From Sewing to Selling: Ilah Watson on Launching Her Fashion Label Vesper.co

Twenty-year-old Ilah Watson grew up learning to sew, which ingrained a deep admiration for fashion and creation in her. This passion stayed with her throughout her teenage years, when Ilah says her mum Tracy Watson sparked her interest in starting her own fashion label.

“My mum had worked in fashion until my sister and I were born. I feel lucky that I had someone to draw on from that industry,” she says. “It also led to me studying fashion during the later years of high school.”

Ilah also felt motivated to pursue her passions due to her independence and desire to be her own boss.

“Growing up working for big companies I realised that I hated working for other people. I also wanted to make some money throughout high school, and I figured starting my own label would give me flexible hours to work around my studies.”

Ilah’s passion for sustainable fashion was the driving force for her launching Vesper.co – which she casually refers to as Vesper – a mother-daughter sustainable fashion brand based in Melbourne.

Vesper first launched as a vintage and reworked label in mid-2018, sourcing second-hand clothes and putting them in one space for customers to browse through and purchase online. The brand then relaunched with their own line of clothing in late 2019 after Ilah graduated from high school.

“Being around like-minded people like Mum who were interested in the same things as myself, inspired me to take this vintage-rework label further.”

With Tracy retiring after having both children, she had free time to work together with Ilah and create the vision for their label.

“At the beginning, Mum helped me make the pattern pieces to help sew the clothing,” Ilah says. “I was pretty much doing everything else, but it quickly became too much to do on my own. I haven’t studied fashion, whereas Mum had been in the industry her whole life, so she is a lot more educated than me.”

Being a twenty-year old small business owner has allowed Ilah to learn valuable lessons at an early stage of life. From money handling to business procedures, Ilah has learnt to trust herself, but still accept help when it’s offered by the right person.

“Don’t ask too many people for advice on something because everyone will have a different opinion,” she says. “Opinions will confuse you, trust yourself and don’t overthink it too much.”

Ilah says that starting a business isn’t as daunting as you think and if you have a passion, you should follow it.

“In the beginning, creating Vesper was simple. I made an ABN, registered the business and created the website design. In our first range, we had three designs for tops and two pairs of pants, so we went to a deadstock fabric store to get the materials for those.”

Vesper was set up as a sole trader business, which Ilah says was much simpler than setting up a partnership. Business models with more than one stakeholder require lawyers to be involved in the process to navigate paperwork, which can complicate matters.

A fundamental part of Vesper’s business model was being a sustainable fashion brand which helped in the creation and early inspiration for the label.

“It was important to us that we upcycled fabrics that big brands didn't want to use because they otherwise go to waste. We strive to do things ethically and not create extra waste for the planet.”

After doing her research, Ilah discovered that start-up costs could be avoided by manufacturing the clothes herself. She recommends taking sewing lessons to hand-make clothes and sell them on Depop, a free-to-use clothing marketplace.

“All I had to do was sign the business up and pay for the website, Mum created the pattern pieces for me so all I had to pay for was thread and fabric. I only spent $150 to $200 starting the business.”

While being a young business owner has its advantages, Ilah also says it has its challenges.

“It’s forced me to grow up quicker than people my age, it’s a lot of responsibility to put on a twenty-year-old,” she says. “I love doing what I do but I work seven days a week. With anything you do, there will always be stresses even if you love it.”

Ilah and Tracy have now expanded the Vesper team to four, enlisting the help of Ilah’s aunt Jodie Scott, who runs the customer service arm of the brand, and Esther Morgan who works on graphic design. Ilah still does plenty of heavy lifting and says those wanting to start their own business should know that it’s all-consuming.

“I feel like I don’t ever switch off, I'm constantly thinking about work. No matter what I'm doing it somehow relates back to work.”

Ilah says all of the stress was worth it the moment the business felt real.

“When all our sports club loungewear came in for the first time, I had that in-awe moment of realisation. I released how many items we were selling, and the fact we had blown up on social media and were being spoken about heaps, I realised we’d done it.”

You can check out Vesper.co at their website and on Instagram.

Photography: Supplied