Making fashion accessible and aspirational for all Australian women
Catherine is cofounder of LükBook, a company on a mission to make fashion unapologetically aspirational, completely attainable and easily accessible for the 66% of Australian women who wear 14+ size fashion.
From jeans to corporate attire, LükBook's sizing technology has resulted in a less than 10% return rate, curated some of Australia’s best 14+ fashion designers and built a unique community of women, collectively revolutionising how women can access fashion and created a space where women want to shop.
At I2N’s Startup Stories at I2N Hub Honeysuckle on Wednesday 1 February, University of Newcastle alumna Catherine Olivier shared how being underwhelmed and disempowered by women’s 14+ fashion drove her to start an e-commerce fashion company, and discovered that her lived experience reflected many other Australian women.
LükBook does not ask women to look smaller or fit the standard fashion sizes. Their biggest impact lies in inviting all women to “Come as you are”. With a 200% annual growth in brands signed and 60% month-on-month growth, LükBook has reached over 2 million women across social platforms and is disrupting societal expectations of beauty and fashion with every post.
Catch up on Startup Stories with Catherine Olivier
Top Takeaways
- Competition is high and the barriers to entry to an ecommerce fashion industry are low. Understanding your end consumer and honing in on your target market to deliver what they want is key to the longevity of your business.
- Data plays into the success of a business; you need to understand your performance marketing metrics and be able to drive the conversion. If you are not reaching the right market, you will miss the mark.
- Your lived experience can help drive your startup, but to get a market you need to know the lived experiences of others too.
The University of Newcastle's I2N works with individuals and organisations from across the Hunter region and beyond to turn ideas and challenges into opportunity. As a leading driver of economic and business growth, the I2N cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset that is behind many of the region's most innovative businesses and leaders.
Keep up to date with future I2N events, programs and opportunities by subscribing to I2N's monthly newsletter or visit www.newcastle.edu.au/i2n
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