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UEL graduate and entrepreneur talks business with Sir Richard Branson

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Ashley with Richard Branson

UEL journalism graduate and aspiring businesswoman Ashley-Rae Tapping was flown out to Johannesburg recently to meet with Sir Richard Branson and to take part in a Virgin Media Pioneers scheme at the South African Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.

The 23-year-old former UEL student launched fashion label, Loud Culture, with her friend Abi Fashesin in June last year. Since then the company has gone from strength to strength, with designs worn by Misha B on X Factor and appearing across a range of media from magazines like More and Look to the national press. 

The Chingford-based entrepreneur met Sir Richard after winning a competition with Virgin Media Pioneers, an online community set up for young entrepreneurs to learn new skills, share ideas and network.

Ashley-Rae said that speaking to Richard Branson, arguably Britain ’s most celebrated businessman, has now given her the inspiration and determination to help her own brand achieve even greater success.

She said: “It was amazing to meet Sir Richard. It gave me more drive because he’s one of my idols and just the impact he’s had on so many people is incredible. He tries to share his experience with everyone else. If it wasn't for this innovative scheme I wouldn't have been given this amazing opportunity. I'm forever grateful and look forward to working with them in the future. It's taken me so long to find a scheme that offers this type of support and encouragement and I would urge any young entrepreneurs to join the Virgin Media Pioneers community.”

She added: “We use our family and friends as models, my mum and Abi cut all the sample clothes and my aunt’s our quality controller. Though we have less output it’s good to have that original rawness to it that you get without mass production rather than making thousands of less interesting copies.”

“Our website’s had over 80,000 hits now and we use Twitter to get in contact with stars and agents who wear our clothes and to get our name out there.”

Loud Culture has big plans for the new year including the opening of its own London store.

UEL aims to be the number one university in Europe for women's entrepreneurship by the end of the decade, to contact the university's Centre of Excellence for Women Entrepreneurs go to: www.uel.ac.uk/cewe

Any young entrepreneurs interested in joining the Virgin Media Pioneers community can do so here: www.virginmediapioneers.com

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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