If I’m honest, there isn’t a week that goes by where I don’t question myself.
That probably isn’t what you’d expect to hear from the founder of a fashion brand. When you look at social media, it’s easy to believe every launch is a huge success, every collection sells out and everyone behind the scenes has it all figured out.
The truth is, they don’t.
Building a business is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, but it’s also one of the hardest.
There are days when I question every decision I’ve made. Days when I wonder whether I’m good enough to build the brand I’ve always dreamed of. Days when the pressure feels overwhelming. I don’t think we talk about that enough.
Launch days are still my favourite days of the year. They’re exciting, nerve-racking and emotional all at once. Seeing those first orders come through is a feeling I’ll never take for granted. Every order represents someone choosing Atelier Ninety Five, and that’s something I’ll always be grateful for.
But with every successful launch comes another reality.
The more you sell, the more returns you receive. It’s simply part of running a fashion business. I know that. I understand that not every return means someone didn’t love the product. Sometimes it’s the wrong size, sometimes the fit isn’t quite right and sometimes life simply gets in the way.
Even when customers leave the loveliest notes explaining why something wasn’t quite right, I still find myself wondering if I could have done something differently. Could the fit have been better?
Should we have photographed it another way?
Did I miss something?
Even knowing all of that, I still take every return personally.
I care because every piece we create means something to me.As the business grows, so does the responsibility. Every decision feels bigger. Every collection carries more weight.
One thing people are often surprised to hear is that I’ve never taken any money out of Atelier Ninety Five. Every pound we’ve made has gone straight back into the business. It’s gone into developing better collections, improving quality, investing in future launches and supporting the incredible team and suppliers who help bring Atelier to life.Building a brand isn’t just about creating beautiful clothes. It’s about making hundreds of decisions every single week, many of which nobody ever sees. Sometimes that’s the loneliest part.
You can ask for advice and listen to different opinions, but eventually the final decision is yours. If something works, it’s a wonderful feeling. If it doesn’t, it’s very difficult not to question yourself.
Then something reminds me why I started.
I’ll see one of you wearing Atelier and tag us in a photo. I’ll receive a message telling me how confident you felt wearing one of our pieces. I’ll read a review from someone who wore Atelier to a birthday, an important meeting, a wedding or simply because they wanted to feel like the best version of themselves that day.
Those moments never become ordinary.
They remind me that what we’re building is about so much more than clothes.
A few weeks ago, I shared a carousel looking back at how far Atelier has come. Watching it back made me realise something about myself. I’m always looking forwards. Always setting another goal. Always raising the bar.
It’s probably one of the reasons the business has grown, but it also means I don’t stop often enough to appreciate how far we’ve already come.
One of my goals for 2026 was to achieve consistent daily sales. I remember writing it down and wondering if it was too ambitious. Today, it’s our reality.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that I once wished for the life I’m living now.
That doesn’t mean the doubts disappear. It doesn’t mean the difficult days suddenly become easy. It simply reminds me that growth often happens so gradually that we forget to stop and recognise it.
The truth is, I don’t think these feelings are unique to running a business. Whether you’re building a company, raising children, changing careers or simply trying to become the person you want to be, I think doubt has a habit of arriving just before growth.
Maybe that’s because the things we care about most are the things that ask the most of us.
So if you’re reading this while questioning yourself, wondering if you’re on the right path or whether all the hard work will eventually be worth it, I hope you know you’re not alone.
I certainly don’t have all the answers. What I do know is that every time I’ve questioned the journey, something has reminded me why I started.
For me, that’s you.
Every order.
Every message.
Every review.
Every photo you share wearing Atelier Ninety Five.
Every time you tell me that one of our pieces made you feel confident, comfortable or simply more like yourself, it reminds me exactly why this brand exists.
Thank you for believing in what we’re building.
This is the first edition of The Atelier Journal, and I hope it becomes a place where we can have honest conversations about confidence, ambition, style, growth and everything in between.
Thank you for being here.
Until next time,
Founder
Atelier Ninety Five