My Big Idea

Hello and welcome to this week's episode of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast giving young women advice and inspiration to start their own businesses. Asos's Naomi speaks to this week's guest, Madeline Parra, Co-Founder and CEO of Twizoo, the layer on Twitter that discovers the best restaurants and bars by using Tweets as customer ‘reviews’. Twizoo listens to all Tweets about restaurants, bars, cafes, and pubs, looks at things like if it’s positive or negative, who tweeted it, when they tweeted it, if it got retweeted, and loads of other things. It then uses this information to rank the restaurants best to worst, based on what you’re searching for. Madeline believes that reviews have many fundamental flaws- few people leave them, even fewer can be trusted. Millions of dollars are spent every year building communities to leave reviews, and then policing to combat fakes. We all rely on customer reviews, but the industry is ignoring the best source for customer opinion - social media. Twizoo collects the... &n

Hello and welcome to this week's episode of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast, with your host Asos editor Lucinda Greasley. This week's guest is Miriam Attwood, founder of Edinburgh based arts PR company, Storytelling. Storytelling's priority is working with artists, creators, theatre-makers, producers and arts organisations who do what they do with integrity, the desire to tell a story and excite and engage audiences. Since she was a child, Miriam had always had a passion for a great story, be it told through theatre, song or poetry. Miriam now has ten years of experience in press relations and holds a degree in Drama & Theatre Arts with a concentration in Arts Journalism from Queen Margaret University. She has also held roles at some of the most prestigious arts organisations in Scotland: Media Manager at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Press & Digital Officer at the National Galleries of Scotland 2011 – 2013, and positions at the Citizen’s Theatre Glasgow and Edinburgh’s A

Hello and welcome to your latest episode of My Big Idea, an ASOS Podcast. This week's host Lucinda speaks with co-founders of SOAK Shakes & Co, Emma Knock and Roxy Vickerman. Their journey began with a shared love of diner-style milkshakes, a trip to Thailand, an itch to build their own sustainable business and a gap in the market. Following a trip to Thailand where the two learned to make their own coconut milk, Emma and Roxy noticed that it was almost impossible to find fresh, dairy-free milk drinks, and were disappointed to see how many stabilizers, preservatives and flavourings were added to the UHT milk alternatives available in local London stores. This spurred the two to create their own dairy-free milk drinks using their newly acquired milk-making skills. SOAK is now stocked in many cafes around London and in the Selfridges food hall, becoming increasingly popular with both those who do and don't consume dairy products. As if providing the public with natural, sustainable and impossibly...

Hello and welcome to episode 27 of the ASOS Podcast, My Big Idea. This week Caroline speaks with Vicky Graham of Hackney Bakery, Vicky's Donuts. Vicky's love of baking and numerous trips to visit family in Toronto, Canada led her to setup Vicky's Donuts in February 2015 with the idea to create a selection of donuts typical of the North-American style, with her own twist. Vicky makes a point of using the very best, organic ingredients on offer. All donut flavours are a combination of classic favourites and inventive originals, some examples being salted caramel and pretzel doughnuts and raspberry and lemon doughnuts, and each recipe has been handcrafted in Vicky's kitchen through a lengthy process of experimentation and taste-testing. Since its creation, Vicky's has gained huge popularity due to its quirky but classic flavours, being featured in Look, InStyle, Shortlist and Brides magazine. Vicky tells Asos's Caroline Ferry her advice to young women wanting to build a business in the food industry and... &

Hello and welcome to episode 26 of My Big Idea, an Asos podcast giving young women advice and inspiration to start their own businesses. This week's host Nellie speaks with Georgiana Huddart, creative director of British fashion brand HunzaG. Originally born as Hunza in 1984 under the direction of Peter Meadows, the label enjoyed huge success with its signature, unique crinkle-stretch fabric. The Hunza dress became an iconic 80s piece, with Julia Roberts wearing it in Pretty Woman. 30 years on, creative director Georgiana Huddart has collaborated with Peter to re-launch the brand as HunzaG. Georgiana ensures all the pieces are still made in London, consistent with the brand's British roots. Georgiana made contact with Pete Meadows after a friend of his noticed her home made hunza dress at a party. ‘I searched for five years to find the fabric. I managed to get hold of 40 meters and made my own dress', told Georgiana. After sporting the vintage style, Georgiana was put in touch with Pete and the two...

Hello and welcome to Episode 25 of My Big Idea. This week, our host Annie speaks with Fleur De Force, one of the most successful beauty and fashion vloggers in the UK. Her YouTube videos currently attract 4-6 million views per month, and between her two channels she has accumulated over 1.8 million subscribers, with her blog attracting an average of 100,000 unique visitors per month. Fleur's first book 'The Glam Guide' was released in February 2015. She has also launched an exclusive range of false eyelashes with top UK eyelash brand Eylure, and subsequently releasing her own capsule collection of makeup the same year, available from FeelUnique.com. In her youtube videos and on her blog, Fleur gives tips on beauty, fashion and lifestyle which have become hugely popular both in the UK and abroad. Fleur has also won a number of awards including runner up in the Johnson & Johnson Beauty Journalism Awards 2016: 'Best Established Beauty Vlogger' Category, winner of InStyle Magazine's Project 13 Award for...

Hello and welcome to episode 24 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast. Sharmadean Reid began WAH in 2005 as a little London-based fanzine about girls in hip-hop, which grew into a nail art empire praised by Vogue, Grazia, The New York Times, The Independant and countless other sources. Sharmadean had been working as a trend consultant since graduating from Central St Martins and instantly jumped at the idea to create WAH Nails in London's East End, Dalston. As WAH grew the company began to do shows at London Fashion Week, parties for huge brands such as Nike, Marc Jacobs and Diesel and had a successful week-long pop up salon in Selfridges. Since then, Sharmadean has been featured in Vogue as a part of the 'New Generation' and has opened a shop in Topshop, Oxford Circus. Following the brand's success, WAH has gained a cult following including the singer Lily Allen, and continues to grow steadily while staying true to WAH's roots. Asos Editor Danielle Radojcin talks to Sharmadean about brand's growth, including...

Hello and welcome to the 23rd episode of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast giving young women advice and inspiration to start their own businesses. This week our host Caroline interviews Cathy Radojcin, the owner of Shoreditch Bar, Shutterbug. With an emphasis on great drinks and great sounds, Shutterbug aims to stand out from the rest. Shutterbug is described as 'A new experimental crepe and cocktail speakeasy' in the heart of Shoreditch, London. The bar employs Romain Ragouin as their head chef and has gained popularity flash with the locals of Shoreditch, with menus comprised of sweet and savoury crepes, healthy lunches, fresh coffee, signature cocktails and wines and artesian beers. Cathy founded Shutterbug in 2014 after working in restaurants and events for over ten years, including work for Electric House and Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. Since its opening, Shutterbug has been featured in New York Magazine, Shoreditch Shaken and on Channel 4. Asos's Caroline Ferry chats to Cathy about how she came up with...

Hello and welcome to My Big Idea, an ASOS Podcast giving young women advice and inspiration to start their own businesses. This week we speak to Anna Liversidge of ASOS Marketplace Boutique, Lost in Time. Anna tells of how she selects her rare and wonderful vintage pieces and lets us in on the secrets of her success to date. Anna explains how she was happiest as a child were when she was making something: 'I didn't have a very cosy homelife growing up but whenever I was drawing, colouring or creating I felt like I was at home within myself. Creating is something I simply have to do'. From her love for embroidery, Anna began a textiles company, from which grew the vintage clothing boutique Lost In Time. Each piece sold at Lost in Time has been hand selected by members of Anna's team. The brand prides itself on handpicking vintage of the best quality, ensuring the brand is sustainable and trustworthy. Anna also runs a blog and an Etsy shop and is continuing to make gains in the world of vintage fashion....

Hello and welcome to episode 21 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast giving women advice and inspiration to start their own businesses. In this episode, Caroline speaks with Georgia Cummings, the Founder and CEO of Potage, a London-based food delivery service offering a daily menu of fresh and healthy dishes that are freshly made using organic, local and seasonal ingredients. Through Potage, Georgia aims 'to introduce people to a new way of eating'. Potage delivers fresh, nourishing, handmade meals to their customer’s desk or door - it's real food delivered. After the idea for Potage was born, during a walk in Hyde Park, Georgia spent a year testing recipes, collecting packaging samples, thinking about logistics, and slowly building a brand before starting the business with £1,000 savings. For the first year, Georgia cooked in her mum's kitchen and delivered on a bicycle. The business continued to grow, slowly and organically and now delivers to a large network of people, with recipes formulated by their... &

Hello and welcome to My Big Idea, an ASOS Podcast. This week our host Caroline Ferry speaks with Sarah Beckett, Ruba Huleihel and Sophie Slater of Birdsong, a marketplace for women who expect more from their wardrobe. Birdsong finds the best female makers and brings their fairly made fashion to you, no sweatshops, no photoshop. Started by three feminists in their twenties, Birdsong began in 2014 as founders Sarah, Sophie & Ruba saw the effects that funding cuts were having on women’s organisations. Many of these women had incredible crafting skills that weren’t being shown off to the world, so the three decided to create a platform to benefit these women. Birdsong now helps to make over £10,000 for women’s charities annually. The three created Birdsong with a very strong ethos behind the brand. Birdsong promises to deliver clothing and accessories that are ethically manufactured, high quality and made to last. They source products exclusively from women organisations and charities and 50-85% of revenue.

Welcome to the ASOS Podcast, My Big Idea. Episode 19's guest is South London's Lerryn Whitfield, Founder and Owner of Peckham's Lerryn's Cafe. Trying to find a way back to New York, following some good advice and encouragement from her friends, Lerryn decided to start her very own business and created much more than just a local Cafe. At the time of Leroy's creation, Lerryn was sleeping on a friends sofa with little money with which to start the business. Lerryn’s welcomed its first customers in April, exactly a month after Lerryn had purchased the former hair salon. She converted the space herself using DIY techniques and calling in favours from friends with very little money to fall back on. Lerryn's soon became an 'unpretentious café that attracts a broad mix from the local area, from young creatives to elderly couples'. Lerryn wanted the cafe to be 'as non-invasive as possible, to be accessible to everyone who walks along Rye Lane', contrasting to the surge in chichi cafes opening all around London....

Hello and welcome to episode 18 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast. This week our guests are Olivia Snape and Sylvie Gianella of Jewellery brand Gypsy East. The girls, who along with third co-founder Emily-Louise McGuinness, met as Visual Merchandisers at Topshop and Guess?, decided to travel the world in order to draw inspiration which led to forming their very own brand Gypsy East. Now a FestIval and ASOS Marketplace staple, Gypsy East draw many fans including pop sensation Paloma Faith. The mantra behind the brand is hand crafting one-of-a-kind pieces from vintage jewels & crystals they have discovered and collected on their travels around the world. They now stock a jewellery range sourced throughout their travels in India. In addition to this they hand craft floral head crown's and draw gypsy illustrations. Since its creation, Gypsy East has become a creative outlet where mediums such as photography, illustration, film, styling and art are all used by the girls to create the brand image. Olivia and..

Hello and welcome to episode 17 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast giving young women advice and inspiration to start their own businesses. This week our guest is the Founder of beauty App Ruuby, Venetia Archer. Venetia created the App as a way for beauty lovers to quickly discover salons and spas across London at their convenience when on the go. Ruby is described as 'London’s first digital beauty concierge', with all the salons, spas and therapists featured being carefully selected and vetted by the Ruuby team. The Ruuby App allows those with busy lives who travel frequently to find trustworthy, luxurious spas and salons free from hassle. Venetia recognised how hard it is to find good quality beauty therapists in unfamiliar places, such as when travelling for work, and decided to create a tool with which people could do just that. Ruby's salon and spa partners include Richard Ward, Daniel Galvin, Errol Douglas, W Hotel and London Edition, with the app being featured in Wired, Grazia and Sunday Times...

Hello and welcome to episode 16 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast. This week our guest is Creative Consultant, Writer and Stylist, Laurel Pantin. Having previously worked for Fashion magazines such as Teen Vogue, Glamour and Lucky, following a life changing move to South Africa, Laurel returned to Fashion as a successful Freelancer. Laurel has since worked with Asos, Into the Gloss, Topshop and Conde Naste, doing a variety of work from writing to styling. Laurel's classic, causal style, her favourite brands including Isabel Marant and Phillip Lim, has put her in high demand with brands and media alike. Her style icons are Dolly Parton, Lauren Hutton, and Jane Birkin, influencing her timeless style and laid-back approach to fashion. Laurel tells Asos editor Danielle Radojcin how she gained her it-girl status, how she formulated her personal style and how she plans to continue with her work. This is Laurel's big idea.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hello and welcome to episode 15 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast giving young women advice and inspiration to start their own businesses. This week our guest is the Founder and Creative Director of Hip Hop magazine BRICK, Hayley Louisa Brown. The London-based photographer and editor conceived the magazine as an intelligent union between fashion and music that rejects traditional hip-hop motifs in favour of clean, contemporary graphic design. The Hip Hop enthusiast created the first issue of BRICK in 2015, fronted by Wiz Khalifa and ScHoolboyQ. Since then, issues have contained content on artists including A$AP Ferg, Vince Staples, Cam’ron, Joey Bada$$ and Tinashe. Hayley previously worked as Clash magazine’s hip-hop editor and noticed the cliched approach to Hip Hop taken by magazines such as XXL and Source. Hayley believes that Hip Hop culture is more than half-naked girls, smoking supplies and gold chains. BRICK explores the cultural elements of Hip Hop and approaches the genre with a timeless and...

Hello and welcome to episode 14 of My Big Idea, an ASOS Podcast, with this week's guests Alex Hoffler and Stacey O'Gorman. Both trained chefs, Alex and Stacey formed The Meringue Girls after working together in a restaurant in Hackney. The two noticed the lack of female chefs in the catering industry, and subsequently, the lack of meringues. Alex and Stacey decided to kill two birds with one stone, creating the predominantly female baking brand. The two started off selling their confectionary in popular markets such as London's Broadway Market and made a connection with Jamie Oliver's food photographer, David Loftus. With his help, Meringue Girls took off, and is now attracting clients including Dior, Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Agent Provocateur, Adidas, Nike and Topshop. Alex and Stacey tell Asos editor Caroline Ferry about how they began Meringue Girls, sexism in the catering industry and their plans for the future. This is Alex and Stacey's big idea  S

Hello and welcome to episode 13 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast, with this week's guest Phoebe Lovatt. Since moving from London to Los Angeles in 2012, freelance Journalist and moderator Phoebe missed her close network of friends, described as 'a group of insanely smart, creative, focused, and driven women', more than she could've imagined - not least when it came to finding support and motivation in her working life. After two years unable to find anywhere to meet and work with like-minded women, Phoebe figured she should do something about it. In late 2014, she decided to build a space - both physical and virtual - that would be a meeting ground/support network for working women in LA and beyond. The WW Club allows creative, career-minded women to meet with kindred spirits, collaborate and swap business cards over happy hour cocktails. Phoebe recognised the lack of resources helping working women to further their careers and enabling them to collaborate creatively and support each other. This... &n

Hello and welcome to episode 12 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast giving young women advice and inspiration to start their own businesses. Wired PR is a London-based PR agency specialising in music. Wired handle all aspects of publicity, from bespoke features and interviews, to acoustic sessions, photo-shoots and cover stories, across national print press and global online outlets. They only take on artists they truly believe in and pride themselves on delivering fresh ideas that start conversations. Wired represents many contemporary musicians including Stormy, Fetty Wap, Young Thug, Jorja Smith and Tom Odell, and many more young rap, R&B and pop singers. Wired has an impressive list of clients and collaborators, being described as an 'outstanding, creative and bespoke PR service' by Sophie Hall, head of MTA Records and as an 'absolute revelation' by Stacey Tang of Columbia Records, the label representing Beyonce, Adele, Bob Dylan and Haim. Asos's Shannon Mahanty speaks to Rachel and Joss about how...

Hello and welcome to episode 11 of My Big Idea, an ASOS podcast. This week's guest is Amber Atherton of My Flash Trash, a jewellery brand based in London that creates playful and bold accessories to bring out your sassy side. She shares a passion for not taking life or fashion too seriously, and believes in empowering girls to run the world. Amber’s passion for building brands began at the age of 9 and since then has developed several businesses, modelled and starred in Channel 4's Made in Chelsea. Amber is not your average Londoner, she was born in Hong Kong and attended school there and in the Caribbean before her family settled in Britain permanently. She also had a successful modelling career before starting My Flash Trash, appearing in Vogue, Love and Tatler. Since its creation, My Flash Trash has become popular with celebrities including Cara Delevingne, Rihanna and The Duchess of Cambridge, and is now stocked in Topshop, Adhoc, Fenwicks and Shop Super Street. Claire has also built a network of... &#