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MARA & MINE entrepreneurs Jasmine Yarbrough and Tamie Ingham (pictured left and right respectively) slipped into Hollywood like something out of a Cinderella story.
The girls somewhat fell into their business when they were busy building other dreams - Yarbrough as a model in Brisbane, and Ingham a stylist for magazines including CLEO and The Sydney Magazine in Sydney.
Running around between sets and shows, the penny dropped when they came to the simple realisation that heels didn't cut it and thongs just shouldn't.
"After 10 years as a model, with Chic in Sydney and NEXT in America, I wanted more stimulation outside of modeling. I have always worked on my own - being a model is quite independent - and I just couldn't see myself working for someone else," says Yarbrough.
"We took a trip to Europe together and talked about starting something on our own. We were running around set, needing to wear flat shoes but the 'right' kind of flat shoes and couldn't find a solid alternative to heels," says Ingham.
They've had a few Cinderella-style setbacks though, and caution about the importance of finding the right fit when it comes to manufacturing in particular.
"Finding reliable manufacturers would have to be the biggest challenge in fashion. Quality is key and delivery dates are really difficult to pin down, something we struggled with a lot in the beginning. We are on to our fourth manufacturer now, who is just incredible, but it's taken that long to find someone we can trust and rely on," says Ingham.
"I would help people starting out 100 per cent, but giving away your manufacturer, you just can't do it. We learnt that really early."
Yarbrough says the 'conversational fashion' aspect of Mara & Mine has driven the transition from a little Aussie label to a celebrity brand with a cult following and 50 stockists.
"Our shoes are icebreakers and everyone who wears them wants something a little different. The gem skull slipper is the best seller, it's what all the celebrities are photographed in - Margot [Robbie] even has a pair, which she purchased herself."
Yarbrough says their success comes down to all about 'the right people, worn well' - but they refuse to pay influencers, opting to ask influencers what pieces they will actually wear and gift them instead.
"All companies seem to 'pay and spray' influencers these days, which means they pay a fortune and send as much product as they can, hoping they get a photo," she says.
Ingham says start small, and don't think you have to come into Hollywood with a bang.
"Mistakes are expensive. You never want to have too much inventory on hand. In this business, it's better to start with $100,000 than $1 million. We also don't want to alienate our customers by going too mainstream."
Business News Australia
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