So Weekly | March 17, 2021

So celebrates: International Women's Day - worldwide

The final part of the trilogy created partly in honor of International Women's Day, but mainly to applaud the female entrepreneurs we get to work with on a daily basis. A succession of different So brands and their female leaders, a collection of different women, powerful women, diverse women. Women who stand for something, women with a story. Like every edition we also asked these female entrepreneurs to answer the following question: what does entrepreneurship mean to you as a woman in 2021?

The following women couldn’t be more different from each other yet have the same thing in common: they are at the top of an international company. Some of the answers we got:

Candy Zheng founder C&S Fashion Group – G-maxx, C&S The Label, Exxcellent & FLURESK
“Trust in each other, keep moving in your entrepreneurship, develop yourself and the team and enjoy everything you have, both in good times and bad times!”

Linda Albas managing director ICI PARIS XL
“Entrepreneurship for me as a woman at ICI PARIS XL means preparing our organization for the future. The pandemic has further accelerated all the changes that were already on their way in beauty retail. Our future is hybrid, the combination of our physical stores and our digital channels are our strength. Most of our customers are women and we aim to provide them with good advice on all channels, offline and online. Entrepreneurship as a woman means to me that as a woman you empathize with all those women who are our customers and that you ensure that everyone within our organization does the same so that we constantly adapt to the changing demand.”

Maya Junger founder & creative director SET Fashion
“I learned that nobody is waiting for you in the fashion industry whether you're a man or a woman. There is so much to offer and there are so many brands, just trying to stand out. I think that is why you must have a very strong will and be able to really persevere. It is important to stay with yourself and your original plan in order to be able to breathe the brand, as it were. Many stores will tell you they don't need new brands, but they will keep an eye on you. By continuing to develop and persevere yourself and your brand, you become stronger and others will see that too. That is the turning point of your career, from here you will only grow more.”

Mena Marano founder Silvian Heach
“To me, It means to be ambitious, to believe in your project, be curious, humble and never think you have arrived.”

Jawina Weisz project & sales manager Weisz Group
“Every change is a challenge and for sure we will also have them this year. I believe that changing circumstances brings creativity to the next level in order to learn from it and move forward. As a woman, I make sure we keep focus on our objectives and co-create great-looking watches that fit these objectives and our brand DNA.”