Standing Up for Sustainable Fashion

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It is starting to become a bit of a tradition that one of our amazing alumnae is nominated and shortlisted for the prestigious annual GDST Alumna of the Year Award. 2021 was no exception with Isabella West, founder and CEO of Hirestreet, the UK’s leading fashion rental brand, achieving this coveted accolade. Built to compete with fast fashion, Hirestreet works with leading retailers including Whistles, French Connection, Ghost and most recently Marks & Spencer. With over one million site users, hirestreetuk.com has become the British go-to for sustainable, affordable outfits. As a young entrepreneur, we interviewed Izzy to find out more about her fascinating business and philosophy on life.

Tell us more about your role(s)?

I am the CEO of two businesses in the fashion rental space. I started Hirestreet in 2018 - I wanted to build a sustainable and affordable alternative to fast fashion consumption. In 2021, using everything I had learnt from Hirestreet, I launched Zoa which basically helps large retailers to start their own rental business.

Why did you start your businesses?

As a consumer I was being wasteful - I was buying outfits and wearing them only a few times. I started Hirestreet because I believed there was a better way of consuming fashion (particularly outfits for special occasions).

I started Zoa, because I realised that to truly change the fashion industry, I needed to lower the barriers to circular business models and help established retailers launch rental offerings of their own.

What are you most proud of?

At Hirestreet we have saved our customers over two million pounds by renting instead of buying. That’s a lot of garments that aren’t going to end up in landfill!

What did you study at A Level?

I studied Economics, Maths, English and Philosophy. I loved all of my subjects, the only thing I wish I could have added to the mix would be Computer Science - in the world I have entered into as a tech-founder that would have been incredibly useful.

What is the best advice you would give others wanting to start their own business?

Two things: Firstly start with a minimum viable product. Get something in the hands of consumers as soon as you possibly can, real life feedback from a paying customer is more valuable than 10 focus groups. Start small, gather data, learn and adapt. Do this over and over - never stop learning or listening to your customers.

Secondly always have a plan A, B, C, and D. Never leave yourself with just one option - it’s very difficult to be objective if you don’t have a set of good alternative actions to consider.

What about more general life advice?

Again probably two things: I believe you are the average of the five (or so) people you spend the most time with. Surround yourself with people who inspire you and who make you feel motivated.

I also believe that there is nothing more important in life than your family and friends. They pick you up when you’re down and celebrate with you when you’re up. I am so lucky, my school friends are still my best friends and they have supported me endlessly over the last ten years.

What is your favourite quote?

Everything will be alright in the end, if it’s not alright, it’s not yet the end.

Who inspires you?

J.K Rowling: For the power of creative thinking. Princess Diana: For sheer strength, determination and poise.

What’s next?

We still have a long way to go to transform the retail industry. One in five garments need to be traded via circular models by 2030 to align with sustainability goals - this means tripling the current share of the market. I think it’s incredibly important to inspire the next generation of fashion entrepreneurs to start circular, so one thing I would still love to do is to start a circular-fashion focused accelerator programme.

We can’t wait to watch Isabella bring her plans to fruition! The future of fashion certainly feels safe in her hands.

“Everything will be alright in the end, if it’s not alright, it’s not yet the end.”