An enterprising HND Media student is using her newfound skills to help promote and publicise her popular vintage clothing business.
Stella Beitinger (22) from Stirling who will complete her two year course at the end of June, has been building her own retro-clothing company called Naked Nancy Vintage, during her studies and has turned it into a stylish online brand.
Using her photographic, communication, social media and personal enterprise skills covered throughout her course, she has built up an impressive client base and is looking forward to continuing with it once she graduates.
Stella, said: “Naked Nancy Vintage sells vintage clothing mainly from the 80s and 90s online. Generally, an item of clothing is considered vintage when it is at least 20 years old and the type of stock I source changes a lot depending on the season and what is popular. At the moment I’m selling high waisted jeans, printed button up shirts, colour block windbreakers and jumpers, plus anything colourful or unique I can get my hands on.
“Doing the HND Media at Forth Valley has helped my business in many ways. The photography class helped me improve the photos I take of the clothing I sell online. Advanced social media has shown me how to make a social media strategy which will help me promote my business. The large variety of projects we were challenged with, have not only given me confidence in my capabilities but also made me more adaptable and comfortable with taking on new things, which I think is an important skill when you are self-employed or starting a business.
“I started out by selling my old clothing on sales apps like Depop and Vinted when I was 16 for an extra bit of pocket money. That is how I got familiar with selling things online. I started sourcing vintage clothing exclusively around two years later.
“Initially it all started in order to get some extra money on the side. Then, later it became my means of paying rent and supporting myself as a student. I’ve always been very interested in vintage fashion but I became passionate about it once I learned about the impact the fashion industry has on the environment.
“I enjoy running an online vintage shop because I get to work for myself and don’t have to worry about toxic work environments. It’s challenging in many ways and keeps me on my toes, but I know that all the effort I am putting in is ultimately benefitting me and supporting a shift to more sustainable fashion.
“The advice I would give anyone thinking about trying something similar would be that it can be tricky balancing the work you need to put into college and the work you need to put into your business. So time management is a very important skill to develop.
“What really helped me was keeping weekly planners and daily checklists. This might be hard in the beginning but it’s important to be consistent- it will become part of your routine before you know it. Also, it’s important to take time out for yourself, allow yourself to make mistakes and to ask for help.
“Currently I run an online boutique on other websites (Asos Marketplace, Depop), so my plan for the future is to expand and create my own website. I’m pretty open minded about the future so nothing is set in stone.”
To find out more about Stella’s Naked Nancy Vintage clothing visit https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/naked-nancy and to find out more about FVC’s range of Media courses and how they could help you, click here.