fashion industry
Regenerative business & diversity
+ Your bespoke 1-to-1 business mentoring session
Course Collaborating Partnerships
Circular Earth always stands for collaboration in business and we also do this within our courses .. Find our main collaboration partners who feature within the downloadable sections
Ethical Hour
Belo Bags
Sian Conway - Ethical Marketing
Sian is an ethical marketing strategist who helps Big Why business founders start and scale businesses which change the world! As Founder of #EthicalHour she unites a community of over 58,000 changemakers online to support each other and grow the ethical economy. Her membership community takes the loneliness out of building a business with purpose and gives ethical business owners the tools, connections and support they need to scale sustainably.
#EthicalHour recently won the Best Disruptor/Changemaker Award at the Online Influence Awards 2020, and Sian was named UK Influencer of the Year 2020. Sian was also the UK’s Green & Eco Influencer of the Year 2018, one of the Social Entrepreneur Index’s top 29 UK social entrepreneurs in 2019 and 2020, and was personally invited to be one of the UK Government’s Year of Green Action Ambassadors last year, in recognition of her work to inspire individuals, communities and businesses to live more ethically and sustainably.
Sian will provide guest lectures which focus upon the tips and tools needed for audience building and identifying sales opportunities.
Charlotte Bingham Wallis - Social Entrepreneurship
From Belo's focus is to fashion kindness. They create meticulously hand-crafted accessories made from refurbished materials once destined for landfill such as seat belts, plastic bottles, car seats and excess fabric from the fashion industry.
Every item made helps provide fairly paid jobs to small artisans and manufacturers in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Every item sold, literally feeds goodness into the world by donating meals to the homeless and in need in the community of the brand's artisans. Their aim is to rise while lifting others along the way.
Charlotte and her team believe in helping break the circle of poverty by offering opportunities through creating beautiful, kind fashion that reinvests in the community where it came from, all while being environmentally responsible.
Join us to hear more about the From Belo business model and Charlotte's journey as a sustainable business leader.
Coushman Bespoke
Tatty Moo
Bonus cohort specialist in Bespoke one off creation
My life is surrounded by many creative outlets and people, I have personal experience in fashion design, pattern making/ cutting, sewing, painting, photography and crafting; either as hobbies or during roles in alteration tailoring and making bespoke garments for clients. This has allowed me access and knowledge of the creative processes undertaking and has allowed me to learn more about about all of these practices. From my experience working in retail management I have become able to work efficiently and calmly under pressure, keeping a level head at all times. I am a friendly social person who likes to interact with others, although I am competent in working by myself. I am looking to transfer my retail management skills into a more product management or studio/ office based environment. Through my retail experience I have gained an organisational working method and clear communication skills that have helped greatly when managing a store in many situations.
Bonus Cohort specialist in Upcycling
TATTYMOO is the creative outlet for designer and creator Julia Brown.
​With over 15 years in the fashion industry as a Garment Technologist, and a background that includes a printed textiles degree from the University of East London, and pattern cutting skills born out of London College of Fashion, Julia took a bold step to sell her creations in 2011.
​Julia began making collars, and twitter fans of the heavily embellished designs included Zoe Ball, Paloma Faith and Alex Jones. Julia was also featured as a contestant in the Stylist & Triumph 'Women in Making' Competition in 2013.
Choosing second hand scarves and sari's to up-cycle, Julia turned from collars to sewing dusters after being inspired by summer and festival trends.
As a sustainable brand TATTYMOO explores different ways to use all of the waste that is production, keeping even the smallest scrap of fabric or thread.
'Im loving Start up Strong, its just what I needed, its helping me visualise actually having the brand I've always dreamed of'
Emma Summerscales
''Rachel has a depth of wisdom and heart, developed over decades that allows her to masterfully consider the ecosystem of an idea, person or project.Â
She’s an asset to anyone that truly wants to explore and create with a pure heart.''
Sarah Hunt
''Rachel, you created a snowball of momentum for me since my return to the UK. I cannot thank you enough & hopefully we can meet in person before I relocate to China.''
