5 January, 2024
Fashion
By Corséa
Can you share the story behind why you decided to start a dress hire business in Adelaide?
The reason that I wanted to start a dress hire business in Adelaide was because I was working two jobs fresh out of high school - earning minimum wage and being treated poorly by managers. I wanted to build my own business and create something sustainable. I came across a Facebook page called ‘Adelaide Clothes’ everyone was looking to hire this one dress in particular that was $109. At the time being 19 years old; I’d never spent that kind of money on anything. Young women wanted the luxury of being able to wear high end brands at an affordable price as they’d only wear it once. I purchased this dress and rented it out for $30. I started my business in my bedroom at my dads house with one dress and now we have over 400 pieces with sizes ranging from 4-16 and post Australia Wide. I put everything I earned back into the business and I still have our first dress to this day. 6 months after Staring Honey Hire I moved out of home into my own house and honey hire became my full time job.
What's your go-to outfit for a busy day at work?
My go to outfit for a busy day would be dress pants and a cute crop top or, a dress from Seed Heritage.
Can you walk us through a typical day in your life as the owner of a dress hire business?
Typical day in the life as a dress hire business owner would be to firstly respond to all emails and enquiries. Set up our studio for our try on appointments, post out our interstate orders, upload new garments to our website and clean any garments that need cleaning.
Challenges that I faced in the business would be Covid. During such unprecedented times business was really hard for us as it would’ve been for anyone but we had to keep going. We put all of our time and energy into our social media. Honey Hire was my only form of income, I’d also fallen pregnant so quitting wasn’t an option for me. As restrictions lifted and events started picking up again Honey Hire grew and grew.
What challenges have you faced in the business?
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received would be to chase your dreams, go for what you want and work hard to get it. You will have to be what others will call ‘selfish’ during these times. I didn’t party, I didn’t spend much time with friends, I focused on my business. Your true friends will understand this, support you and still be there when the hustle is over.
If you could collaborate with any designer or brand, who would it be and what would you create?
If we could collaborate with any brand it would be Arcina Ori, they’re an Australian owned, designed and made small business. Their unique designs and high quality garments are what anyone could dream of.
What's one significant way you think the fashion industry needs to change in the next decade?
One significant way I believe that the fashion industry needs to change in the next decade would be their Sustainability and a brands ethical practice. Fast fashion has a major impact on our environmental footprint for both its production and disposal. There’s also the exploitation of underpaid workers.
By hiring you’re supporting sustainable fashion and doing your bit to lower the fashion carbon footprint.
How do you curate your collection?