Building your own brand ! Is it really worth it?

In 2012 I built a brand without a plan. It came together organically and quickly gained popularity. It took me on a number of whirlwind adventures, challenges and brought massive rewards. It gave me enough income to live the life I really wanted to. While it demanded long hours and relentless effort, the experience shaped my life.  Without it, my world would be completely different from what it is today.

 

Looking back, I believe the brand’s popularity stemmed from its ability to solve a problem. We created clothing designed to fit all body shapes and sizes, with a strong focus on tall and petite options—reflecting the needs and desires of our customers.

 

Back in 2012 the fashion industry was completly different. Social media was on the rise but not many people used Instagram. Instagram was comparable to the fairly new app 'threads'. Facebook was my primary marketing tool as it was for many businesses, and best of all, it was free. I also gained traction through word of mouth, thanks to the support of friends and family. While building a brand wasn’t easy back then, it felt far more straight forward than it does today 

 

The world gradually shifted as hundreds of new brands emerged, a trend largely driven by social media, which empowered individuals to create their own businesses. Consumers began gravitating toward smaller, independent brands, often favouring them over large corporations. This shift even led to the downfall of many big-name brands, creating space for smaller businesses to thrive and grow. My brand was part of this movement; each collection resonated with customers and continued to sell for years.

Then came the rise of copycat fashion, where the excitement of creating turned into mounting stress. Brands—often based in China or UK fashion companies working with overseas manufacturers—would copy designs from smaller businesses. They would quickly replicate, mass-produce, and sell these items at a fraction of the original price. If you were lucky, your design might have a few weeks of exclusivity before cheaper imitations flooded the market, undermining both your creativity and hard work.

 

However, we were fortunate to have loyal followers and customers who recognised the value of our products. They appreciated the quality, the fact that our items were UK-made, and the option for customisation. While the rise of copycat fashion was a challenge for us, some of our loyal customers continued to support and trust our brand.

 

So why did I decide to create another brand ?  

 

I built my business from the ground up, and it continues to thrive to this day. We’ve sold more products than I ever could have imagined, with every item sustainably made in-house—a commitment that has always been deeply important to me. Along the way, I learned countless lessons, one of the most significant being the importance of going above and beyond to help people feel better about themselves by addressing challenges they faced.

 

Before starting my brand, I worked as a hairdresser, having trained and built my career in the field before completing my degree in fashion design. I also had a long-standing passion for hair extensions and frequently experimented with them on myself. I spent countless hours researching hair websites, looking for extensions in a variety of colours and textures. However, I often struggled to find the perfect match for my own hair. Many products were designed for bone-straight hair, which didn’t align with my natural texture, forcing me to rely heavily on heat styling to blend my hair with the extensions. This frustration became a personal problem I was determined to solve.

 

One day, it hit me—there was a significant gap in the market for curly and textured-haired girls who needed hair extensions that blended seamlessly with their natural hair. These extensions had to empower people to embrace their lifestyles fully—whether being out in the rain, going to the gym, or jumping into a swimming pool—without the fear of their natural texture re-emerging. 

 

That realisation was the beginning of Refined. After about a year of extensive research and testing with various overseas manufacturers, we finally found the perfect supplier. Together, we developed bespoke hair extensions in a wide range of textures, specifically designed to cater to all our curly-haired girls. Our mission was clear: to create products that celebrated and supported natural beauty while meeting the practical needs of our fellow curly girls.

 

So is building a brand really worth it ? 

 

I firmly believe that building a brand to solve a problem is always worth it. If the brand addresses a challenge you’ve personally faced, chances are it will help others too. If it makes people feel even a little better about themselves, it’s absolutely worth pursuing. And if there’s a gap in the market that you’re passionate about filling, trust your instincts—because if you don’t, someone else eventually will, and you’ll find yourself looking back at the idea you once had.

 

Building a brand is undeniably hard work, but success lies in the consistency of your daily efforts. I am a strong believer in following the signs in front of you, trusting your intuition and working really hard.

 

 

Sophie.