Podcast Overview
Could you work with your sister?
The Founders of Pretty Lavish do and it’s a huge reason for their success.
Born into a family of entrepreneurs, Samantha and Stephanie set out to build their own business from a young age. Being early adopters of social media, they scaled sustainably in a hugely saturated market, fashion.
By sticking to their core values, sustainable and timeless clothing, Samantha and Stephanie have gone on to create the most beautiful products and brand.
Expect real talk, fashion industry gossip and loads of behind-the-scenes nuggets on timeless fashion, team culture and scaling their chic occasionwear business.
Samantha and Stephanie Frost
This podcast episode is a special one and let us tell you why!
Richard sits down with the powerhouse sisters and Co-Founders of Pretty Lavish, Samantha and Stephanie Frost. From humble beginnings as a spare-bedroom side hustle, Pretty Lavish has blossomed into a global contemporary occasion wear brand, backed by a growing team of nearly 50 and thousands of loyal customers.
Tune in to hear how Samantha’s fashion buying expertise and Stephanie’s finance background combined to turn a £500 test order into an international favourite, all while embracing slow fashion principles in a fast fashion world.
The sisters share candid stories about their organic growth journey, from launching on Shopify, navigating early tech mishaps and living at home to re-invest everything back into the business, to surviving a major setback when their first collection appeared on a rival’s site before they had even received stock.
You’ll also get practical insights into how Pretty Lavish is staying ahead: leveraging year-long design cycles, exploring the rise of rentals and resale in fashion, building community through real-world events and embracing automation and AI to scale smartly. Plus, discover advice for Founders, the power of family resilience and their bold vision for US expansion.
Whether you’re interested in eCommerce strategies, building a sustainable brand or just love a good Founder story, this episode is packed with inspiration and actionable tips you won’t want to miss.
Hit subscribe and join us for this honest and practical journey behind the scenes of one of the UK’s most exciting fashion brands.
Topics Covered
00:32 – How an early exposure to business, low barriers to entry and the opportunity to scale via social media shaped the journey of Pretty Lavish
06:16 – Decided to focus full-time on the business for six months after traveling, resulting in increased momentum and rewards
07:10 – Samantha’s initial efforts led to rewards, highlighting input-output correlation. A transition from a supportive corporate job to full-time involved reduced workdays, easing the change and maintaining financial ties through contracted work, as it took years before we paid ourselves.
11:36 – eCommerce challenges, platform investments and adapting to changes like social selling and the rise of secondhand buying
13:40 – Encouraging versatile fashion use and exploring social selling trends on platforms like TikTok
17:16 – Steph discussed the significance of brand days in fostering team culture and aligning company vision
21:38 – Success came from not following the conventional route in growing the fashion business
25:47 – Businesses always face challenges, requiring a solution-driven mindset. Early issues included learning from contract inadequacies when a manufacturer released designs to another brand
29:11 – The focus is on improving efficiency through automation and AI, with objectives set for 2025 to streamline processes and enhance product placement using advanced commerce tools
32:52 – Leveraging automated content adjustments and operational strategies offers significant advantages, especially for early adopters
35:48 – How they work together and compliment each other with different strengths
37:27 – Focus on community events and building brand immersion, while preparing for international expansion through foundational automation and tech investments
40:29 – Book recommendation