Her online clothing brand was born from a need for fun athletic gear for her Pilates classes.
Through various designs under the label of Wear It’s @!, Raylene Derman-McEvoy hopes to bring colour – and confidence – to Bay women’s workouts.
Can you give me some background on yourself and how and when the business was started?
Wear It’s @! was born because I was a Pilates instructor.
Shopping for fitness gear was a nightmare.
I could never find anything that was good quality at a decent price, and I was also battling to find fun clothing. So I decided to look into starting my own range.
Unofficially it started five or six years ago, and I think I may have been ahead of the trend in that it was all very edgy and shredded and funky. It appealed to the younger generation and by default the business veered more into leisure wear.
I stopped the business for a year and went back into a corporate environment, carrying on with Pilates in the mornings and evenings.
But then I realised I needed to get back into my business.
I missed the insanity and freedom of it. So I started up fulltime Pilates classes again, and I relaunched the brand.
I researched what was trending internationally and started my designs based on that. It’s been a journey ever since.
When I relaunched three years ago, I started with a pair of cropped leggings in different fabrics and prints.
For the fabrics I wanted something nobody else had. I was going for the “ooh” factor. I wanted ladies of all shapes and sizes to be able to wear the clothes, not just the perfect figure ones.
From the cropped leggings I added long leggings, hot pants and a range of tops.
My aim is to go from workout to hangout, because a lot of ladies do go from the gym to doing the shopping, and a lot of ladies who don’t go to gym out still wear the clothes.
What is your core service?
Dressing ladies of all shapes and sizes from workout to hang-out, so that they are able to look good doing it.
What do you want women to feel when they wear your clothing?
I want them to feel desirable, in a sense, and beautiful in themselves. I have a client who bought a pair of leggings that she calls her happy pants, because they are bright and when she wears them, she feels slimmer and they put her in a better mood.
I would like the women to feel amazing about themselves.
We are our own worst enemies, so if these outfits make women feel better about themselves, I am happy.
How do you keep up with trends for your designs?
I still research internationally, but I talk to people, and my eyes are always scanning. I see what people talk about on social media.
We are generally a year behind Europe and the States so I get a lot of information from there.
Marketing and research is very time-consuming.
There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. My suppliers will also send me the new fabrics coming in, which also determines what is trending.
What is a typical day for you?
I have coffee first thing!
I will have classes in the morning, sometimes from 6am, either group classes or private clients.
Then there’s marketing and admin work, then I have clients coming over for fittings or to shop. Sometimes I have another class in the afternoon.
I used to run back and forth to the factory at least three times a week, but after going through several suppliers here, I’ve moved production to Cape Town. I really wanted to keep it PE-based but I battled to find cut-make-trim suppliers here.
There are some days where I will not stop running around, unpacking stock, packing orders, researching new designs and prints, seeing clients and answering phone calls.
What do you think makes the Eastern Cape a good environment for business?
I think in the Eastern Cape we have to work a little bit harder to be recognised because things move slower here, but we recognise that and are willing to help others.
Our downfall [as women in business] is that we don’t ask for help.
But if we did, the female entrepreneurs in this city are amazing.
I recently went to an event and felt like I was surrounded by a sisterhood. If you help other women it makes a massive difference – but we have to ask for help.
What makes your business unique?
I think it’s unique because I cater for all shapes and sizes. The prints that I use are different.
There’s personal attention to detail. If a client buys something and needs the leggings shortened, I am there to do that.
It’s not a big company, and I don’t want it to be.
My clients are not lost in the system.
Another unique thing is that most of the prints for my leggings are named after people that are close to me, and that print identifies their personality.
Do you have any tips for new business owners?
You must love what you do.
Find a gap in the market where you will fill a need that will make somebody feel good or save time.
Talk to mentors and like-minded business owners. Know that there are no hours, there’s no 8 to 5 when you are self-employed. Do your research and your business plan.
Look at what is trending internationally and look at something that has longevity and can grow.
Times change and technology changes by the millisecond, so you have to be adaptable. In a year’s time your product or service might become obsolete so you must be able to diversify.
Do something that you are good at, and outsource the rest. You can’t do everything.
What are the advantages and difficulties of running an online business?
One advantage is that it is the future. Research has shown that shopping malls will become white elephants.
The safety of my business is another advantage. Online shopping is the future.
The downfall is that people are unsure if they are buying the right size – which is why your return policies have to be set up properly so people trust your online shop.
What are some of your highlights in running your business?
A definite highlight is seeing my brand on people around town and the countryside, and supporting other local businesses.
Everything is my decision, so I like to support other small businesses because I know what it’s like. I like the flexibility of it as well.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from your business journey so far? Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket.
Believe in yourself.
Don’t underestimate your value and the value of your product. If you need to increase prices but feel guilty about it, that means you’re doubting your product and yourself.
What is the best advice anyone ever gave you about success?
Always know where your business is at.
A lot of entrepreneurs go into business because they’re doing something they love, which is fantastic, but then they get carried away and they don’t actually know what’s going on with the bookkeeping and admin.
It’s a big balancing act.
Tips for budding entrepreneurs:
You must love what you do.
Find a gap in the market where you can fill a need that will make somebody feel good or save time.
Talk to mentors and like-minded business owners. Know that there is no 8 to 5 when you are self-employed.
Do your research and your business plan. Look at what is trending internationally and look at something that has longevity and can grow.