Abbey Saunders is a cool millennial.
After a peruse of her LinkedIn, I am expecting a shock of bright green hair. But on the day we meet it's soft rose-pink and blond, and half scraped up in a top-knot.
A beautifully intricate tattoo covers her whole neck - like a permanent chain-mail necklace.
She's accompanied by her business partner and boyfriend - as I soon discover - Vinnie.
As we settle down to chat in the Natwest accelerator hub in Bristol, where Abbey and Vinnie's business is based, the couple break out into an argument about when the women's brand began.
Abbey reminds Vinnie that she came up with the idea to launch a women's fashion brand after they met in 2016.
"Sorry about the argument," she says, turning to me bashfully.
"He's my boyfriend, which is why I was so blunt with him."
Vinnie momentarily looks embarrassed, smiles and apologises too.
The duo, who met on Tinder, run a fashion company called Suxceed, which they have grown into a successful online business with a massive social media following in just under three years.
Here, Abbey tells their story.
"I never set out to have a business. It was a project and it was exciting and fun"
I have always loved fashion, and then I discovered Depop which came out in 2011.
It’s an app a bit like Instagram, but you can sell clothes. I always used to find things on there which were cheap but new, so I would buy them and resell them.
It was just a hobby I had. I was working part time in Bristol in bar jobs and retail, and then I met Vinnie on Tinder in 2016.
He had founded a men’s clothing company called Suxceed, which was about a year old.
About six months into our relationship Vinnie was going to order his summer stock and I suggested a women’s range.
We bought some zip-up hoodies and leotards from a wholesale place where you can print your own stuff on. We found a manufacturer overseas that was cheap, but the minimum quantity we needed to order was really high.
So I decided to make the bikinis myself as it wasn’t much money to buy the material.
I bought a £60 sewing machine from Hobbycraft and after the first couple of times doing it, it really took off.
I took pictures of myself, cropped my head off the photos and gave them to a couple of people I knew on Instagram. It grew from there.
I also watched YouTube videos and bought better machines as demand increased.
We now have 54,000 followers on Instagram and are also selling on Asos. We also have our own website, which Vinnie designed.
Last year we got stocked in Topshop Bristol. They approached me because they saw our stuff online through social media.
We are now taking 50 online orders a week on average. Most girls buy two to three items, so it’s a lot for me to make!
I never set out to have a business. It was a project and it was exciting and fun, and it grew.
The retail industry has changed completely. As a brand I don’t envisage us having a physical store because it is too much rent. We could put money for rent into marketing and celebrities.
The biggest challenge is keeping up with the demand.
There have been many days where I have burst out crying because it feels too much, but I wouldn’t change it.
So many people want clothes and they want them now. People want next day delivery and free returns; they don’t want to pay for anything.
This mentality is ruining the online shopping industry.
Our clothes are made to order so it takes four to five days to ship out to customers. In the summer with the amount of orders I struggle.
A lot of people get put off by something if it is not easy. In the fashion industry it is very hush-hush and people won’t really tell you their secrets.
You have to do your research, have confidence and know exactly what you want to do and how you are going to do it.
I am planning to employ one or two people this year, which will mean I can hopefully come off the sewing machines and focus on the business strategy.
To find out more about Abbey's work, visit suxceedwomens.com.
