Yvonne El-Alam runs PatternCreative, where she spends time working closely with designers to produce inexpensive designs without the need to compromise quality and style.
Yvonne has been part of the fashion industry for over 30 years, with expertise in technical specifications, grading, pattern making and garment production.
“I help emerging and established fashion designers, to create their apparel ranges, get started and develop their ideas into real products.”
In the past five years, Yvonne has upgraded her skills and currently teaches/facilitates nationally recognised fashion industry qualifications online. Yvonne helps Open Colleges update their fashion curriculums, modifies course units and writes ebooks for said course units. Yvonne has
found teaching and training to be the most rewarding part of her career.
Here’s what Yvonne’s ideal business looks like:
“Fun design and a training room where products are being developed for many different clients. With cutting and machinists as part of the team. I would have an awesome team of skilled professionals as well as running workshops and masterclasses.”
Yvonne’s favourite entrepreneur:
Yvonne’s sister, Samantha Barakat Light, is her favourite entrepreneur.
Samantha is the CEO and founder of Body Catalyst. Yvonne has seen Samantha grow from start-up to entrepreneur in a short amount of time. Samantha understands the importance of a good team, risk-taking and benefits of delegation. Yvonne is especially proud of her sister for juggling family and school life during COVID.
What advice do you wish you had been given when you started?
“Back yourself. Believe in yourself and your skills. No two people are alike, so don’t compare yourself to others.”
What advice would you give someone thinking about starting a business?
“Make sure you know the industry you are getting into. If not, research and talk to others in the industry. Seek and consult with others in the industry. Then have a vision for your business, make sure it aligns with your values, and narrow down your niche (or as HerBusiness would say-
you ideal client!). Finally, get a professional to do your website and social pages; it’s worth it.”
Yvonne’s passions and interests:
Yvonne is passionate about female empowerment, her family, the fashion industry, and technical innovation in pattern making. Her interests include walking in nature and the beach, swimming, reading, yoga, meditation, business, and travel.
On HerBusiness and helping other members:
“I can help members with any apparel questions including design suitability, suitable fabrication, industry resources and contacts, advice on upskilling, and starting a fashion clothing label.”
Yvonne joined HerBusiness to gain skills so she could be more than just a freelancer and self-employed. She wanted to learn about business, to grow, and to become a real business owner with a suitable income. Yvonne also wanted to create lasting connections with other businesswomen for inspiration and accountability.
Yvonne has some member-to-member offers for fellow HerBusiness owners. Contact Yvonne to learn more about her free one-hour consultation on producing your fashion range, which includes what steps to take. Yvonne also offers free one-hour training for digital or manual pattern
making, digital or manual pattern grading, or Adobe Illustrator for technical fashion sketches.
Learn more about Yvonne and PatternCreative here.
