He & She: Rachel’s Online Fashion Boutique

Rachel Gundry’s (Demiroski, 2013) life has changed quite significantly since graduating from Santa Maria College.

She’s made a move across the country to Melbourne, married the love of her life, and successfully launched an online fashion label, He and She.

Driven by her shopping addiction and love for fashion, He and She is Rachel’s take on a one-stop shop for stylish items (minus the hefty price tag!), from clothing, to shoes, to jewellery, and more.

He and She allows everyone to enjoy an online shopping spree experience without needing to break the bank.

At just 25 years old, Rachel is now her own boss, overseeing the operations of her business and loving every second of it.

We asked Rachel what inspired her to take a leap of faith and start her own business in what is already such a competitive industry.

“I’ve always been really into fashion. It is something that I’ve loved since I was a little girl, and I wanted to share this passion with the world”, says Rachel.

“I was also tired of seeing the same trends, and witnessing people wear the same things, so I just wanted to bring something completely different to the market. Including guys was also a must for me, as they are just as much into fashion as women.”, added Rachel.

He and She has seen massive success not only in Australia, but also internationally.

Rachel says, “We’ve made $112k worth of sales on one of our products alone. We also find ourselves in situations where we have to do re-orders and pre-orders, which works well for the business.”

Rachel may be reaping the benefits of working for herself now, but it hasn’t been all smooth sailing getting to this point.

After leaving school, Rachel gave university a go but soon realised that this pathway wasn’t for her. 

She also tried her fair share of office jobs but felt that her creativity and ‘hands-on’ approach were compromised.

She even started another business, which didn’t quite take off the way she anticipated.

Rachel’s resilience, belief in herself, and passion for doing what she loves, are what got her to where she is today.

“Before He and She, I had another business, which didn’t go anywhere. It was disheartening, but I didn’t give up because I knew having my own business is what I wanted. I’ve always persevered and backed myself, which is why I think I’ve gotten to where I am today”.

We asked Rachel what her advice would be to our young budding entrepreneurs here at the College. 

“If you have a passion or love for something, find a way to turn it into a business. In life, you must do what you love – it took me a little while to figure that out. If you have an idea, be confident in it and be brave enough to come out and do what you need to do.”, says Rachel.

“Most importantly, do your research and have some money behind you. If you need to go work casually or part-time and save, do it. It is expensive to start a business”, adds Rachel.

In the future, Rachel hopes to buy a home, start a family with her husband Matt, and launch another business, potentially in the baking space!

We wish Rachel the best of luck in her future endeavours and can’t wait to see what the next decade brings.

Watch this space…  

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