From Printed Silk Kaftans to Dragons’ Den: Where Holland Street Began

I arrived at Somerset House with a folder of print designs, my RCA certificate and a vision for a fashion brand. What I didn’t have was a business plan.

When I first took the leap to set up my own business and leave my job as Head of Print for Zandra Rhodes, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to create: printed silk kaftans and kimonos. I just needed to work out how to turn that vision into a business.

I remember heading to the headquarters at Somerset House, home to the British Fashion Council and London Fashion Week, to pitch my early idea. It was my application to the School for Creative Startups, founded by Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Doug Richards, and I was fortunate enough to win a place on the programme.

At that point, I had no polished business plan, no grand strategy and no roadmap. I had print designs, my RCA certificate, a passion for fashion and the determination to make it happen.

The School for Creative Startups was designed for people like me: creatives with a vision who needed a practical route to turning their ideas into viable businesses. For nine months, we met each month in a concert hall in Holborn, learning from lectures, speakers and experts who focused on every aspect of building a business.

It was inspiring, motivating and full of energy. Perhaps the best part was that we were all creatives. We understood the desire to make something original, but we were also there to learn how to make it work commercially.

Month by month, those lectures and sessions helped me develop my ideas into a business plan. Alongside the programme, I was building the collections, refining the printed silk designs, working with manufacturers and printers, and exploring every avenue to turn my vision into a profitable fashion business.

Then came the launch.

I launched the collection at Selfridges, in the event space in the car park below the store. It might not sound the most glamorous setting on paper, but it was quite the show! The event attracted a lot of interest, brought people through the door and gave the collection its first real moment in the spotlight.

I had also secured a place at a London Fashion Week trade show in September, where I would introduce the collection to buyers. This was the next big step: taking my printed silk kaftans and kimonos from an idea into the world of fashion retail.

Read more about the London Fashion Week chapter here: Commercialising Creativity

And I certainly wasn’t alone on the School for Creative Startups journey. The alumni network is impressive, with some brilliant creative businesses emerging from the programme, including Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express, Pippa of Pip & Nut, milliner Awon Golding and Tilly and the Buttons, the sewing pattern and dressmaking business.

So, what about Dragons’ Den?

While I didn’t pitch my brand on the television programme, I did have the opportunity to speak with one of the Dragons, Doug Richards, multiple times throughout the School for Creative Startups programme. His advice, alongside the expertise and encouragement I gained from the programme, was invaluable.

More than anything, the experience gave me confidence. It helped me understand how to build a business around my creativity, ask the right questions and turn an idea into something commercially viable. It provided a springboard at a crucial point in my journey and helped shape the business that Holland Street is today.

Looking back, it all began with a simple idea: to create beautiful printed silk kaftans and kimonos. I didn’t have all the answers when I walked into Somerset House, but I had a vision, a passion for print and the willingness to take the leap.

Sometimes, that’s where the most exciting journeys begin.