Today we’d like to introduce you to Venus Austin.
Venus, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Although BLANK Wardrobe is only two years old, BLANK’s concept was in development three years prior to its launch and I was being groomed for it ever since I can remember. As much as I tried to deny my interest and love for fashion and style, it kept coming back in different ways, whether it was other people wanting me to style them, or through my little stint in modeling, and into my fashion, beauty, and lifestyle blogger world – fashion and style always found a way back into my life. So, when I thought of BLANK, I was all in and ready to bring it to life. BLANK really embodies my experiences with fashion and style, hence the reason why I always say that we are more than clothes. It really is about being able to be part of a woman’s journey of discovering herself and becoming the woman she’s always wanted to be. We, as women are always evolving and the brand reflects that. I’m excited about the future and being able to see how BLANK continues to grow.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No! I think that people who say that entrepreneurship, especially in fashion is a smooth road are unicorns! There are many struggles in the journey, but I’d say that the biggest struggle I’ve had is balancing everything and keeping all of the balls in the air. It’s definitely tough at times to balance both especially as BLANK continues to grow. I have a 9to5 and I’m also a daughter, sister, wife, aunt, granddaughter, and dog-mom, so things get a bit sticky at times to keep everything going and everyone happy and supported.
My advice for women starting their journey is to know when to step away and take care of themselves. While I do believe there are seasons where you have to keep your head down and work to grow your business, within that you HAVE TO carve out time to take care of yourself, even if it is for 30 minutes a day. It’s essential and honestly should be a non-negotiable. I say that because I’ve experienced burn out and it is not fun digging yourself out of that in addition to keeping all the balls in the air. So, if you can avoid it, do so. Self-care is key to that.
We’d love to hear more about BLANK Wardrobe.
We are more than clothes. BLANK Wardrobe is a lifestyle brand that features women’s apparel. We strive to make fashion effortless and functional while educating women on how to build a foundational wardrobe with edgy basics. It’s all about adding versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched to create different looks that are representative of you. I think that this sets us apart from other clothing brands – while style is superficial, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t important – it’s actually really important no matter how you feel about it. And with it being that important, you need to learn how to lean into it and leverage it into your life. What people don’t understand is how connected style is to your personality – when you actually go through the process of discovering why you dress the way that you do and when you affirm that the way that you dress fits your personality or not, you uncover a lot of things about yourself that you may not know. It can be very therapeutic.
What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
The most important piece of advice that I would give a young woman just starting her career is to go after whatever they are passionate about or have an interest in no matter how off the wall it seems and no matter what others say about it. Remain the driver of your journey – it’s OK to get advice, but develop your discernment on the type of advice you receive and how you decide to implement it or not.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blankwardrobe.com
- Email: venus@blankwardrobe.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/theblankwardrobe
- Facebook: facebook.com/blankwardrobe
- Twitter: twitter.com/blankwardrobe
Image Credit:
Alfred Austin
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