Fashion
I was so shy growing up but now my fashion brand Odd Muse is worth £5 million after forcing myself to be confident
GROWING up as the shy girl in class, Aimee Smale never could have imagined that just a few years later she would be running a multi-million pound fashion label.
But she is: her brand Odd Muse turned over £5 million in 2023, just three years after she walked away from her £21,000-a-year administration job.
SuppliedAimee Smale set up Odd Muse from her bedroom when she was just 22-years-old[/caption]
SuppliedJust three years later, the brand is a wardrobe staple for tens of thousands of women globally[/caption]
The 26-year-old was a Buyers Assistant at ASOS but always dreamed of designing luxury clothes that were affordable for young women.
She landed the role fresh out of university and just a year later founded Odd Muse from her bedroom after finding “no job satisfaction” working from home in the pandemic.
The entrepreneur was just 22-years-old at the time and “almost arrogant” in her belief in the brand.
But if there’s ever a case for having too much belief, it’s Odd Muse.
Aimee ordered £12,000 worth of stock with personal savings she’d built up while working at ASOS, which sold out days after the first launch.
The brand made over £100k in its first three months of trading, and then quadrupled its revenue from £440k to £1.7 million in 2022.
“I just remember thinking fashion when I left university aged 21 was fast fashion, which is all we can afford, and the luxury sector is unattainable,” Aimee says.
“Back then, I knew no-one my age was going to buy a £2,500 YSL blazer.
“I just wanted to offer a fast fashion alternative and justify a price point that encouraged re-wearing and investing in your wardrobe.
“I wanted it to be intergenerational fashion; it doesn’t have to be Chanel to be handed down.
“I felt like there was a whole missing market not being promoted to younger women, so I stepped in and created Odd Muse.”
Aimee quit her job as a Buyers Assistant after just one year in the role, despite undertaking a three-year Fashion Buying degree to land it.
I was so shy growing up, and people really don’t believe that
Aimee Smale
“I was 22 and I honestly thought I knew everything,” she adds. “I was almost arrogant in it as I believed in it so much.
“Obviously, Odd Muse humbled me very fast.”
Aimee says that her desire to set up the mega-successful fashion brand, which turned over £5.2 million last year, was rooted in “so much ambition and belief in her idea”.
The style of Odd Muse clothes is everyday pieces that are curated in timeless, durable and versatile designs.
It went viral for its Ultimate Muse stretch-crepe blazer, with the first 100 units Aimee ever produced selling out in a matter of days.
“I’ve learnt a lot over the last three years,” Aimee says. “The brand hasn’t changed a lot, but we’ve grown a lot thanks to different business lessons.
“Confidence was something I had to train myself in.
“I was so shy growing up, and people really don’t believe that.
“Even in things I do now, like Odd Muse’s runway show last September, I was absolutely petrified.
“Nothing has scared me like that, but now we’re doing it again this September.
“It’s just about scaring yourself a little bit so that you know next time, it’ll be fine and you’ve got all of the confidence in the world.”
We have built such an amazing community of women worldwide that are obsessed with this brand
Aimee Smale
Aimee’s role in the business is Creative Director as she loves sketching Odd Muse products on her iPad and being heavily involved in the brand’s social media content.
A quick look on the Odd Muse TikTok profile will show you a sea of videos of Aimee posing in her iconic dresses and interacting directly with customers.
She’s the poster girl of her own business thanks to her relatable personality, which helps fashionistas resonate with the brand’s messaging and the people bringing its products to fruition.
Aimee hails social media as pivotal to the success of Odd Muse, and says she is “set on authenticity” when posting on both her personal and professional channels.
The brand reacts to TikTok trends to create viral content that pushes the products, including a last-minute trip to Paris in May last year to record videos dancing to Taylor Swift songs.
Aimee’s Top 5 Business Tips
Never stop believing in your idea, even when the going gets tough
Interact with your customers on social media and take their feedback on board
Take risks that scare you to build confidence for the next risk you have to take
Be authentic online to build a rapport with customers and resonate with them
Start off by doing things that feel low risk, like sketching clothes or drafting business plans
“Having fun with the brand has really boosted our community,” Aimee says.
“We’re connecting with our customers so differently to how any other luxury brands are.”
For the upcoming year, Odd Muse is even more driven to strengthen its community.
“We have built such an amazing community of women worldwide that are obsessed with this brand,” Aimee says.
“Our thing is building out that community and what we can do, like in-person events for our customers.
“The brand does so well worldwide, so I want to make sure I’m facilitating international launches.”
A whopping 60% of Odd Muse’s orders per day are sent to the US, while its permanent boutique in London’s Covent Garden will be celebrating its first anniversary on March 11.
GROWING up as the shy girl in class, Aimee Smale never could have imagined that just a few years later she would be running a multi-million pound fashion label.
But she is: her brand Odd Muse turned over £5 million in 2023, just three years after she walked away from her £21,000-a-year administration job.
SuppliedAimee Smale set up Odd Muse from her bedroom when she was just 22-years-old[/caption]
SuppliedJust three years later, the brand is a wardrobe staple for tens of thousands of women globally[/caption]
The 26-year-old was a Buyers Assistant at ASOS but always dreamed of designing luxury clothes that were affordable for young women.
She landed the role fresh out of university and just a year later founded Odd Muse from her bedroom after finding “no job satisfaction” working from home in the pandemic.
The entrepreneur was just 22-years-old at the time and “almost arrogant” in her belief in the brand.
But if there’s ever a case for having too much belief, it’s Odd Muse.
Aimee ordered £12,000 worth of stock with personal savings she’d built up while working at ASOS, which sold out days after the first launch.
The brand made over £100k in its first three months of trading, and then quadrupled its revenue from £440k to £1.7 million in 2022.
“I just remember thinking fashion when I left university aged 21 was fast fashion, which is all we can afford, and the luxury sector is unattainable,” Aimee says.
“Back then, I knew no-one my age was going to buy a £2,500 YSL blazer.
“I just wanted to offer a fast fashion alternative and justify a price point that encouraged re-wearing and investing in your wardrobe.
“I wanted it to be intergenerational fashion; it doesn’t have to be Chanel to be handed down.
“I felt like there was a whole missing market not being promoted to younger women, so I stepped in and created Odd Muse.”
Aimee quit her job as a Buyers Assistant after just one year in the role, despite undertaking a three-year Fashion Buying degree to land it.
I was so shy growing up, and people really don’t believe that
Aimee Smale
“I was 22 and I honestly thought I knew everything,” she adds. “I was almost arrogant in it as I believed in it so much.
“Obviously, Odd Muse humbled me very fast.”
Aimee says that her desire to set up the mega-successful fashion brand, which turned over £5.2 million last year, was rooted in “so much ambition and belief in her idea”.
The style of Odd Muse clothes is everyday pieces that are curated in timeless, durable and versatile designs.
It went viral for its Ultimate Muse stretch-crepe blazer, with the first 100 units Aimee ever produced selling out in a matter of days.
“I’ve learnt a lot over the last three years,” Aimee says. “The brand hasn’t changed a lot, but we’ve grown a lot thanks to different business lessons.
“Confidence was something I had to train myself in.
“I was so shy growing up, and people really don’t believe that.
“Even in things I do now, like Odd Muse’s runway show last September, I was absolutely petrified.
“Nothing has scared me like that, but now we’re doing it again this September.
“It’s just about scaring yourself a little bit so that you know next time, it’ll be fine and you’ve got all of the confidence in the world.”
We have built such an amazing community of women worldwide that are obsessed with this brand
Aimee Smale
Aimee’s role in the business is Creative Director as she loves sketching Odd Muse products on her iPad and being heavily involved in the brand’s social media content.
A quick look on the Odd Muse TikTok profile will show you a sea of videos of Aimee posing in her iconic dresses and interacting directly with customers.
She’s the poster girl of her own business thanks to her relatable personality, which helps fashionistas resonate with the brand’s messaging and the people bringing its products to fruition.
Aimee hails social media as pivotal to the success of Odd Muse, and says she is “set on authenticity” when posting on both her personal and professional channels.
The brand reacts to TikTok trends to create viral content that pushes the products, including a last-minute trip to Paris in May last year to record videos dancing to Taylor Swift songs.
Aimee’s Top 5 Business Tips
Never stop believing in your idea, even when the going gets tough
Interact with your customers on social media and take their feedback on board
Take risks that scare you to build confidence for the next risk you have to take
Be authentic online to build a rapport with customers and resonate with them
Start off by doing things that feel low risk, like sketching clothes or drafting business plans
“Having fun with the brand has really boosted our community,” Aimee says.
“We’re connecting with our customers so differently to how any other luxury brands are.”
For the upcoming year, Odd Muse is even more driven to strengthen its community.
“We have built such an amazing community of women worldwide that are obsessed with this brand,” Aimee says.
“Our thing is building out that community and what we can do, like in-person events for our customers.
“The brand does so well worldwide, so I want to make sure I’m facilitating international launches.”
A whopping 60% of Odd Muse’s orders per day are sent to the US, while its permanent boutique in London’s Covent Garden will be celebrating its first anniversary on March 11.
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