Entrepreneurs with a large following on both their business and personal accounts are excellent brand ambassadors. Their business savvy outlook influences the market, as they create new products that consumers are looking for. Moreover, their followers are loyal to them because they trust them not only as professionals but because of their unique voice and personal style. 

To celebrate International Women’s Day, VOCAST sat down to talk to three incredible international female entrepreneurs. They have shared their expert insight with us about everything from collaboration work, marketing tips, and their visions for change. These women, like so many entrepreneurs, are actively breaking down barriers and creating space for something exciting and new.

Entrepreneurs are beneficial for established brands to work with because they represent the newness and passion within the industry. Edwina explains this passion, telling us: “I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so it’s in my blood I think. As a consumer, I was having such a hard time finding nude colors of lipstick for myself, and my friends shared the same agony. So I just decided, you know what, I’m going to do it!” 

Stina talks to us about what influence is to her, and how can mean different things:

« It can be influence through reach, capital, power, or brand. In business, I have influence on my team being co-founder, and I hope to influence the beauty industry with the power of MANTLE’s brand and what we stand for. »

Emily has a large influence and she tells us how her goal on her personal account, and her business account, is to make a difference in the world: “That is what I’ve always wanted to do in general. I’ve always wanted to make an impact, even in the smallest way. Whether it’s self-care or slow living – whatever it is, I would really like to think that I can make a small mark on other lives.” 

She explains how entrepreneurs stand out from other influencers. For her, she can offer to create content for her personal brand at a hinter space:

« In a way, I’m leveraging the brand as well and I think it sets me apart from someone else. When I work with a brand, I can offer this really beautiful space to create the content in. »

She tells us how, because of her business,  her aesthetic is trusted by brands, as it’s one of the main pillars of hinter. She shares with us how she gets people reaching out to her because they’ve found her through hinter, as well as from people who have found her through her own Instagram and TikTok – “it does work both ways” she says. 

Collaborating with entrepreneurs and their brands is beneficial because it allows you to tap into a new audience. As Edwina happily tells us:

« I think that collabs were really what gave me the confidence to start Essentials, and also to make use of my network. I’m all about collaboration, I think it’s a great way to grow and tap into a new demographic. »

Entrepreneurs are great partners for your brand because they operate with authenticity. When you are the face of both your personal brand and your business’ brand, you come from a place of professional growth and knowledge. Emily tells us about how her personal brand has shifted over time because she changed over time: 

“My personality has changed, my values have changed,” she says. She continues telling us how throughout the journey of hinter, she has become even more sustainable, even more, focused on design and aesthetics, even more into slow living.

Stina talks about how from a business perspective, she needs to represent the brand and she always thinks of what’s best for the MANTLE brand at large first and foremost. But, on her platform she only needs to represent herself:

« It’s all very intertwined, and in many ways, I represent MANTLE 24/7! »

Brands can come together and serve different purposes, fashion and home interior working together for example is very beneficial because there is a large consumer base who love both. 

Stina tells us that when you do a cross-industry collaboration, the real magic happens. She says that it’s impossible to be good at everything so partnering up with people that have skills and talents you might be lacking is a way of learning and also securing the best results: “I’m very proud of our partnership with fragrance brand CRA-YON. They took MANTLE’s CBD and our vision for a fragrance, and turned it into reality with their 14 years of experience.”

Edwina believes that cross-collaboration, when you’re thinking about marketing, is great:

« If you’re looking to tap into a new demographic or a new consumer base, collaboration is the name of the game, especially in fashion. »

Emily explains how hinter partnerships, are part of the brand. The robes you would to wear to the sauna – she wants to tell the story of that brand. The candles – she works with local artisans and companies. Emily truly believes that her brand wouldn’t exist with the carpenter, the architect, the smells, or the textures:

« A brand is only as strong as its community, and the community exists within it. The community is not just hinter’s guests, it’s the people behind the brand that we work with. It’s fun to learn about humans and I think we need to do more of that. »

It is a common thread amongst entrepreneurs to care deeply about change. Change in the industry, to society, and for the planet. Stina shares with us how she firmly believes that women attain more influence in society by starting companies and having careers on equal terms with men: “That’s something I hope to see even more of in the future!”

Edwina advises businesses, big and small, to try and be as inclusive as possible. She believes that every company should be striving for that because it only makes them better, especially when you have women in leadership.

As Edwina puts it: 

« Women have an innate ability and desire to include, nurture, train, and teach. I think those qualities are great at home, but they are wonderful in business. »

 She openly tells us how after becoming a mother, she felt the world makes women feel like they have to pick and choose: “Women really are unicorns. We can do so much and we need to own a seat at the table everywhere, it’s so necessary. We love men, and they deserve to be there. But, the idea of the boys club making decisions for us all is changing.”

Emily discusses with us how she believes we can better the world overall through kindness to ourselves, helping others around us, and working together with like-minded businesses. She tells us that research shows that happiness doesn’t come from self-care, it comes from helping others. However, if you work too hard to help others all the time, you can burn out:

« There is a healthy balance and you can find that beautiful sweet spot where you’re taking care of yourself and then you are really able to help other people, work with these brands, make an impact, and help the planet. »

It’s a great time for open-minded entrepreneurs, striving to create a better world. Corporations are becoming more and more accepting of people doing things outside. There are a lot of corporations that understand how having a passion project on the side actually helps keep the employee motivated.

There is a lot of opportunity for women, especially in the lifestyle industry. They are creating products for themselves and their communities that make their lives better and are having so much success with it.

Working with entrepreneurs is beneficial for your brand because they are influential, driven, passionate leaders who have set out to change the industry for the better. Stina advises brands wanting to tap into the influence of entrepreneurs to be authentic, honest, and consistent:

« Find your passion or topic and stick with it, then people will follow. Also, collaborate with other brands or people that share your values. »

Here are some more top tips on how best to partner with entrepreneurial brands!

Fashion is a unique art form. Every day we choose how we express ourselves creatively and morally to the world through the outfits that we wear and the brands that we choose to spend our money on. Culturally speaking, immense credibility can be given to brands and designers when the reach of their art crosses multiple mediums. By expanding your marketing strategy by working with celebrities across various artistic fields, whether they be TV hosts, DJs, musicians, comedians, artists, actors, singers, or models, your brand can reach new audiences and impact them in a heartfelt way. 

For designers who value the artistry and soul of their work and for directors who meticulously curate a unique and impactful brand story, working with these talents authentically has the power to place your brand on a golden, global pedestal. Here are the best ways to work with celebrities across various artistic fields so your fashion brand can have a greater impact on the market.

VOCAST spoke to two incredible industry insiders who work with both celebrities and fashion brands, to give you some insight into the dos and don’ts of collaborating with entertainers.

Entertainers and artists have so much meaning behind everything they do. They need to think about what the colors they wear represent, what their outfits pay homage to, what values they are showing that they stand for. If your brand is chosen for these kinds of cultural messages, why does that create so much value and credibility among consumers?

What celebrities wear has a connection to who they are – it’s part of their art that they’re expressing. Designers can benefit from this because people see the clothes these celebrities wear as part of their artistic expression, rather than just a brand in a campaign. 

Isabelle explains that celebrities are offered so much when it comes to fashion. They have the pick and choose of everything in the world whether it’s a high-end brand or a tiny-little brand someone is hand-making somewhere, and brands can benefit so hugely from being worn by these people. Fans respond because they believe in celebrities’ values. Celebrities need to think about who they are and what they represent and they need to align themselves with brands who have similar values, their fans trust them and this can turn a market. She says:

« A stylist can find something online, a celebrity wears it and it can be sold out in minutes. You have a huge impact on the market when your pieces are seen and associated with art. »

Although we feel connected to the artists and entertainers that we love, through the TVs in our living rooms or the headphones in our ears, there is a sense of exclusivity and inaccessibility that comes with a fame status. It is true that the impact that celebrities have on the market is huge, and as Bryant told us:

« It’s important for brands to understand who is moving the ball and creating the trends – if Rihanna wore a white tee and a tall boot it becomes a trend, a market story. »

 This is one of the key components as to why these talents can drive consumer behavior, but how do we as brand responsible, create authentic two-way relationships with them? 

Bryant explains how there are two ways to look at it: “on one side if you’re an emerging brand, it’s really important to collaborate with emerging talent. If you both are growing your businesses and brands and you collaborate together either by them wearing your clothes or you building them a custom look. Then later on, when this person goes on to win a Grammy or an Oscar and develops clout, you have already invested in the relationship. When they need something from now on, they’ll feel like they can come to you. Tapping into emerging talent requires a lot more research and decision making but it’s important to look at these talents and see who will be rising along with you and your brand.“

On the other hand, he talks about how it’s about making your brand accessible to already established celebrities, “like the Beyonce’s and Gaga’s” he says: “This is important because, at the end of the day, a celebrity endorsement will shift culture. It will shift trends. It can create a market for the next generation and it’s important to be in that conversation.”

His advice for the already established talent is to keep fighting for the opportunity: “Reach for the Michelle Obamas of the world, you never know when they may say yes.”

« The only way to do it is to build that relationship with their team, have a zoom call, go for coffee, and from there you’ll find ways to work together. »

Bryant elaborates by telling us that it’s important to make sure that you’re very clear and focused on what your brand stands for, and really tailor your celebrity strategy towards that. Don’t go in blind and ask for a collaboration. He would encourage brands to go in and ask to meet. He says: “Have that face-to-face moment. It’s so important to figure out how to build these relationships, start those conversations so be accessible, be genuine, make things happen and be reliable.”

Isabelle believes that what goes into celebrity styling and PR is trying to convey messages with the outfit. Celebrities do this well because they know that whatever they do is going to be analyzed. She says:

« It’s a form of visual communication. It’s such a powerful thing to be able to convey a message just by an outfit. Look at politics, when a woman wears a suit, you know it’s a power suit. That really means something. »

Although it’s an investment to gift these looks out to people, in our conversation with Bryant, he talks about how it’s turned around when real people are excited about seeing pieces worn and why. He tells us: “I work with a brand called No Sesso and they’re really about body positivity, about making sure that clothes are genderless for everyone. The designers are both women of color, one is a trans woman of color which is phenomenal. With this, it’s about making sure we are dressing and having opportunities for the trans community, the people of color community, and really making sure that we’re dressing people so that people can see themselves in these clothes.”

We all love to see what our favorite entertainers are wearing to award shows, events, and red carpet occasions, but how often do you go out to buy a red carpet look straight from the designer? Isabelle says: “If a celebrity is wearing something from your line whether it be at a private event or to the supermarket, it shows that it’s actually part of their wardrobe, it’s something they actually want to wear.”

The power your brand can have by nurturing these kinds of authentic relationships with celebrities is that they trust and value your work. It’s impactful to the consumer to see their favorite artists wear your pieces for themselves to make them look and feel good any day of the week. 

Bryant elaborates this even further and explains what can happen once you’ve got this relationship and dressed someone for their big moments. He explains that if an artist or celebrity is a fan of the brand, respects the brand, and wants to wear the brand, they will have ready-to-wear pieces in their closet. Then they’re including you into their life as a designer because of the fact you’ve built this relationship:

« Celebrities are still human and they’re still consumers, they want good things at the end of the day. They want to know about your values as a designer just as much as public-facing consumers, they want to shop in alignment with their morals. »

Isabelle always tells brands that even if there’s only one picture posted of their clothing, it doesn’t mean that someone isn’t wearing it: “honestly, someone wearing something in their free time is worth so much more than a gifted post. Paparazzi shots often sell more than a red carpet look in a magazine because it’s more attainable and relatable.”

It’s a great accomplishment to be able to create and nurture these relationships, get your brand out there, and be represented artistically via entertainers who value your work and impact culture. But access to celebrities can feel like a far reach. So how should you do it?

As Isabelle explains it confidently, you should always aim high. Start there and then adjust the strategy going forward. Even if it feels unrealistic it takes time, and effort, and networking:

« The sky’s the limit and it’s not even the limit. You won’t manage until you try and it sounds cliche but it’s true. Sure, these celebrity teams get a lot of offers and they’re selective, but if you believe in your product it’s worth it. »

So what are the best ways that brands can position themselves when it comes to celebrity marketing? Your brand needs to know who the people that these entertainers, artists, and their teams really want to work with.

Take a look!

Here are some of the talented entertainers VOCAST has gathered in our exclusive curated lists that you need to know: