Meet Mariela, the founder of Studio Mariela.
As a part of our spotlight for International Women’s Day #Breakingthebias we wanted to highlight some inspirational individuals in our own community.
Mariela comes from Bulgaria, where she also studied to be a dress maker in college. She worked as a designer in a children’s clothes factory in the 90s and has been a seamstress for over 30 years. After working for various employers over the years, Mariela finally decided to start her own business in 2014 as an independent tailor.
In 2006, Mariela moved to Plymouth to start a life with her now husband in his home town. They moved to Stonehouse, and have been here ever since. Mariela now has her own studio in the HQ Business Centre of the Millfields Trust after 8 years of working from home.
Mariela Said: “I mentioned to Andreas, one of my clients, that I am looking to expand my business and move into my own studio, to which he suggested that I have a look at the Millfields Trust. I spoke to Mandy and Sadie at the Trust, who were very helpful, and the rest is history!’’
“You can’t work in fashion for over 30 years, without it being one of your passions. Alongside this, my other love is running and I even set myself a challenge 5 years ago to complete a marathon each year, which I have now completed (thank goodness).”
“My independence as a woman is very important to me. Over the past year I have found out that the more independent I become, the happier I am. I think that as a woman, it is very important to have something you can call your own, in my case, this is my business.”
“My advice to women who are looking to start their own business is to prepare for hard work, and not much social life. It will take a few years to build your business and a name for yourself, but in the end, your hard work will pay off.”
We’re sure you will agree that Mariela is an inspiration, not only as an experienced fashion industry ambassador but also as a hard working female business owner. We are delighted to include her as a part of our spotlight for International Women’s day #Breakingthebias