Australia as an eight-year-old
child, she couldn't possibly
have known how successful
she would become as a
for fashion was already taking hold.
they were pretty terrible."
only granted the opportunity to learn the rag
trade, she was able to test her fi rst designs on
the market before branching out on her own.
you to achieve your success faster than if you try
to discover it by yourself," she says. "But there it
was just tops and shirts and his market was a bit
more conservative than I wanted to be I had
this dream of how I wanted women to look."
her to create a successful business, but, by
having cutters and makers, she knew she could
increase the volume of what was produced and
sell to more people.
I applied that logic to what I was doing
in business not to overspend, to make sure
I got paid, to make sure I paid my bills and that
I didn't have too many overheads."
to come her way.
of the windows it was really very exciting. But
the reality was that I had worked so hard."
the samples and orders to deadline, as well as
everything else involved in getting a business off
the ground. "Sometimes there was no time to
sleep," she says.
share and started another business, this time as
a single mother. "It was really hard work and
challenging but nonetheless exciting," she says.
"There were very few people at that time you
could look to as examples, but I had some very
good friends and employees around me who
helped me through that time."
chairman of SBS and on the boards of the
Westfi eld Group and McDonald's Australia. One
her, along with other designers, such as
Collette Dinnigan and Akira Isogawa, was
in 2005 in the form of a commemorative
postage stamp. "A lot of amazing things have
happened in my life that are really quite lovely
and really unexpected," Zampatti says.
her time thinking about what kind of contribution
she could make. She says she soon realised
being chairman was not about making television
programs but about making sure the business
did well. She also discovered her business and
the broadcasting business had a lot in common.
amazing what you can do with a can-do attitude."
says, whether they be staff, suppliers or sub-
contractors. It's easy to build good relationships
with dedicated, motivated people, so that's
exactly the type she tries to have around her.
One of the ways she achieves this is by giving
opportunities to young people who show
promise, regardless of their qualifi cations.
"If someone really wants to go places, I help
them," she says.
and the other working on the strategic planning
for the business.
there for a long time, and it has a standard
and quality and variability and usability that is
probably its biggest strength people who buy
my label keep the clothes for a long time and
come back for more."
love. You'll become
better and better at it
because you love doing
it so much.
in business, because
it can get complicated.
say no too quickly.
Try to fi nd a way to make
it work for you. Don't
rush in. Even if it's a big
stretch, have a try.
Stretching is wonderful.
people around you.
Spring 2008 collection.