Some of my favourite brands and businesses are run by powerful women and there are so many more emerging. It makes me so hopeful for the future. Recently I’ve been supporting lot’s of female run buinesses, unintentionally actually! Loungewear from Charlottes Love & KTB Studio, artwork from Cliodhna Doherty and Laura Duffy Art and handmade jewellery from Bloba. I feel a sense of pride for womankind when I see strong female business owners excelling.
On International Women’s day I was thinking about some of the modern ‘Girl Bosses’ that inspire me. Women that are making a change by creating sustainably, opening conversations, empowering women and supporting other women. That’s what I want to see in the world and there’s so much more to come from the female population.
Rihanna
Rihanna is the ultimate ‘Girl Boss’ in my eyes. Fenty Beauty was a revolutionary beauty brand when it first launched in 2017. It inspired me and girls all over the world. It’s inclusive shade range and ‘beauty for everyone’ aesthetic was incredibly empowering and remains so. I was lucky enough to work on the Fenty Beauty counter in Harvey Nichols and it made me love it even more and appreciate Rihanna as a business woman. The joy on every persons face as they browsed the collection was incredible and that’s the case all over the world.
Obviously Rihanna didn’t stop with makeup, she went on to launch Fenty Skin, Savage X Fenty lingerie line and Fenty fashion line with luxury goods group LVMH (now ceased). Rihanna became the first black woman to lead a house under the LVMH brand when the Fenty range launched in spring 2019 which is so remarkable. Her Savage X Fenty fashion shows have been groundbreaking for diversity and inclusivity and has inspired people the world over.
Fans have been complaining that she hasn’t released new music in so long and that she should focus her efforts back into music, but I disagree. I’ve always been a fan of Rihannas music, but I think business is her calling. What she has done in such a short space of time is incredible and is the change we all needed to see in the beauty and fashion industry. I would love to see her continue on this upwards trajectory.
Grace Beverley
Forbes 30 under 30, Drapers 30 under 30, Founder, CEO, Author, Influencer, what hasn’t Grace Beverley achieved? She made the power move to mix fitness with sustainability and it’s what we were all crying out for. Her activewear brand TALA shows that sustainable can be affordable and inclusive. Grace was missing this in her own life so she made it happen herself! That is serious girl boss energy!
Grace made her dreams a reality at the age of 22. I turn 23 his month and I’m suddenly feeling very unsuccessful! She hadn’t even finished her degree in Oxford University and had this brilliant idea and ran with it. She used her following and influence to gain support for her brand and became a successful entrepreneur. What an inspiration.
Keilidh Cashell
It seems every MUA is launching a beauty brand, each with their own identity. The one I have been most drawn to recently is Kash Beauty, founded by mega influencer Keilidh Cashell. Her beauty brand Kash Beauty has such a strong identity and you can tell that so much energy has gone into making it the best it can be. The products are luxurious with an affordable price point and it seems that she is really in tune with what her fans want.
Although Kash Beuaty is a new brand and only Keilidh’s latest venture, she has been making a name for herself for a very long time. She has been the number one beauty influencer in Ireland for years. If I’m correct, she is the influencer with the largest instagram following at 604K! Tik Tok is the newest platform she’s taken over and she creates amazing content there too! What I love about her is her laid back easy going attitude but clear ambition and drive. Fair play Keilidh!
Emily Weiss
The original super intern! We first saw her on The Hills when she took Teen Vogue by storm and blew all the other interns out of the water. Who knew she would come to be the founder of internationally renowned beauty brand Glossier. Before Glossier, there was Into the Gloss, a beauty website devoted to people sharing the products they love. She created a community of beauty lovers and grew it into a brand.
What I admire about Emily so much is her taste. She made Glossier the most desired brand across the world with clever marketing and effective messaging. The brand is built around the customers concerns and makes us feel as though we can have it all with the slogan “Skin First, Makeup Second, Smile Always”. Pure genius. The brand is impeccably curated and has a clear style and image. Emily brought her minimalistic style and beauty expertise to the brand and has created a phenomenon.
Samantha Barry
Although Samantha isn’t a business owner, she runs a BIG business, Condé Nast’s Glamour Magazine. A Cork native she worked her way up to the 38th floor of The World Trade Centre as Editor In Chief. She has and always will be an inspiration to me as a young Irish woman working in PR and media. If she has Anna Wintour’s approval then she definitely has mine!
Humble and gracious, she is very private and just gets stuff done! She has had a huge impact on the media industry from all of her work in her career culminating into every girls dream job but not one many can get. She is the only woman for the job and succeeds in everything she does. Watching her documentary, Fearless: Samantha Barry showed her drive and passion for her career and role, especially as she prepared for the biggest event of that year, the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. And what a successful woman to lead that event.
References:
Hello Chlo 