‘Our passion for fashion made us a mint’

'WE TOOK A RISK - BUT IT PAID OFF'

Fed up with a lack of interesting jobs, Natasha Faith and Semhal Zemikael, both 23, from London, went travelling and were inspired to start jewellery brand La Diosa.

Natasha says: "Semhal and I both grew up in a fairly rundown part of east London. We met at 17 on the same philosophy A level course. It was fashion we bonded over, though - not Aristotle!

Semhal (left) and Natasha say passion has helped them succeed

Our parents were desperate for us to go to university, but we had no idea what we wanted to do and we wanted to see a bit of the world first. So we started working in clothes shops to save up some money, then in September 2005, we set off on our travels.

Part of our year away was spent living with a tiny community in Simojovel, Mexico. It was there that we saw local women making jewellery using stones such as amber and amethyst set into silver. They taught us how to do it and over the next six months, as we travelled Mexico, we kept our eyes open for gorgeous and unusual stones at local markets.

We sold our first piece in Mexico when we were on a night out. A girl asked if she could buy the rose quartz and amethyst necklace I was wearing - and she paid me £50 for it! That was when we thought we could make a business out of our jewellery.

We moved on to Tokyo, Hong Kong and south-east Asia and were always on the look out for gem and silver traders to supply us when we got back to the UK.

In August 2006, we arrived home and told our parents our plans. They weren't exactly over the moon, but we were determined. The Prince's Trust helped us with a business plan, we set up a small studio in a box room in my house and came up with the name La Diosa - Spanish for goddess. Five months later we were standing in department store Harvey Nichols in London, asking to see their jewellery buyer.

I don't know who was more shocked at our daring - her or us! But it paid off, as the buyer agreed to stock 20 pieces - priced between £200 and £400 - and they sold out in three weeks. We couldn't believe our jewellery was being stocked by a top store. They've ordered another collection, and we've set up a website which has attracted attention from a New York boutique.

Next year we hope to make £100,000. We're so passionate - which has helped us succeed. And now our parents are our biggest fans!"

Natasha and Semhal are ambassadors for Make Your Mark, a campaign to increase entrepreneurial skills among young people. Visit Makeyourmark.org.uk.

'I WENT FROM WORKING IN A CHIPPY TO HAVING MY OWN LABEL'

Helen Rochfort, 30, from Hitchin in Hertfordshire, borrowed £100 from her husband to start her handbag business.

"I finished college with a degree in fashion, textile and design and wanted nothing more than to start my own fashion label. But it was just a pipe dream.

Helen with some of her designs

My husband Julian, 38, was a DJ who worked nights, and we had a baby daughter Poppy, now five. I had to work around them, so I ended up taking a job in a fish-and-chip shop close to home. I spent every day behind the counter daydreaming about designs.

When Poppy started nursery at the age of two, I felt it was now or never. I decided handbags were the perfect way to show off my designs, so I quit the fish-and-chip shop and found a wholesaler on the web selling metal frames for handbags, which I could cover with material. I ordered 20 for £100 and borrowed the cash from Julian.

My first one had a 'Wonka' canvas chocolate bar on one side and a golden ticket on the other, customised with diamanté, ribbons and beads. It took me an hour and a half to make.

In December 2006, I put it on eBay and it sold for £75. Over the next week I made five more. Each one sold for £50, and they only cost £11 to make. Three months after I put my first bag on eBay, five different shops from around the world asked if they could stock them - one was a trendy New York boutique!

By August 2007, business was booming and I found a factory in Hong Kong to bulk-make the bags for me. But I still hand-finish each one with quirky motifs - and now the quality is better they sell for between £69 and £125.

In August 2008, I opened my own shop in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. And this summer Harrods began stocking my bags. Last financial year I made £100,000 from my business and I've taken on two members of staff. It's hard to believe it started with me daydreaming in a fish-and-chip shop!"

'PARIS HILTON WEARS MY CLOTHES'

Lamis Khamis, 37, from London, started up her self-titled clothing label which is now a celeb favourite.

"My first memory of wanting to design clothes was as a four year old living in Baghdad, Iraq. My aunt, Salma, was a seamstress and I would sit beside her as she made beautiful clothes.

Lamis Khamis

A couple of years later, my family and I moved to London. All through school fashion was my passion, but I had no idea how to get started.

I eventually fell into a career in advertising sales, but still dreamed of designing. I spent a fortune on fashion magazines to keep up to date. In my spare time I loved customising clothes and, in March 2002, I bought a pair of vintage jeans for £20, painted them and trimmed them with pins and brooches.

When I wore them, several people came over and asked where they were from. I said they were my creation and gave them my number. Later, as I flicked through rails in a small boutique, the manager asked if I'd make her some of my jeans! I customised 20 pairs at £120 each - and they sold out fast.

I decided to quit my job and set up a stall on Portobello Market. On my first day a lady came over and asked for a selection of my range to take back to the US. It turned out she was Patricia Field, the stylist for Sex And The City! That same day a stylist for Vogue placed an order for some jeans.

Lamis Khamis is now stocked in Topshop, and in 24 boutiques around the world. I'm opening my own store, Posh Frocks, in Essex. My turnover is around £150,000 a year. I've got a celeb following: Pink, Gwen Stefani and Paris Hilton wear my clothes. I'm seeing Paris when I go to LA this month with my new range. She's lovely and I feel so proud whenever I see her in one of my pieces!"

'COLEEN STOCKED UP ON MY JEWELLERY'

Chloe Moss, 27, from Chester, was inspired to launch her ChloBo range of silver jewellery after visiting Bali. Celebrity fans include Alex Gerrard and Coleen Rooney.

"When I think that just one chance conversation with a woman on a beach in Bali led me to a dream career at the helm of my own jewellery company, I have to pinch myself.

Chloe in some of her designs

I left school at 16 and got a job working for a tour operator. It was fun, but the daily grind got me down, so in 2003, aged 21, I decided to go travelling.

I had no idea what I'd do when I returned to the UK, but in April 2004 I arrived in Bali and everything changed. I've always loved jewellery - as a kid I was forever being ticked off for rummaging in my mum's jewellery box - and during my trip I'd amassed quite a collection of beads and bangles. One day, while sunbathing on the beach, I saw a woman beading intricate silver bracelets. I was enthralled and went over to ask her all about it. Watching her work, I knew instantly this was what I wanted to do.

Back in drizzly Chester, I began sketching ideas and thinking up a business plan. I could have bespoke beads made in Bali by a silversmith and shipped over, then I'd make and sell the pieces. Luckily my parents were supportive. As I'd been working since the age of 16, they knew I had a good work ethic, so Dad said I could borrow £5,000 from him to cover my start-up costs.

In June 2004, I flew back to Bali and spent three weeks buying stock and making contacts.

Alex Gerrard

Back home I put a table and laptop in our spare bedroom and waited for the first shipment to arrive, so I could begin making pieces. At first things were slow - I had no marketing budget so held jewellery parties for friends and local people. Gradually word spread, and within four months I'd sold all my designs and was reordering materials.

My big break came in June 2008, on a shopping trip to Liverpool. On previous trips to one of my favourite shops, Cricket, the owner had admired the pieces I was wearing. This time, she asked if she could stock them. Now Alex Gerrard and Jennifer Ellison wear my designs, and Coleen Rooney bought loads of pieces last year for her wedding in Portofino - I couldn't believe it when I saw the pictures of her wearing my jewellery in a magazine.

I'm now stocked in 20 boutiques around the country, plus I have a staff of four in the UK and employ silversmiths in Bali and Thailand. This financial year my turnover should reach over £200,000. Starting at £35, my pieces remain an affordable, chic treat."

'OUR ECO CLOTHES WILL MAKE US A MILLION!'

Mum-of-two Jane Olley, 37, from Leicester, and Rachel Jones, 25, from London, started young women's fair-trade fashion label Annie Greenabelle.

Jane says: "I gave up work after giving birth to my son Jamie in 2001. Six years later, and having had another child, Anaïs, who was then four, I'd had enough of being a stay-at home mum and was looking for part-time work. In May 2007, I met Rachel at a friend's dinner party in Leicester.

Rachel (left) and Jane met at a dinner party

We hit it off straight away. Rachel had just finished a design degree and wanted to launch her own fashion label, but didn't have the money. I was desperate to get back to work again and I had savings sitting in the bank. And I had 13 years' experience in retail - it seemed like fate!

We met a few weeks later so Rachel could show me her designs. Over the next few weeks we started to put together our business plan.

We both felt very strongly about ethical fashion, so we decided to set up a fair-trade company marketed towards 15 to 30 year olds.

At first, Rachel hand-stitched 15 pieces in girlie, flirty styles - including dresses, skirts and tops - in her flat in Nottingham. We named the range Annie Greenabelle - after Rachel's gran.

In June 2007, Rachel phoned with amazing news. She'd walked into a local boutique with some of her clothes and they had ordered £1,000 worth of items.

I couldn't believe it - someone had actually paid for our clothes!

At the same time we contacted Topshop to see about getting our label in store. After two months of meetings, we had four rails to fill in London's Oxford Street branch.

In September 2007, our first range of short floral dresses, leggings and jersey tops went into Topshop and was a huge hit, so I visited India to look for fair-trade factories to make the clothes for us.

Annie Greenabelle is now in nine boutiques across the country, and we sell 300 pieces a week in Topshop. Our turnover in the last financial year was £750,000.

My husband Richard, 43, a company director, has had to start helping out more with the kids and the housework. At first it caused a few arguments, but now he enjoys spending time with the kids. And he's so proud of me."

Top tips for starting up your own business:

1. Make sure your business is something you enjoy doing, as you'll be putting long hours into it.

2. Research the market, look at other similar businesses and discover that 'gap' that your business can fill.

3. Be honest with yourself. How good is your idea? Do you have the support and money in place to make it work? It's crucial to think things through before you jump in.

4. Contact your local council or enterprise agency for a fact-pack about grants and start-up loans.

5. Put together a business plan, stating your objectives, strategies and profit forecasts. This will help you have a realistic approach to your business.

ADDITIONAL WORDS: STEPH CLARKSON PHOTOGRAPHY: ALICIA CLARKE, REX, XPOSURE HAIR & MAKE-UP: ALICE THEOBALD, SHERRIE WARWICK VISIT HELENROCHFORT.COM, LAMISKHAMIS.COM, CHLO-BO.CO.UK, ANNIEGREENABELLE.COM

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