Get to know Spacecubed member Louise Asaye, founder of inspirational fashion brand, Olma the Label. Louise has been a part of the Spacecubed community since March 2022, and is based out of our newest flex space, Fern. Her fashion label exists to inspire plus-size women to express themselves freely, and through her brand and work, Louise wants to promote an ideal space where there are no limits placed on confidence, and where size does not dictate worth.
When asked how her business journey began, Louise shared with us her aspirations of wanting to be a fashion designer, ever since her youth. She wanted to attend the London College of Fashion, the best of the best, however states that she was encouraged to pursue an alternative path so as to not become a ‘starving artist’.
“Time passed and my family moved us here to Australia, where I landed a role in healthcare after Uni. I did well for myself but still couldn’t shake this niggling feeling of there being more and still wanting to pursue fashion.”
“You see, growing up, I couldn’t see bodies that looked like my own represented in the media or in mainstream fashion. The relationship I had with my body and self image was a turbulent one, I just wanted gorgeous pieces that fit. Sure enough, I dived deep into this further and this is a problem many women share, the answer was clear - I would have to make it myself and pursue this passion of mine,” Louise continued.
What Louise did next was grab a journal and start documenting a plan for her new business idea, where she researched both the steps and requirements needed to start the venture, however it all became too real in 2019, so she shelved the dream for a while.
Fast-forward to the latter half of 2021, where COVID was still rampant and the great resignation was making waves through this side of the world.
“I lost out on a permanent management role I had been acting in long-term and felt quite lost. I re-discovered this business journal; after some soul searching, my heart and head aligned and I made the exciting yet terrifying decision to follow my dream. It was perfect timing, my silver lining - since then, I’ve put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.”
When asked what she’s working on at the moment, she states that Olma the Label is currently working on launching their debut clothing collection, and there’s plenty to get done but she’s grateful that she gets to do this.
“We’re also working on our new Curve Club, and have hosted our first event the other month, which had some speakers in the fashion, business and curve space contributing. We’ve launched our first product, our Confidence Kits, which contribute to our overall ethos of inspiring women to be confident and express themselves freely.”
When asked what she loves about being a part of the Spacecubed community, Louise goes on to state that being a part of the community has been a fun and enjoyable experience.
“Being an entrepreneur is a lonely path and co-working has helped. The atmosphere of working alongside others, the networking and socialising opportunities are all experiences one would miss out on stuck at home. The hosts also make a huge difference in the experience, working from Fern, Chris has been awesome.”
Moving on to discuss who her biggest inspirations are, Louise went on to state that Alyce Tran is an entrepreneur she’s admired for a while, and was lucky enough to have met her at the Australian Fashion Week this past May.
“Her courage in quitting a successful corporate career to co-found The Daily Edited and successfully exit the business, starting up another brand, stocked in David Jones (In The Roundhouse) is pretty awesome.”
“Fisayo Longe of Kai Collective is another powerhouse I admire. Her no-nonsense attitude and self-belief are elements we could all embrace, especially as a black woman,” she continued.
To learn more about Olma the Label, you can explore their socials via Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok.
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