Pop-up fashion entrepreneurs make their own way in Dubai

Two Australian women behind the fashion business 2birds, reveal their journey from stay-at-home mums to pop-up entrepreneurs at markets across the UAE. And they started out with just a Dh50,000 investment.

Caroline Farrell, left, and Sue Stephenson set up 2birds four years ago in Dubai. Satish Kumar / The National

When Caroline Farrell and Sue Stephenson couldn’t find trendy but practical garments to cope with the UAE climate the Australians began designing and making their own. Both from Melbourne and each a mother to three children, they found strong demand from like-minded ladies and four years on run 2birds, a thriving fashion business that supplies selected stores and sells directly through pop-up shops at markets and public events. Ms Farrell, 48, and Ms Stephenson, 47, have been in Dubai for 10 years and live and work in Umm Suqeim. Here they share their entrepreneurial journey so far:

Did you always have a career in fashion retailing?

CF: We were both working before moving to Dubai. From being a deputy director of nursing I had a career change to work as a buyer for a homewares company in Australia. Sue had gone from producer in a film and television postproduction company to working as a buyer for a children's clothing company. Our children were young when we arrived, in Dubai, so neither of us worked for the first few years. We wanted a change and had a passion for doing something creative. All the changes we've made in our personal career paths have led to where we are now.

Was acquiring trading permits and importing permissions difficult?

SS: It took us a while talking to people to understand the rules and regulations here regarding trade licences and importing. It's been a big learning curve but once we secured our licence our business was up and runsning with room to grow. Our initial investment was about Dh50,000.

How has the business adapted in four years?

CF: We have seen a huge increase in sales. Initially everything was reinvested into the business as we grew so quickly; we constantly needed to up our order quantities and increase the breadth of our range. We did eventually start paying ourselves a salary. Now that our brand is established, our strength lies in how we portray 2birds and Instagram is a powerful social media tool. Online selling is strengthening in the UAE, but we still love direct contact with customers and we get a lot of new business because of our images on Instagram and Facebook.

Have you expanded and increased the 2birds team?

SS: We don't employ staff in Dubai – yet. We've always held on to things tightly and that's been a big part of our success. It's always us working the markets and customers appreciate that. That said, we have drivers with a truck to take everything to events. They do a basic setup and we come in and finesse it. We know our range inside out and as such are the best people to sell our product. When working on admin we work from home but there is always running around to be done; restocking retail outlets as well as events. As anyone with their own business will tell you, you work all day every day. We have busier and quieter periods but are generally always working on something; new designs, new fabrics, new opportunities. We work every weekend, which is hard on our families but a necessary part of what we do. Hopefully we will get to a point where that's no longer necessary.

How has selling directly via pop-up shops influenced the business?

CF: The beauty of selling at markets is we constantly receive feedback and regularly incorporate feedback into new designs. Even though we modify, we've stayed true to who we are and not tried to change that. We've let the brand evolve organically rather than be dictated to by rivals. 2birds is now a modern versatile fashion brand, expanded to include handmade accessories, beach towels, bags and sun hats. We have a lot of loyal customers so it's important to keep moving forward.

Is it a challenge maintaining quality control with overseas suppliers?

CF: Because we are passionate about fabrics and styles we were very particular in the beginning about the quality of manufacturing. We focused a lot of energy toward finding the right people, who shared our passion and vision. All our dress fabrics are either sourced or hand screen printed in Indonesia and our tailors based there. We contract about 12 people. Jewellery is hand made in Australia and Indonesia; towels hand made in Turkey. We have a very close relationship and visit our manufacturers and screen printers two/three times a year to check on production and start the process for printing new designs. We are constantly in contact via email and text.

Do your growth plans include opening a dedicated boutique?

SS: We're tempted, but it's not part of our business plan at the moment. We're more focused on wholesale relationships. It is definitely a passion project, but we have ideas about moving forward. Our next step is our website as we get many requests for international orders.

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