Meet leading Australian Fashion Designer Kym Ellery. In an extract from her new book Bold Moves: How to Stand Up, Step Out, and Make Your Next Bold Move (Wiley), our Ella Baché CEO Pippa Hallas talks to Kym about why it’s important to be bold and own your tribe.
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of collaborating with one of fashion’s great success stories Kym Ellery on the design and styling of our Ella Baché collection which is worn by thousands of Australian therapists across our salon network. Kym has not only survived but completely thrived in what has to be one of the most cut-throat industries on the planet.
Now living in Paris, clearly Kym’s made more than one bold move in her career and I wanted to tap into her motivations, her challenges, and the values that she holds dear, not just as a creative but as a brand builder and an employer. Our chat quickly morphed from an interview into an entire chapter within the book titled Own Your Tribe. Kym devoted much of our conversation to her passion for the people around her and whom she credits with having been instrumental to the brand’s success. For her it was critical to find the right people, with the right values to work with and support her. And that’s something in which I too firmly believe. I’d like to share an excerpt from our chat and her chapter in the book:
THE POWER OF POSITIVITY
“Developing your own style and ability to be confident and bold in a positive way really depends on how you express that boldness,” Kym says. “I think it’s important to always be elegant and respectful [as a leader]; being positive and remaining in the right frame of mind to be able to overcome the challenges and have that strength for you and everyone around you. To me, there’s always a solution. “
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS EVERYTHING
“I’ve been very lucky to have a lot of loyal people around me, but also having the emotional intelligence whether it is in your work, in business or in your personal life,” Kym shares. “You need to be able to have a good eye for people who share the right values and who will be committed to the project. Values are really important. People who have these are honest, hardworking and positive. They’re all things that I think I value the most and I want those same qualities in my team and the people around me.”
COLLABORATION IS KEY
“It’s a very big responsibility to own a business, as you know Pippa, and I have had moments over the years where I’ve felt extremely overwhelmed,” admits Kym.“In those moments,it’s important to have the right people around you: your team, your family and your friends. Just to be able to talk and ground you, work through difficult periods, or find a solution and create strategies together. I really rely on my right-hand team members in the business to find those solutions and work together. I think one of the most important things through all of it is about celebrating the wins together, and making sure that there’s a sense of accomplishment.“