From Broken Heart to Brand Founder - Meet Jenny, the Woman Behind Style by Kezy

Ok, ok, I see you rolling your eyes.

Just another Founder babbling on about her story.  Yup, correct, only I’m not just another Founder, I’m me, Jenny, here with my first blog.

Founder Stories like mine, if you’ve taken the time to read it, are pretty much all the same. They have a vision/dream, they pursue it and hey presto, a brand is born.

Mine is a little different, I too had a vision/dream but somehow life just got in the way.  Everything took precedence over it and so it got pushed further down the list. Fast forward to a few years ago when I jumped onto a plane bound for the UK to sit by my Mum’s hospital bed. I made it with a couple of days to spare before at 4:10am on a grim day, with my hand on her chest, she took her last breath.

Those who have lost loved ones will understand the pain and sadness that was and that does still consume me.

Maybe I was a little vulnerable at the time but sitting talking to someone very special to me, I got the push to move forward with my dream. From that point on it was full steam ahead.

I returned home to Australia with a broken heart but with the determination to push forward.  With research under my belt, I approached a few manufacturers to partner with and after meeting with them, there was one stand out for me.  Whilst I am a bad judge of character, you’d think being the age I am I would have this nailed by now but alas, I believe in following my gut.  Let’s be real, it has let me down occasionally but as a rule it’s usually on point.  So, with that sorted it was then moving on with the pieces that I wanted to create.

That should have been easy, “let’s make clothes for women 5’2” and under.”  Let me tell you it’s not.  I had absolutely no idea at the start of all this what was involved in producing one item, let alone 13, which was my magic number for the first launch.

Fit after fit, it had to be perfect.  My manufacturer didn’t miss a thing; she has eyes like an eagle and the honesty of a best friend.  Her experience shines through in everything and I certainly could not have done this without her guidance.

We tested, see if you can squat in the shorts (because we do that when not dressed in activewear), sit on the chair and see if the skirt rises too high, wash test it.  Yup all of that happens, but that’s not all.

I wanted my clothes to be size-inclusive, so we fit across sizes 6 – 18.  What did I learn? No two bodies are the same, so we adjusted the patterns accordingly.  One of my pet hates is anything sleeveless that shows those horrid bulges by your armpits.  So, everything we produce must hide them as best as possible without making the garment uncomfortable.

If it ended with the clothes that would be that, but so much other stuff needed to be done in the backend.  Website, swing tags, labels, packaging and so on.  The list was and continues to be long. 

Funnily I thought, once that was all done, that was it. Boy, was I wrong. It’s never done.  There is always something to be done or updated. Always something that needs attention.

So here I am, later in life, instead of slowing down, learning new things, attempting new skills and trying my best not to run away from the camera.

I am also juggling working in and for our family business, continuing playing my tennis and carving time for family and friends.  My time management to date isn’t working too well but something I need to work on and perfect.

I’m rambling I know, but writing is something I like doing.  Something else about me, I wrote and had a book published.  A bit cringey when I read it back now, but it was something I wanted to do.  I put time aside every day to write my quota, finished it and received a publisher offer.  I didn’t do any marketing and that coupled with the fact that it probably wasn’t very good, resulted in it being a failure from that perspective.  For me doing it though was an achievement.

So now you have a little bit about me, stay close to hear more about me and my Style by Kezy brand -- an Australian petite women’s fashion label designed exclusively for women 5’2” and under.  For those not yet signed up, do so to stay in the loop and of course get 10% off your first order.

Till the next one.

Jenny x