Look at those wonderful people below, they are our team!

On the left is Isabel, she is a true multi-tasking miracle. She is a tailor,
manager, teacher, assistant and storekeeper. She helps me during fashion
shows with choosing the clothes and dressing the models.

She looks after the boutique when I'm travelling or buying fabric. She is the
centre of kindness and gentleness and every single day she's learning new
techniques which she lovingly shares with the team.



Emamo is the tall guy in the middle. When he came to work for me he had
never made a men's blazer before, now he excels in it. Isabel still helps a
little with cutting the fabric (a very precise job!) but other than that, he is
an excellent all-round tailor.

He has worked a few years in Germany so we speak a little German every
now and then. It gives us a bond, a well needed one since my Portuguese is terrible....



This is a woman's blazer made from capulana, a typical Mozambican cotton
fabric that the women here use to wrap around their hips. Very popular
amongst ex-pats to use for dresses and shirts too.

And last, but surely not least, Adelina. She is a true learning wonder. After
finishing her 6 months of school she came to the boutique looking for a job
as a tailor. Like I always do with someone who wants to work for us, I asked
her to do a simple test so I could see her quality of work. She made a skirt
from a thin cotton plain weave. I had her copy one of mine that fit's me well
so I could see how accurate she was.



She did a good job, but when she told me this was the first time she had
ever worked with fabric I thought my Portuguese was failing me once
more. Little did I know that her school could not afford fabric for them to
practise with so they use paper in stead. Six months of solely working
with paper and she managed to make a skirt.

She turned out to be a very good junior tailor. She assists Isabel with hand
sewing work, she makes all our satin clothing bags and nappa handbags
and she is now also learning how to make dresses.

Without my team I am nowhere!

And who am I? Well I am a fashion designer from Amsterdam. I didn't
always call myself a fashion designer, in fact, I still think it sounds rather
funny. Because I always thought myself how to do things.

Yes I did go to school and learned how to make and design clothes, and
I did learn how to do bookkeeping and I studied the different characteristics
of fabrics and fibres, but when I started this business in 2007 I knew nothing
about running a business. I just knew I could do it.

I learned all I know today by just doing it.

And here I am.