Mrs Boss - Angelique
‘’ ‘’Empowering women through our collection: that is something we do every day and it’s something that is really important to me. You should take pride in the woman you are and show more of your femininity! But for example I still notice that customers have doubts about what clothes suit them or that they feel reluctant to wear a dress. It really is a shame! Our product descriptions, pictures of a diverse group of models and customers, our social media and the styling advice offered through our Customer Care and in Store are aimed at assisting women as much as possible in this regard. But I’m also passionate about empowering the women within our company. There is still a notion that a successful woman is a rare breed. That’s also something I have always noticed when attending awards ceremonies or other events: more often than not, I was the only woman up on stage. Even though having women up there as well as men should be a matter of course. I think it’s remarkable that men who occupy top jobs still earn more money than women on average and I hope that we can finally close the gender pay gap. As far as I’m concerned women should really stand up for themselves when it comes to the financial aspects. In all the job interviews I have conducted so far, it’s only women who sometimes mention that the salary is not the most important aspect when the subject is discussed. I have never heard a man say anything like that. There is still a lot to be gained by women in that respect.’’
You had a dream and that’s how Topvintage began in your living room in 2008; since then it has become Europe’s favourite retro boutique. What is your advice for other women who have certain dreams or ambitions?
‘’I had a dream and a vision, but I was also well-prepared and determined. For example, back then I didn’t just speak to an advisor of the Chamber of Commerce but also to successful entrepreneurs around me. I also wrote a business plan. Because it is important that your dream is realistic and a way of making money. You need to assess how unique your idea or concept is: does it stand out? All these factors impact the success of what you would like to do, the idea that you have come up with. It’s also important that you embrace challenges and that working to overcome challenges energises you. People often only see the advantages and have a very romantic image of owning your own business, but it’s a lot of hard work! I started my business from my living room. Running a business from home, which made it difficult to separate my work and my personal life, did take its toll.’’
What is the strength of a real female-driven company?
‘’Topvintage employs really talented power women and to me that goes without saying. After all, how credible is it for a female-driven company to hardly employ any women? For me soft creative energy is important, of course men also have that sometimes, but often to a lesser degree. We add a certain emotion to our collections by giving the items names and by writing elaborate product descriptions. When I started 14 years ago, there were hardly any webshops who did this. We buy something based on emotion and for that we need certain information. An item of clothing makes you feel a certain way and being able to convey that specific feeling online takes a special skill and is one of the secrets to our success!’’
In which item or outfit do you feel most empowered?
