Latest news with #businesswoman
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Kylie Jenner goes braless in a sheer red dress for sizzling new photoshoot
looked sensational in a slew of racy looks as she posed for the latest cover of Dazed Magazine. The 27-year-old business woman opened up about growing up in the spotlight, revealing she doesn't remember a time when she had complete privacy. Reflecting on her pre-teen fame and how total privacy was something she never had, Kylie said: 'I don't really remember a time when that wasn't the case for me. Kylie added: 'It would have probably been hard for me if I didn't have a family who understood completely what I was going through.' Since her early days on reality TV, Kylie has built a multi-faceted business empire that includes Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie Skin, Kylie Baby, and her fashion label, Kylie. In 2024, she expanded into beverages with Sprinter, a canned vodka soda brand. However, she admitted that she was largely unaware of just how successful her ventures were in the early days. Kylie said: 'I didn't have my Shopify account password, and I didn't know how much money I was making. I knew it was very successful, I just didn't…It really was not, and this is how I honestly feel, it was not about the money for me.' The star explained that in the beginning her businesses were more about having a creative outlet and making others happy. For the Dazed cover shoot, the mother-of-one wore a racy black lingerie set featuring frilly white detailing that showcased her jaw-dropping figure. In another daring look, she slipped into a sheer red dress with a figure-hugging silhouette and a rope detail at the bust. She also wore a dusky pink semi-sheer ensemble which showed off her tanned legs. Growing up: The business woman has grown up on screen thanks to her family's reality TV show Bikini babe: In other pictures she wore a floral bikini In a more modest snap Kylie wore a chic one-shoulder diamond-embellished top paired with a matching lilac skirt. For several striking close-up shots, Kylie wore a mesh purple halter neck dress, which had a star print at the bust. Meanwhile, in another stunning shot, she put on a busty display in a purple floral bikini top and a flowing yellow skirt. For her final look, Kylie wore a brown fluffy, figure-hugging bodysuit with pointed heels in a matching hue.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Meghan Markle's CV before she found fame! Resume lists 'special skills', height and weight… as she says she wouldn't know 'what to call herself' now
Meghan Markle refers to herself as a 'female founder' in her new podcast. But long before her lucrative Netflix deal and As Ever brand, she relied on a physical CV to land jobs. The Duchess has worn a number of hats over the years, beginning as an actress before transitioning to a wife, mother and businesswoman. In an interview given to coincide with the final episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, the Duchess spoke about balancing motherhood with being a busy businesswoman. She said: 'If I had to write a résumé, I don't know what I would call myself. 'I think it speaks to this chapter many of us find ourselves in, where none of us are one note. But I believe all the notes I am playing are part of the same song.' The Duchess hinted at a future step into the fashion industry, but said for now she is planning to launch a new range of merchandise in early 2026. 'The category of fashion is something I will explore at a later date, because I do think that's an interesting space for me,' she said. Her previous store sold out in 45 minutes and contained homely items as well as her long-awaited pots of jam. Addressing her first online shop, Meghan said Netflix agreed that rather than market her products under their brand, it would make sense for her to have her own store. Netflix already has its own online shop selling brand-related products such as Stranger Things bomber jackets and Squid Game merchandise. Meghan added that the 'mom moments' push her to success in the business world, with plans in the future ranging from home goods to fashion. Revealing her son Archie has begun to lose his teeth, she described becoming the tooth fairy and leaving coins and a little dinosaur underneath his pillow. She said: 'I had a lot of business meetings the next morning, but I still chose to cuddle with him the rest of the night. Those mom moments energise me to be a better founder, a better employer, a better boss.' Meghan welcomed the final guest to speak on her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, who has a staggering £1.3 billion net worth. Sara Blakely, the founder of the shapewear giant Spanx, joined the Duchess of Sussex to discuss the need 'get real about bet on yourself'. Meghan's CV from before her marriage to Harry was shared online, which included her eye colour, height and weight, as well as a black and white headshot. It is unknown when the CV was first used, as it has no date on it, but it appears to be before her stint as a suitcase model on Deal or No Deal, which she first appeared on in 2006. The last role listed was her first professional film role where she played the part of 'Natalie Hot Chick' in Ashton Kutcher's 2005 romantic comedy A Lot Like Love. At the time the document was printed, Meghan only had a few roles on TV, including a two-episode appearance on General Hospital in 2001, where she played a nurse named Jill, and a role in CBS's sci-fi legal drama, Century City, in 2004 where she played a party guest named Natasha. There was also a section on the CV that listed theatre roles, which included playing roles in Annie, Into The Woods and Stepping Out, the 1984 play that was written by British writer Richard Harris in 1984. Meghan would have been around the age of 24 when she wrote this CV. It also included the intensive training she had undergone, including a number of professionals in various disciplines from 'TV/Film' to 'Musical Comedy' and 'Voice for Performance'. Other skills include her proficiency in speaking fluently in French and Spanish, her dancing and kickboxing skills. Before marrying into the Royal Family, growing up in Los Angeles, Meghan dreamed of one day being a global superstar and had a privileged upbringing, attending a private school just around the corner from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She participated in high school theatrical productions over the following years and school reports mentioned her starring role in a three-day sell-out of Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex and great applause in Annie, Damn Yankees and Into the Woods. But one downside of Meghan's success at her school productions was the 'intense jealousy' she felt if someone else took the limelight, according to a book. Meghan became particularly irritated after one girl at her school got a job as an actress and two other girls auditioned for the 1992 thriller film Trace of Red, biographer Tom Bower claimed in his book Revenge. Her father, Thomas Markle, who has been estranged from his daughter after he didn't attend her May 2018 wedding, told Bower: 'She wants to be the star of the stage and the star in life.' Bower claims Meghan loved glamour and celebrity, using her father's connections in Hollywood to launch her teenage career. It is understood she asked her father to pay a professional photographer to take a 'headshot' of her and send it to studios. He did so but she received no replies. 'I want to be an actress', she kept saying, according to the book. Thomas even took Meghan to the Emmy awards ceremony when he was nominated for best lighting director. After they walked down the red carpet, the 17-year-old said: 'Daddy I want to be famous just like you one day.' Thomas nodded and went on to do anything to help make that dream come true, according to Bower. Over the years, the actress began to slowly build on her experience, including playing the role of Cori in an episode of the Shannon Elizabeth series Cuts in 2005. Later that year she played the role of Teresa in an episode of the Busy Phillips show Love, Inc. By 2006 she had booked more small roles in TV, appearing in an episode of The War at Home (which starred Michael Rapaport), the TV movie Deceit (starring Emmanuelle Chriqui and Matt Long), and an episode of CSI: NY. Later that year she gained a steadier gig as a briefcase girl on the game show Deal or Deal. She starred in 34 episodes in total from 2006 and 2007, beginning with briefcases 11 and 12 before matching with briefcase number 24. In 2013, Meghan reflected on the role, telling Esquire that it had been a way to pay the bills as she looked for a more enjoyable role. She said: 'Definitely working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing.' 'It was 'in the category of things I was doing while I was auditioning to try to make ends meet', she added. After leaving the show in 2007, she entered more traditional acting roles, including having a minor role on the 90210 reboot in 2008, where she played the role of Wendy, and one-episode with 'Til Death. In that year she also gained roles in two more films, including The Apostles and Good Behaviour, the latter of which also starred her Suits co-star Patrick J. Adams. By 2009, at 27 years old, Meghan nabbed a starring role in a Tostitos commercial, which resurfaced soon after her engagement to the Duke of Sussex was announced. Over the next three years, before landing her major starring role on Suits, she kept busy with a bunch of minor TV roles, including Knight Rider, Without a Trace, Fringe, The League, and CSI: Miami. She started picking up more movie roles, too, appearing in Remember Me and Horrible Bosses. Finally in 2011 her big break came, and she was offered the chance to play the role of Rachel Zane on Suits. She appeared in 108 episodes of the series that ran until 2018. While playing the popular role, she also starred in other films including Random Encounters and Anti-Social, started her blog The Tig, and used her growing fame to add some brand partnerships with Birchbox, Reitmans, and Bobbi Brown. Following the announcement of her engagement to Harry, however, she announced she would be stepping down from acting to start her new life as a working royal in the UK. The Queen had told Meghan before joining the royal family that she could carry on acting if she wanted to, Princess Diana's biographer Andrew Morton claimed. He said that both Harry and Meghan were given the opportunity 'to go wherever they pleased'. In her joint BBC interview with Prince Harry following their engagement, she explained she was happy to end her acting career. She said: 'What's been really exciting, as we talk about this as the transition out of my career is that the causes that have been very important to me, I can focus even more energy on. 'You realise that as you have access, or a voice that people are willing to listen to, [it comes with] a lot of responsibility, which I take seriously. 'I don't see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change. It's a new chapter. And keep in mind I've been working on my show for seven years. We were very fortunate to have that sort of longevity on a series. 'For me, once we hit the 100-episode marker, I thought, I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work we've done there and now it's time to work as a team with Harry.' One of the reasons Meghan and Harry parted ways with the Royal Family was the monarchy's refusal to accept commercial endorsements by the couple. In 2023 Meghan featured as a background extra in a bizarre Instagram advert for a coffee company she holds shares in. The Duchess of Sussex was seen in Clevr Blends' commercial as an intern stacking boxes, making hot drinks and working on a computer in the digital department. She comically fails to fist bump another member of the team in the final shot as she walks off camera, leading to everyone bursting out laughing before the video ends. Meghan, who has been an investor in the trendy oat latte brand since 2020, is an extra throughout the ad whilst CEO and co-founder Hannah Mendoza walks around the company's HQ and thanks the team for all their hard work in 2023. The Duchess confirmed in December 2020 that she had invested an undisclosed sum in Clevr Brands, which has a range of lattes that come in powder form. The Duchess confirmed in December 2020 that she had invested an undisclosed sum in Clevr Brands, which has a range of lattes that come in powder form The Sussexes signed a £80million five-year Netflix deal in 2021. In the same year Meghan tried her hand at writing and published her children's book, The Bench. Her recent Netflix show was panned by critics, but the Duchess of Sussex is still confident that people want a slice of what she is selling. Meghan has shown an entrepreneurial launching an Instagram shop selling clothing and accessories that she had 'hand-picked', earning commission on each item sold. The ShopMy site featured 32 items 'curated' by the Duchess with affiliated links to the brands' websites. Meghan's Instagram site was launched at the start of the year in advance of her With Love, Meghan lifestyle programme and As Ever of merchandise. Throughout her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, the Duchess was seen wearing a number of hats including beekeeper, baker and homemaker Under the terms of Harry and Meghan's agreement with Buckingham Palace when they acrimoniously quit royal duties, there is nothing to stop her selling products as long as she doesn't nakedly cash in on her royal links. Throughout her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, the Duchess was seen wearing a number of hats including beekeeper, baker and homemaker. Meghan has spread herself across many jobs in her life, stretching from actress to mother, author, podcast host and entrepreneur. Despite alleging not to know what she would put on her CV now, it would certainly be a challenge to fit it into one A4 side of paper.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Keke Palmer spends her 5 to 9 — from morning Pilates to drinking whiskey
Keke Palmer is the internet's darling. She's an Emmy-winning actor, headline-making podcaster, and TV host. Fun, charismatic, and genuine, Palmer can create a catch-phrase in a split-second moment of genius. Remember, "Sorry to this man"? So, ahead of our call, I was intrigued to find out what Palmer was like one-on-one, without cameras flashing or being on a big movie set. What I discovered is that she is everything you'd want a celebrity to be: simultaneously relatable (she's also obsessed with Pilates) and somehow otherworldly (she's motivated to work until 2 a.m.). In the latest installment of Business Insider's "5-9" series, Palmer, 31, shares a glimpse into her busy life as a businesswoman and mother, as part of her collaboration with American Express' Business Platinum Card. What time do you get up, and what's your morning routine? I put my clothes out the night before and get up between 6 a.m. and 6.45 a.m. If my workday starts after 8 a.m., I'll use that hour from 7 a.m. to work out: Pilates is my favorite. When I get back, I'll have a coffee. I'm drinking my water, and I've got my Stanley. Then I'll start work. Do you do reformer or mat Pilates? I love them both for different reasons. If I do mat Pilates, it's going to be heated, and if I do reformer Pilates, it's not. If my hair is done, I'm doing reformer, for sure. I don't want to get sweaty on the mat. The Pilates that I do is not as yoga-leaning, it's athletic — not cardio, but very intricate and muscle-building. It's the moment of my day that I get to myself, even if I'm in a class with other people. It's just me, feeling it, existing in the world, and doing something for myself. It's really meditative. When you're focusing so hard on what you're doing, you can't think about anything else. Exactly, girl. What do you have for breakfast? I try to eat something that will really nourish me, especially as I've got older and work so much. I love what I do, and I'm trying to extend my ability to keep doing it. Anything that's a whole food. I love eggs. Sometimes, I have egg whites with potatoes. This morning, I had sweet potato pancakes with a side of yogurt. It's not that I don't care about taste, I do, but I want to make sure that it's stuff that's going to be prolonging me for the rest of the day. Especially with all the traveling, too. How do you keep yourself healthy while traveling a lot? I definitely need a premium travel experience. I use my American Express Business Platinum Card because I can relax in the lounge, get something to eat, and do a little work if I need to. I travel for work mostly, sometimes getting right off the plane and straight into business, so the peace and the comfort that I can obtain from that kind of experience is helpful when I go in and pitch. What are your wellness essentials? I have an array of different things that really feed into my ability to stay grounded and at ease. For me, therapy is seasonal. I think that therapy is good if you're not doing it all the time. I love journaling, prayer, and any type of fitness, such as Pilates, yoga, and hiking. All of that stuff brings me immense joy. I love a good hike by myself, and I like doing things solo, because I'm always around so many people when I'm working. I love bingeing comfort TV. It doesn't even have to be the most interesting thing. Spending time with family is huge for me, especially my little boy. I love to be with him. It's like time stops. What time do you get home from work? When I'm on set, I can go as late as 2 a.m., but if I get out at a normal time, then I'm off around 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Do you generally not eat dinner at home? I usually eat before I get home. And then when I'm back, I try to give my stomach a rest to digest because eating so late can mess me up for the next morning and disturb my sleep. Are you consciously intermittent fasting? I don't think of it that way. I think about it in terms of my gut. I've had a lot of health issues with PCOS, my nervous system, and my stomach, which has always been very sensitive. So, over these past few years, it's been really important for me to understand how to help my stomach and what foods are ticking it off, because when your gut brain is good, the rest of your brain is good. Once you find out what works for you, it makes a real difference. A lot of times, they're telling you the things that are good for you, but they're not necessarily good for you. Or they're telling you the things that are bad for you, but they're not necessarily bad for you. People often say, "No rice, no potatoes," but my body prefers those, and I'm not saying they've got to be deep-fried. I pair that with something fibrous, protein, or beans. That's good for me. Do you have a go-to drink? Yes, whiskey. With ice? No, I don't want it watered down! Good point. Do you have a skincare routine? It's kind of simple, but there are certain ingredients I like to use. Niacinamide, over-the-counter retinol — not prescribed because I don't want to go too harsh. I love La Roche Posay Mela B3 for dark spots, and also La Roche Posay's kids' and adults' SPF because it doesn't burn my eyes. I like oil-based cleansers, especially if I'm doing a lot of performing. Sometimes the makeup's coming on and off, and I don't want a cleanser that's going to be too stripping. I do switch up products because I honestly think that you have to learn your skin and be able to touch, feel, and look at it, and then define what you're going to do based on that. What's your nighttime routine? I love watching TV and oiling my hair while in the bath, using face wash and moisturizer, setting out my clothes, and turning on my bed warmer. It's a warming blanket from Amazon. I put it underneath my sheet, and it's perfect. I lie in bed. I might look at my phone or journal, drop a couple of magnesium drops in my water, maybe a little bit of turmeric, and sip on that. I have a bean bag eye mask. Sometimes, I microwave it. I put it on my eyes, and I'm out. I'll always go to sleep to some sitcom like "Girlfriends" or "Gilmore Girls" — any type of comfort show. Read the original article on Business Insider
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
The rise and fall of Michelle Mone: A self-created fairy story
Michelle Mone spent 25 years building her business empire and public profile through the British media.A brilliant self-publicist, she was regularly described as one of the UK's most successful businesswomen. She was the plucky underdog who, through sheer grit and a knack for a good headline, pushed her Ultimo bra concept onto the marketplace and into the high street's biggest even claimed to have given Hollywood star Julia Roberts a story she told time and time again to a grateful media brought her fame, riches, and even a peerage. But Baroness Mone of Mayfair has now been stripped of the Conservative whip, is on leave from the House of Lords and a business connected to her is under investigation by the National Crime did it come to that? That's the question a new two-part BBC Scotland documentary seeks to answer. The Rise and Fall of Michelle Mone begins in 1999 as the then 28-year-old talks her way into Selfridges in London, and a deal to sell her gel-filled Ultimo in her own words "into nothing", Mone was raised in the Dennistoun area of Glasgow. She left school at 15 with no qualifications but a determination "to make something of myself". Friends from the time describe her hard work ethic, energy and "bubbly" nature. "No matter where you're from, look at me, you can do it," she would later worked as a model and "ring girl" at boxing matches and moved into promotions and sales before setting up MJM International with husband re-mortgaged their house and went £70,000 into debt developing the Ultimo Bra, which is when Mone turned up unannounced at Marcolin was the shop's lingerie buyer, and the person Mone had travelled to London to see."I thought: 'This girl is not what I'm used to dealing with'. She was kind of country bumpkin and a little bit like not overly refined, just very authentic. And this was just such a fresh, new product," she says."That was the start of it. It was her persistence." Mone's natural knack for promotion got them the deal but the cash-poor company needed funds to fulfil the order. They found an investor in Tom Hunter, who in 1998 had just sold his sportswear company JJB Sports for £ man who made that introduction was Jack Irvine, former newspaper editor turned successful PR executive. He became a key figure in building Mone's early media profile. The newspapers and broadcasters were hungry for stories about her, and she was very happy to help."She had two driving forces," Irvine says. "One was to be very rich and one was to be very famous."Coverage from that time stressed her humble roots, battle to succeed, new-found wealth, and the global success of her Llewellin, now editor of the Times newspapers in Scotland, remembers one infamous story from the time."Stories would circulate around Michelle Mone. One of those was that her bra was used in the film Erin Brockovich, that Julia Roberts wore one of her bras," he says."If you actually bother to check, somebody involved in the actual making of the film came out and said an Ultimo bra wasn't used in the production."The truth is that the media, especially the Scottish media, helped create the Michelle Mone myth. And she had a gift for using that."The story was almost too good to debunk. A young woman fighting in a male-dominated business world, making a way for herself. That was a great story to tell," Llewellin says. After more than 20 years together as a couple and more than a decade in business, the Mones very publicly separated, divorcing in bought Michael out of the business and became the face and body of the brand, modelling her own the scenes at the company there were a number of employment tribunals, including one high-profile case in which a member of staff found a recording device in his office. Despite her legal challenges, Mone remained in the public eye, a regular feature on television programmes. And her knack for publicity led to her next move - into the world of politics. She had been a Labour supporter but defected to the Conservatives in 2010. Four years later she was a prominent voice in favour of the union during the independence referendum, going so far as to say she would leave Scotland in the event of a 'Yes' 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron made her his government's "entrepreneurship tsar". Within weeks it was announced she was to become a Conservative peer, as Baroness Mone of Mayfair. By then she had sold her interests in the company she had built. But her new roles brought increased scrutiny over her business Llewellin points out that MJM International never turned over more than £10.1m a year, and in 2012 lost more than half a million pounds."By that time the company was in real trouble," he Donald Anderson runs the Gap Group, a plant hire company which in 2024 had a turnover of £302.3m, employed more than 2,000 people, and made a pre-tax profit of £ wrote to the prime minister at the time of Mone's appointment."Miss Mone is not a successful entrepreneur, she is a small time businesswoman with a PR exposure far in excess of any actual success," he now says: "If the only thing she achieved was self-publicity, I don't think that's a very good reason to put you into the House of Lords. If you follow that logic then the House of Lords will be full of influencers in the next 10 years." In 2016, Mone announced she was in a new relationship with Doug Barrowman, a billionaire businessman. They settled in the Isle of Man, and worked together in the booming crypto-currency sector. In 2020, the Covid pandemic struck. As the death toll rose, UK ministers sought out firms to urgently supply Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), even setting up a VIP lane to give priority to some suppliers.A company called PPE Medpro made it onto the VIP list. This caught the eye of campaigners who were concerned that firms on the list were run by people with connections to the Conservative Party. It emerged that PPE Medpro was controlled by people connected to Doug Barrowman. Mone, a Conservative peer, repeatedly denied any involvement in the business, the deal or the subsequent profits. But the Guardian uncovered a connection to government paper's David Conn says: "We did our own freedom of information request, and we got the emails that she'd sent to Michael Gove and Lord Agnew saying that she was offering to supply PPE through 'my team in Hong Kong' and that it had gone through the VIP lane."And we also got some WhatsApp messages which Michelle Mone had sent about the PPE deals and she said she was sitting on the jet and it was about to take off, which we assumed was their jet, their private plane." The National Crime Agency (NCA) launched an investigation into PPE Medpro. Several of the couple's properties were years into his investigation, David Conn received a leaked document showing Barrowman made at least £65m from the deals, with £29m of this paid into a trust of which Mone and her three adult children are beneficiaries. Throughout this time, Mone was uncharacteristically quiet. But that changed at the end of 2023 when she and Barrowman - by then married - released a PPE Medpro-funded documentary in which she admitted being a "conduit" between the company and also agreed to appear on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. On camera, Mone admitted she could one day benefit from the trust, and said they had done nothing asked about lying to the press, she replied: "That's not a crime."Saying to the press I'm not involved, to protect my family, can I just make it clear, it's not a crime."Laura Kuenssberg says: "That's a phrase that will always stick with me."When she said that, I thought: 'There's a thing. There's a headline'." Michelle Mone lost the Conservative whip and has taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords. She has made no further media Medpro is still under investigation by the NCA and the government is suing the company for £122m plus costs, claiming the medical gowns the company supplied "did not comply with the specification in the contract".The peer declined the offer to be interviewed for The Rise and Fall of Michelle Mone. In response to the programme, a statement said the couple had provided "full and detailed statements to the NCA and cooperated with the investigation throughout".It said they had never been arrested and no charges had been brought against statement also defended PPE Medpro's delivery of PPE equipment to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).It continued: "Baroness Mone, along with the whole of the Mone/Barrowman family, were beneficiaries of trusts... never direct recipients of PPE Medpro profits."The DHSC was fully aware of their involvement from the outset. It was a mistake to have misled the press." Michelle Mone's public life was a self-created fairy story which many in business, politics, and especially the media, bought Magnus Llewellin, there's a clear moral to this tale."What it does tell us about modern Britain is, we still like fairy tales. We want to believe those rags to riches tales."But once you step into the world of politics, things can get a bit trickier. "It's a parable of excess, hubris, and then eventually nemesis."Laura Kuenssberg says: "For Michelle Mone, public attention, knowing how to grab public attention, is an ability that she obviously always had in spades during her business career."But things went wrong for her and you can't turn that attention off."The Rise and Fall of Michelle Mone is available on iPlayer and is on BBC Scotland at 22:00 on Monday 26 May and BBC Two at 21:00 on Wednesday 28 May.
CNA
16-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
‘I'm a hustler': Singapore bridal industry icon Fatimah Mohsin on being a serial entrepreneur
Running a business is in Fatimah Mohsin's blood. The Singaporean entrepreneur and bridal designer is the daughter of the legendary Encik Mohsin, who was affectionately known as 'Raja Lelong' (king of auctions). In the 1970s to the 1990s, Mohsin was a prominent figure in the Geylang Serai bazaar scene, known for his knack for offering great deals. As a child, Fatimah would accompany her father to work, enthusiastically shouting out 'Lelong! Lelong!' alongside him. She vividly remembers the pair returning home with a whole bucket of money. 'So back then, when I was younger, if people asked me what my ambitions were, I said I wanted to be a businesswoman,' she recalled. An artist at heart, Fatimah always knew she wanted to work in the creative industry. 'I loved cutting up my jeans, clothes, anything I didn't like, and turning them into something new,' she shared. After secondary school, she turned down an engineering course at a local polytechnic in favour of studying fashion merchandising at LaSalle College of the Arts. An internship at Puma soon followed, which eventually turned into a full-time role that deepened her love for fashion. At the time, back in the 1990s, Puma was also the national outfitter for the Singapore football team. 'I got to work closely with Fandi Ahmad and all the other footballers,' Fatimah recalled. But in 1998, in the midst of the Asian Financial Crisis, Fatimah was laid off after giving up her position for a colleague who needed to support a family. 'Since I was still young and single, I knew I could find ways to support myself as a freelancer,' she reasoned. Unsure of her next move, Fatimah eventually turned to makeup. 'At that age, my friends and I loved going out to parties and I was always the creative one with some 'nonsense' makeup I picked up from a magazine,' she laughed. She enrolled in a course at CosmoProf Academy, which ended up completely changing the trajectory of her career. AN ICON IN THE BRIDAL SCENE As a freelance makeup artist, Fatimah soon made a name for herself in the Malay bridal scene. She stood out by doing things differently – eschewing the traditionally heavy, dramatic looks in favour of a more modern, subtle style for her brides and clients. That also meant that she got 'scolded a lot', she recounted with a laugh. 'Mothers of the brides would come into the room to ask why I used such light-coloured lipstick or eye makeup, but I stood my ground.' In a time before social media, Fatimah's reputation grew purely through word of mouth and she soon became highly sought after, even among celebrities. 'That was the start of the Fatimah Mohsin era. Everyone knew who I was, be it in the TV or bridal industry,' she said. Eventually, Fatimah expanded the business to offer a full range of wedding services, including planning, venue decor and couture bridal outfits exclusively designed by her. She describes her designs as 'timeless and classic'. 'After being in the industry for so long, you learn that fashion is cyclical,' she quipped. She named the business Fatimah Mohsin – The Wedding Gallery, at the encouragement of a friend, not expecting that her name would one day become iconic in the industry. In fact, she admitted with a chuckle, 'I hated the name Fatimah. It is so old school, especially when you consider yourself to be a trendy fashionista.' It has been 25 years since Fatimah first stepped into the bridal world. The business has also expanded into Perth, a market Fatimah sees as a stepping stone to greater international reach. 'We are known in the modest bridalwear scene in Singapore, but I feel that we don't have to limit ourselves to our home market,' she said, noting a growing global demand for modest, quality bridalwear. 'One of my first few steps is to enter Perth's modest market before trying to tap into other countries moving forward.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Couture Atelier for Brides ✨ (@fatimahmohsintwg) FROM BRIDAL TO HOME DECOR AND F&B Beyond bridal and weddings, Fatimah has a wide range of passions – which she has turned into business ventures. 'The wedding industry has its ups and downs,' she shared. 'Like anyone working in the same field for over 10 years, it can start to feel a bit mundane. I didn't want a complete career switch, so instead, I looked for other things that brought me joy.' As a designer, Fatimah often travelled to source materials for her work. During these trips, she would come across beautiful home decor pieces which she began collecting for her own home. After sharing them on social media, her followers started asking where she got them from, sparking inspiration for a new venture. In 2016, Fatimah started her home decor business, Prop Up Store. What was meant to be just a side hustle for the annual Ramadan Bazaar turned into a thriving brand with an online store. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Home, Living & Décor (@propupstore) The business ended up keeping Fatimah and her team afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when the bridal industry faced major disruptions with weddings postponed or cancelled. Not one to stay still, she also opened a hair salon with her sister during this time, as hair services were considered essential and were permitted to operate. An opportunity to step into F&B later came up, and Fatimah opened her first restaurant, 555 Halal Thai, in 2020. 'I'm a hustler and I felt that it was a good opportunity at that time,' Fatimah said. Situated within the Gallop Kranji Farm Resort, 555 Halal Thai exuded countryside vibes and was meant to offer Singaporeans a unique dining destination at a time when overseas travel was off the table. The restaurant closed in early 2023 due to 'a crazy increase in rental'. Fatimah also started her own ready-to-wear line selling modest dresses, abayas and scarves. More recently, she embarked on her second F&B venture together with a few partners with the opening of halal Chinese restaurant Loong Dim Sum in Boat Quay. 'In Singapore, you can count the number of halal dim sum restaurants on one hand – there are fewer than five – and people even travel to Malaysia [to get their fix]. So we thought, why not open one here? This is our first stepping stone toward offering quality halal Chinese cuisine. We have bigger plans,' teased Fatimah. The three-storey establishment also has an event space which can be used for hosting intimate weddings. Reflecting on her decision to diversify her businesses, Fatimah credits a key lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic: 'You can't put all your eggs in one basket. But if you group them together, it's harder to break,' she quipped. NEXT STOP: MALAYSIA After more than two decades of building her businesses in Singapore, Fatimah recently announced a major move to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she hopes to expand both her wedding and home decor companies. The relocation has been a long time coming – she first toyed with it more than a decade ago, but felt it wasn't the right time to uproot her two young daughters. While Fatimah currently travels between Singapore and KL, she hopes to spend more time in KL soon, having already built a strong team in Singapore. But growth in her home country has plateaued, she admitted. 'The wedding industry in Singapore, to be honest, has become quite stagnant. It is no longer like how it was before, where customers were more creative and wanted to host their weddings at interesting places. We are limited in space in Singapore, with too many templated wedding venues,' Fatimah shared. As someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, she finds energy in change. 'I always love exploring new ideas. It gives me a push when something new is happening.' Just as how she has made Fatimah Mohsin a household name in Singapore, she hopes to do the same in Malaysia, though she is under no illusion that it will be an easy journey. In fact, she's ready to start from scratch and one of her first few gigs in KL is a makeup booking for a school prom. 'I am turning 50 soon and it has always been a dream of mine to move to Malaysia, so I told myself, if I don't do it now, then when?' Fatimah reflected. 'I believe that when we put our heart and soul into something, God-willing, we can succeed.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Couture Atelier for Brides ✨ (@fatimahmohsintwg) WHAT MAKES A GOOD ENTREPRENEUR Throughout this interview, Fatimah was candid about the realities of running several businesses. Moving forward, she hopes to do more mentorship to share her experiences and guide other aspiring entrepreneurs. When asked about the qualities that make a good entrepreneur, 'everyone talks about patience, resilience and grit, because life is not a bed of roses,' she answered. In the early days of starting a business, one may have 'beginner's luck', added Fatimah, but that luck fades away once the real work begins. 'Now we see a lot of new businesses sprouting up. To start something is really easy, but to maintain, sustain and grow it is the hard part.' Through all the highs and lows, Fatimah is proud of what she and her team have built. 'We've weathered many storms. We've been the best of the best. We have faced competition, but we continue to push forward, because we always want to be the innovators in whatever we do.'
