Women’s varying shapes and sizes have always made getting ‘the perfect fit’ in a pair of jeans or a basic T, somewhat difficult; with those outside the prescriptive size 10 often making do with what is available. When south London entrepreneur Irene Agbontaen decided to solve the issue of a lack of basics for tall girls like herself, TTYA was born in 2013. Little did she knew some of fashion’s biggest models were also tired of not having their pick of everyday essentials that fit and TTYA was soon seen on the backs of Jourdan Dunn, Karlie Kloss and Daisy Lowe. Three years in and the brand goes from strength to strength, newly releasing its Christmas campaign with model and body positive activist Naomi Shimada at its helm, showcasing the range of festive party dresses. Filling a much needed gap hasn’t been easy, as Irene not only designs her label but runs the day to day business pretty single-handedly. On top of running her own series of talks focused on empowering women that have included the likes of Caryn Franklin MBE and Carri Munden. Pretty impressive stuff. We asked her about the TTYA ethos and some of the pressures of running a burgeoning brand from scratch.
Why do you think tall is a section that continues to not get as many options and what do you think other brands are missing out by not fulfilling the market?
I really don’t know, it’s so crazy! Coming from a styling and e-commerce background ,nothing really fit the tall models but would be photoshopped – which is mental as these are the girls we look at to sell us the product.
I’m 5’11 and quickly learnt how to make a men’s XL work for me but grew so frustrated with always ‘making do’! Brands cater for the masses and tall is such a small slice of the big pie however it created the space for me to birth TTYA. I’m not the first to cater exclusively for tall women, however I am the first to merely concentrate on wardrobe essentials. I design and creative direct everything so I understand first hand the needs of my customer. I was the first brand specifically for tall women to launch in Selfridges and Barney’s New York!
You said you Christmas campaign model Naomi fulfils the TTYA ethos, tell us more about the TTYA ethos and what it represents?
Since I launched the brand back in 2013 at Selfridges, my ethos has always been ‘style conscious, not self conscience.’ It wasn’t always like that though.If I rewind back to secondary school, I remember when my school introduced that girls could wear trousers, all the girls went to get tight stretch trousers which were literally pedal pushers on me! Now I am proud and Naomi carries this same magnetic energy. Her personality is bright, confident and unapologetic. I’ve known her for many years and I’m extremely proud to have her as face of the TTYA Christmas Capsule Collection.
You don’t just cater for taller girls with this collection but different sizes, why was this important to you?
We’ve gone up to a UK 20 with this collection which I am extremely proud of. Part of growing my business is listening to your customer needs! I am in a position where I have an amazing factory that supports me and my business and with the success of a previous collaboration, I’ve increased my customer base over the US and Canada so it was only right to offer this to #teamtallgirls globally, regardless of size.
You are an accomplished entrepreneur. Tell us three entrepreneurial tips for women?
1. Believe in your idea
2. Trust your instincts
3. Don’t be afraid to fail!
What are some of the continued challenges you face having your own burgeoning brand?
I started the brand out of necessity. I never owned a long sleeve basic crew neck until I made my own! The major challenges I guess is that there is no instruction manual- I learn something everyday. I had no knowledge of margins, purchase orders, delivery windows. I started this in my bedroom and I’ve had to learn and make mistakes and question myself everyday. Knowing when to ask for help is important. No one really tells you the strategy to grow a successful business. It’s important to look for a mentor, someone who knows more and can give you the guidance you need.
How are you looking to expand the brand next?
There are so many options – I would like to expand on more collaborations, and spread my knowledge on tall girl needs!
Credits
Photography Mehdi Lacoste