Regenerate
Hive entrepreneur regenerates fashion industry
Hive entrepreneur May Cortazzi is setting new trends in the drive to fight poverty through fashion. Her fashion label, Regenerate, is designed for the customer who wants to look good while doing good. "Regenerate is all about new ways of tackling poverty, helping the environment and using eco-intelligent fabrics," says May. "It caters for the demand on the high street for style-conscious ethical clothing."
With profits being ploughed into good causes such as helping street children in Indonesia, the Regenerate message seems to have struck a chord. It attracts orders from across the world, boasts a large online fan base and enjoys a celebrity following from the music scene. "The Hive was the perfect starting point for all the essential business skills that I really knew nothing about – such as legal information, accounts, costings, financial planning and marketing." May's original motivation for the business dates back to time she spent with the Barli Institute in India, teaching dressmaking and embroidery to help women from lower castes improve their life chances. It was, however, her association with The Hive that helped translate her vision into reality.
She was pursuing MA studies at Nottingham Trent University when she heard about HeadStart. "I couldn't believe it was free and jumped at the opportunity," she said. "I'd lived in London, Leicester and Newcastle, but this was the only place that offered such a great fast-track course and facilities right on my doorstep. For her first year, May was based at The Hive with her own desk, hotline and meeting room. "It was really helpful to have a physical space in such a professional environment. If I ever needed advice, I could pop in and see one of the mentors. As it's an integral part of the University, The Hive is also ideally located for a creative professional like me – as I continued to have access to the invaluable expertise and resources I'd enjoyed during my course."
Regenerate was launched in 2008 during London Fashion Week. Since then, May's progress been studded with accolades – from winning a regional green business award to being shortlisted as the UK Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year and being invited to Indonesia by the British Council as a pioneer of ethical fashion. Her work has been fêted in publications like Vogue, Drapers Record and Marie Claire. Such success has enabled her to run ethical fashion education campaigns alongside her business, encouraging design students to make the right choices. "Eighty per cent of the crucial ethical / eco decisions are made at design stage, so we hope our campaigns will have a huge impact in the industry," she explains.
May continues to rely on The Hive's expertise through the SmarTrak programme of ongoing mentoring. "I feel confident in most areas of business due to what the Hive has taught me, but if I'm ever unsure of anything, there is always someone there to help and make sure I'm on track," she says. "My mentor helps me see my goals clearly through busy and stressful times. In any business, picking yourself up after a knock back is the hardest of all challenges, and I'm lucky to have such a great support system. I also receive regular emails from The Hive, keeping me up to date with the latest business news, competitions and networking opportunities, which is really useful. And, of course, I've been introduced to some amazing entrepreneurs in Nottingham."
For further information visit the Regenerate website.
