From Camilla and Marc’s recent collection to BLANCA’s cult oversized shirts, there isn’t a trending piece you won’t find at South-West Sydney boutique and online retailer Est.90. Founded in 2017, the unique retailer has become known for offering a diverse range of brands to suit every style, of course, thanks to its expert mix of leading local and global brands. Better yet, you won’t just find the latest fashion here, but an unrivalled range of accessories and homewares too, including iconic Assouline coffee table books and XRJ Celebration candles. As part of HER BLACK BOOK’s Festival of Her, a shopping event to support female-founded businesses, Est.90 founder Anita Jedinak shares some insight into her business journey so far.
“As a young girl I always loved fashion and knew that eventually one day I would always want to own my own store. I had worked in retail for small boutiques and larger companies from the age of 15 and knew that running my own store was something I would eventually end up doing. To be fair, I always thought it would be something I would do when I was older (you know – married with kids LOL) however the perfect opportunity came up in 2016 (I was 26 at the time) and it was something I’m glad I didn’t pass up and went for.”
“Seize the moment and do what works best for you. Be ready to sacrifice a lot but know that the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices . It’s been a tough two years for my business and myself personally and I am constantly just reminding myself that it’s all worth it – because honestly it is. One more bit of advice – don’t let your job/career/business become you – I have never wanted to just be known as the girl with the shop and constantly working all the time – I make sure I take time for myself – the work will always be there tomorrow.”
“2020/2021 was the biggest roadblock. I’m still overcoming it now. We were lucky in NSW that our lockdown in 2020 was only a few weeks and, thankfully, I was able to bounce back quite quickly. However 2021 was one of the hardest times I have been through in my business and it really pushed me down and the business back about 10 steps. I had to learn to adapt and change things in order to bring people to our website and store and also adapt the way I bought.
"Coming into my fifth year of business has been quite hard as I feel as though I am starting all over again and haven’t been able to reach certain goals I was hoping to achieve by this stage and just have the business at the place I wanted it at by now. I understand that a lot of this was out of my control and by no means a reflection of bad business decisions. It has honestly been super hard to stay motivated amidst all this and keep the excitement and love for what I do alive, however, I do know deep down everything is going to work out and it can only go up from here. Everyday is a challenge, but I have the best support and team behind me – without them I don’t know where I would be."
“'Don’t stress, if something isn’t done on time or how you want it right away is someone going to die or will the store burndown?' I was given this by an old manager when I worked at Sass & Bide. Honestly I live by it – at the end of the day, I’m selling clothes and making people feel beautiful, not curing brain cancer."
“I have a few and some I am lucky enough to call friends.
My friend Ashleigh Stewart from Clementine Posy – she’s such a force to be reckoned with. Her creativity is second to none and I always know I can go to her with anything I need. Lia Georgantis from Girls With Gems is more like my little sister in fashion and female business leader who I find inspirational. After taking over her mums store she has become a powerhouse to be reckoned with and is honestly the place you want to be if you’re launching a brand (I know she’s direct competition but as I say there’s like 8 million people in Sydney alone – enough for all of us). HBB creators Sali Sasi & Juli Stevanja – I have known the girls for a very long time and I am always in awe of their 'go get them attitude' and their work ethic is also something to be admired. Whenever I have bumped into them there’s always been some kind of advice that always sticks with me."
