Daniela Sa RAINE: Why did you pursue a career in the fashion industry? DANIELA DE SÁ: It’s been a long way, and as in any career with very good moments, good moments and not so good moments, it’s been a challenge. Since I came from a Portuguese family related to fashion through my grandfather, I can say that I was born in the heart of fashion. My grandfather had a company that produced shoes. Since then we have been shoemakers, and since my childhood I am used to hearing about fashion- trends, materials, production, etc. My first fashion job was in my father’s company, where I was a board member and I managed all the departments of the company. We were producing to high-end brands e.g. Gucci. While working in my father’s company, I learned about the high standards of the fashion industry and also realized how fashion is a polluting industry. As a fashion lover and a planet lover, I started to think of a way of getting both things together in a fashion brand. That was the moment that I quit my job in my father’s company and started to pursue my dream of creating a luxury sustainable brand. I flew to Italy and spent some time in Milan to learn more about fashion, patterns and design. It was an amazing time of discovery! When I came back to Portugal, I started Najha Fashion with luxury, vegan and sustainable concepts and started to create the marketing plan! RAINE: How do you feel about being the first woman in the family business? SÁ: It is a huge responsibility! Although I quit my job in my father’s company to start my own business, at this moment I am the only one in the family moving forward with the shoe business, alongside that I am the only woman. It’s very challenging to have this huge heritage from my family and let my work be known in the world, adding the concept of sustainability and veganism. RAINE: Why did you choose to use sustainable materials in your designs? Was it difficult to find sustainable materials to use? SÁ: I have been vegetarian for 19 years, and I can tell you while I was working in my father’s company, it started to be very difficult to work with leather materials. Since then, I started to look for sustainable materials. For the first collection I started to use cork which is a material traditionally Portuguese and not only sustainable but also vegan. It was a huge discovery! I was always looking for new materials, which at the beginning were very hard to find, and suppliers were not focused on sustainability. At this moment, as sustainability is an issue that matters, materials are easier to find, and currently I am using fabric upcycled from marine litter, organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled soles and others. One thing that is important to me is to make sure that these materials have high standards of quality, and before any product is in the market I test them in shoes, bags and apparel. RAINE: Was the transition difficult going from working in your family business to starting your own? SÁ: It was really, really challenging. First of all, I had a huge resistance in my family because I was supposed to move forward with my father´s company. I could tell that I didn’t have any family support and sometimes I had some push back from family members. It was really difficult at that time. But I was focused on bringing the brand to reality. I had the knowledge about company departments: I studied design, marketing and management, I had a huge experience in production and I had a range of trustful suppliers, so I had everything to start. It was difficult, but with focus and dedication I started to materialize my goals step by step. And today it keeps being challenging. We always have decisions to make, goals to achieve and strategies to create. It is a challenging work in progress, but is worth it!
Najha Fashions RAINE: Have you faced any challenges being a woman entrepreneur in your industry and if so, how did you overcome them? SÁ: Definitely yes, I had many challenges as a woman entrepreneur! I challenged my suppliers and producers for new products, new materials and new ways of production, and I felt a lot of resistance not only because of new things but also because there was that feeling, “If I was a man no one would question!” Men’s opinions are much more listened to than women’s opinions. Even in my father’s company I felt a lot of resistance! I faced a lot of why´s and no´s, starting a vegan and sustainable concept in a highly traditional industry... it was chaos, I can tell! I realized that people were doubting about the concept and thinking that I was crazy and I was wanting to change the whole company... OMG, it was hard! Actually, I am wanting to change the whole industry, definitely at the beginning it was chaos! When in the media we started to listen more about sustainability, I felt partners become more relaxed in what I was asking. Bringing a new concept to the fashion industry and being a woman, I had to work three or four more times to be listened to. Even today, sometimes I feel that resistance, but at this moment I created my own strategy to overcome them. The main thing is to be persistent and clear in what we ask. I always know what I am asking for because sometimes a “no” turns to a “yes”. Studying all the subjects to be an expert in them is very important! RAINE: What is your proudest moment in your career? SÁ: I have some proudest moments, which gave me inspiration to move forward and to keep faith in what I was doing: The first one: I was nominated for “Best Designer of the Year - Accessories Category” by Drapers Magazine. The second one: I was selected for the IVLProgram for the entrepreneurship and innovation of the product by the US Embassy in Portugal, and at this moment my company is based in the USA. The third one: I was selected to present the collection in New York Fashion Week with Flying Solo as an independent designer. The fourth one: Najha Fashion was selected to be part of Laurel Excellence Brand Association which put the brand side by side with high-end brands all around the world. At this moment the board calls it the “Tesla” of fashion, which is a huge achievement. RAINE: What words of wisdom can you share with others on a similar journey? SÁ: Three words are important - focus, confidence and persistence - and it’s challenging. For sure you will have many people wanting to give their personal opinion and wanting to change your route. Always listen to them, warmly welcome all the options and choose wisely which ones are useful for you. I had some of those situations even with employers and I had to always keep my focus on what was and is my vision, because what we see mostly the others don’t see, and we have to lead them to reach the goal and put together all their skills for the vision. It’s very important that you believe in yourself and keep the focus on what you believe, because it is what gives you strength to move forward. RAINE: Do you have any exciting plans coming up? SÁ: A new collection is always an exciting plan. At this moment I am creating a new collection to present in New York Fashion Week next February! I am also looking for a first round of investment and it is very, very exciting pitching in some events all around the world! Presenting the brand and being focused on showing how we can change the whole fashion industry to investors is very exciting. What I propose is a complete new paradigm of this industry, and this is also so exciting!
