Could you first introduce yourself to the reader?
Hey! I’m Vikki and I own Amber Aura Clothing and Reborn Trash Vintage!
What does your creative career involve? Give us the typical outline of a day?
A typical day for me will involve being active on our social media pages, posting on the Instagram feed as well as the stories throughout the day, and also reply to any customer messages. I have to keep an eye on stock so I can make sure there’s a good amount of products available, including a wide variety of items and order more stock where necessary. When new stock comes in, it all needs to be checked and added to our website! At the end of each day, all orders get packed and sent out.
What does being a fashion designer mean to you?
Being able to design and provide products that I’m passionate about and interested in is a great feeling! Knowing that other people are also interested and love the products that we have available really is heartwarming.
Amber Aura's 'Crybaby' t-shirtWhat’s great about your job?
The best part about my job is the different people you get to meet and speak to along the way! Whether that’s customers, suppliers, models and photographers etc, you get to meet and chat with so many different people.
What are the bits you don’t like or find challenging?
It can be challenging to produce products that people love sometimes, as everyone has different tastes and individualities. What one person might love, others might not be so bothered about, so it’s all about finding that balance to meet the needs of all customers!
Do you think there’s any misconceptions with your job?
Sometimes people think that it’s easy to set up your own clothing brand and get backing from the start – but that’s far from the truth. There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes that people forget about! Just being able to build a following can be tough… You just have to stick with it!
What are the highlights of your career to date?
Again the highlights definitely include all of the amazing people that I’ve met along the way! Being able to get feedback from people who love our products and being able to work with different people really is the best part about owning these businesses!
What was your career path into this job? Have you also worked outside the arts?
Previously I wasn’t really working a job that led me into starting these businesses! After a lot of thinking and doing my research, I decided I wanted to start my own business to be able to say ‘I did that!’ so that’s where the seed was planted and it grew from there!
Can you describe your biggest challenge so far in your career? How did you overcome it?
It can be really easy to over-work yourself and burn out, especially when you have hundreds of items that all need checking over, photographs taken and listed onto the website. Sometimes you just need to ask for a bit of extra help to make sure that the tasks get done in a timely manner, without pushing yourself too hard!
Have you noticed any changes in the industry? If so, what?
Over time, more and more people set up their own businesses which can be similar, which is great! However, that then means that there is more competition and less gap in the market, especially as trends change and evolve! So it can be challenging, but you just have to stick in your lane and keep growing!
You’ve been granted the ability to send a message to 16-year-old you. What do you say?
Just keep going but don’t push yourself too hard! Things take time and it’s important to not rush anything, research is key! It’s not always an easy ride, but you’re stronger than you think and you can get through anything you put your mind to.
Do you have any advice for young people interested in doing your kind of job?
I would definitely recommend doing your research before anything else. Is there a gap in the market that you could fill? What products would you get? What’s your budget and how much will your full set up be? These are just some of the most important questions to ask yourself before you get started - but once you have an idea and you’re willing to put the work in, the world is your oyster and you’ll achieve anything you want to achieve!
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