Here at GLAMOUR we love to champion our favourite female entrepreneurs, and this week we got the chance to sit down with former(!) Made in Chelsea star Amber Atherton about her awesome jewellery brand, My Flash Trash. We've been fans of My Flash Trash for quite some time now, and if you don't follow the brand on Instagram you really should because it's brilliant. Excitingingly, My Flash Trash is arriving in Topshop's Oxford Circus flagship store this week - and let's face it, that is pretty major.
We chatted to Amber about how it all started, her advice for rocking social media, and which female entrepreneurs inspire her...
It's always cool to see taste makers wearing our jewellery, to get the stamp of approval from Victoria Beckham, Cara Delevigne the One Direction boys and the Duchess of Cambridge is nice. We're obviously doing something right!
It started in my room at school! I was 16 and buying jewellery in Asia and selling it at break time, I then started a blog and sold it on there all wrapped in Chinese newspaper! It was the same year The Scissor Sisters song Filthy Gorgeous came out and I was doing GCSE English and was all about a paradox. So Flash Trash just popped into my head and it felt sassy and right!
I think having the freedom to manage your own time. You definitely end up working much longer hours but at least they are flexible to when I'm most productive! I usually end up working at midnight in to the early hours.
I think there are lots of challenges. You need to learn how to manage a team and your own time. Probably not being able to switch off.
Right now, six. A mixture of full and part time.
I tend to forget that not everyone in the team wants to work until midnight! I've got pretty high expectations on work load but I'm also really flexible with hours so overall, balanced.
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I 100% agree. I think we tend to be more reserved about our success in the UK but too see other hard working women shout about it is inspiring. Look what you can achieve if you work hard and set your mind to something.
Tena Strok who started the concept store Celestine Eleven is fearless. As is Tory Burch and Jenny Griffiths from Snap Fashion. All tenacious women.
Probably that Im a reality star. Which could not be further than the truth. I was the worst reality star ever! It's so strange to be defined by what was such a short phase in my life. But I'm confident the truth that I am in fact - and have been since age 16 - a business woman, will shine through to the wider public in the very near future.
Oh sooo important! Consumers tend to prefer brands that are compatible with the way they see themselves. In other words, they look for personalities which correspond closely to their own self image in the brands that they buy. So the myflashtrash insta is full of sass, nostalgia, lolz and style!
I think really understanding and defining your target market is absolutely key.
On instagram my all time faves are internet artist @msninaojorgeline @oystermagazine @vibes and of course @michelgaubert but i also just spend hours on tumblr.
I do a lot of spin and Pilates, take my dog #misssuziewong on walks and travel a lot. I also love a girls night out and long hungover brunches. And speaking to other entrepreneurs keeps my energy and passion high!
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Just get a really consistent aesthetic going down, and interact! So many people (and brands) just post and don't interact, which is what it's all about!
We've got a really big US fan base so we've got some exciting things happening in the states which I can't yet reveal but they are MAJOR collabs! Then we've got SS16 in production so it's awaiting the samples and fashion week again!
Visit the My Flash Trash website here, and check out the Instagram account we've been raving about here. To check out Amber's busy life, follow her here.
Head down to Topshop's Oxford Circus flagship store this week, and meet the #GIRLPOWER #CHARMGANG collective.
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Amber recruited 20 of London's most influential ladies - amongst them WAH's Sharmadean Reid, journalist Bertie Brandes, make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench and Pandora Lennard from Anti-Agency - to curate a selection of charm bracelets.
