How To Build Confidence & Self-Love With Bash Clothing’s Co-Founder
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Are you ready for a big bash? Bash Clothing is not just your regular fashion-brand-next-door; they bring just as much fun to their clothes and company as a big bash. While you won’t find balloons and confetti at Bash Clothing, you’re sure to find the bash (wink) fashion pieces to empower you and bring out your most confident self. Founded by two bashful beauts, Cecilia and Maxine strive to make fashion fun, unconventional, and personal. We got the chance to speak to Cecilia as she shares a little more insight into what makes Bash Clothing the brand it is today.
Maxine and Cecilia of Bash Clothing (left to right respectively)
1. Tell us more about Bash Clothing and what makes it tick.
Just as our name says, we are all about happy things like parties and making statements. We take pride in empowering girls with fashion and creating content that is beyond fashion for our community of strong and positive girls. Here at Bash, you will not find boring, conventional content about fashion. We will always try to do things differently and engage with our audience in the language they speak!
2. What do you do at Bash Clothing?
My name is Cecilia and I am the co-founder of Bash Clothing along with my partner-in-crime, Maxine. My role in the company is more towards styling, marketing, partnerships and customer service.
3. How does a typical day look like for you in the office?
I typically start work at 11am (not very early, oops!). I will start by going through our agenda of the day with the team. Every day is different for us, but most days we focus on dispatching our customer’s orders to ensure that they receive them at lightning speed. Then, I proceed to start planning for some content, be it a static photo, an IG Story series, an IGTV Video, or even an IG live! I usually have my lunch late around 3-4pm once all these things are settled. Only once everything is done for the day, I will head home!
4. In recent times, how has your business grown or adapted? What would you say is the core thing that helped you to survive, or even thrive?
It’s definitely our ability to think fast and react quickly to our customers’ needs. With the hit of this unprecedented pandemic, we’ve noticed a change in our customers’ shopping behaviour. For example, our dresses used to be bestsellers, but sweaters and loungewear are now taking over by storm. We constantly adapted and adjusted to our consumer’s demands and thus, focused on bringing in more variety of loungewear and sweaters. Not only that, but we have also created content that is relevant to the current MCO lifestyle, like organizing hack videos, home-based styling videos, productivity talk, skincare talk and others!
5. How do you usually start your day?
I start my day by making my bed every morning. This sets the right tone of the day for me because I get to begin my morning by accomplishing something small! Then, my morning routine is followed by a shower and a thorough skincare routine to get me in the rhythm for work. Skincare is crucial for me especially since I work in an air-conditioned office all day!
I try to have breakfast whenever my schedule allows it. There’s nothing better than a cup of my favourite pick-me-up beverage and sourdough bread with thick, thick butter!
6. Are there any key habits that you think defines a successful person?
Personally, I find that having a positive attitude is one of the keys to becoming a successful person. A positive person can turn any adversity into an opportunity because they often see things from a perspective that others don’t! I also believe in the law of attraction, so a positive attitude will always attract a positive outcome and vice versa.
Cecilia (right) and Maxine (left) show off their beautiful smiles!
7. How do you stay productive when you are having a bad day?
Contrary to popular belief, I think having a bad day once in a while is actually great for your mental health and productivity! If you stretch yourself too thin, you may end up breaking. Allowing yourself a bad day where you just do not want to do anything at all is a great way to destress. You can always pick up where you left off right after, too!
Additionally, knowing that you took a day off also forces you to not waste more time, Therefore, you can stay motivated to meet your deadlines!
8. What does your night-time routine look like?
My nighttime routine is my favourite routine of the day. It is crucial for me to wind down after a long day because I take this time to rest and recharge. I will reply to some emails before winding down and starting my nighttime 10-steps skincare routine. During this process, I will watch some entertaining Youtube videos or Netflix shows.
Then, I scroll through my social media to catch up with what I missed throughout the day. (I do not always have screentime during a busy workday!). Lastly, I snuggle up in bed and fall asleep listening to podcasts related to personal development. This is literally my definition of a perfect night!
9. What does fashion mean to you? How has being in the fashion industry shaped your life?
To me, fashion has always been more than just wearing nice, trendy clothes and owning the most expensive luxury handbag. Fashion has literally shaped me into the person that I am today.
Growing up, I have always loved fashion. Even when my peers were wearing cartoon T-shirts in Primary 6, I was already obsessed with magazine-worthy looks with boots and mini skirts. None of my peers understood my “fashion sense”, since it was just over the top and strange to them. So, I was literally only dressing up for ME! None of their opinions changed the way I dressed, because I always felt so good and confident when I liked my outfit. It made me feel empowered and polished; even more so when I get a compliment!
As I grew up, I realized that the confidence I got from dressing up just stuck with me. I was also able to present myself better around people. This made me want to venture into founding Bash, because I have always wanted to change the fashion belief of dressing up for others when it is actually for you.
After starting Bash, I also began to have a more positive relationship with my body. Trying out new fashion styles is literally the biggest part of my job. The more variety of clothes I try, the more I realize that every kind of body is beautiful in its own way. I used to hate my big hips, but I began to love them when I discovered the right pair of jeans; I used to envy girls with skinny arms until I found how flattering puffy sleeves made my arms look. Now, I love my body more than ever before. I can only bring out my best to achieve my goals when I love myself wholly.
10. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? What advice do you have for our readers?
The best piece of advice I have ever received is to lead your life, not live it. Choosing to commit full-time to Bash was not a decision that was solely motivated by money. The biggest reason why I gave up my comfortable day job for a single source of income is that Bash gave me a sense of purpose beyond just extrinsic rewards. I found my passion in styling girls and empowering them through fashion. This was something that I thought was my calling and gave me excitement in life.
I am able to appreciate every moment in life better now because I get to wake up every day working on something I am passionate about. And I pledge to not just live my life by watching every day go by anymore, but to actually be present in every moment and make an impact in my community as I go. I hope you find your true calling that makes every moment count too!
Cecilia is definitely someone to admire and respect for her journey in exploring and growing with fashion. It’s definitely not easy to love our bodies since we are our own harshest critics, but we are inspired to use fashion to our advantage to find new ways to accentuate and love our bodies! We hope you are inspired to dress up for no one but yourself. You are fierce and beautiful in your own way; stay unabashed about that!
