TEN years ago Emily saw a gap in the market and made it her mission to fill that gap.
It comes as no surprise that the sacrifices she made then are what people celebrated on 25 April.
In 2012, the designer found the love of her life and was ready to say “I do”.
Like with any bride, the hunt for the right wedding dress began, but she could not find one as there were only two bridal shops in Namibia and none offered the dress of her dreams.
Defeated, she chose to buy a wedding dress in Cape Town instead.
Emily then decided to follow her passion, which is designing and creating wedding dresses.
“When I could not find the gown that truly describes me, I realised there was a gap in the market. Every bride deserves a dress truly made for them, that shows off who they are. That’s when the idea of Lavender Tales Bridal was born,” she says.
Emily says her wedding gowns are “elegant, quality and exquisite”.
“We pride ourselves in the environment of our shop – from the moment they walk in we give customers the best experience and make them feel comfortable.
“As soon as a bride walks in I can tell by their personality what dress they would want or what dress would suit them. It’s all about the bride and what she wants, and we ‘re there for that,” she says.
Emily says she never gets tired of the feeling she gets when a bride says yes to a dress.
“The biggest achievement over the past 10 years is that we are still standing and we are still here, because we have gone through so much as a nation with the 2018 economic downturn and the pandemic,” she says.
Emily is inspired and backed up by her family and friends, she says.
Her role model is Miles Monroe, whose philosophy she says is big on passion, purpose and leadership, and has helped her overcome certain challenges of the industry and keeps her pushing herself to her limits.
Emily says she has made wedding gowns for brides all over South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania, and her goal is to reach a wider international audience with the launch of her online store.
Her advice to those who want to turn their passion into a source of income is: “First you should take the risk and go for it full force.
“Also do the necessary homework, such as market research, and show up in terms of work ethic so that your clients can be interested and invested in what you are doing and producing.”
– unWrap.online
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