Hi, please introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Nicole Aisha Pickering, my mother is Swedish and my father is Irish. I grew up in Dublin, Ireland and have now spend over a decade living in Dubai.
Tell us about your education.
I started working from a young age, whilst in school so I didn’t go to university.
How and when did you land in Dubai?
I moved to Dubai in September 2009 after having previously visited on vacation in January of the same year. My family have been doing business in the MiddleEast for many years so, when I decided that I wanted to move abroad; Dubai made the most sense for me.
You started as a model, what sparked your interest in fashion? My mother was a model all of her career so it was natural for me too. Specially with my tall height of 181cm. I began modelling when I was 16 years old.
When and why did you decide to open your multi-brand store ‘ESCHEL’ I have always had drive and motivation to work hard and I decided that I wanted to do more than modelling. So I decided to open up the store in 2012. I named the brand after my late grandmother, Eschel.
What was the biggest rookie mistake you made when just starting out? Starting out, one of the biggest mistakes I made was thinking that I knew it all and not really listening or taking any advice on board.
In a sentence or two, can you describe ESCHEL, and what makes it different and special?
Eschel was established 8 years ago originally with a boutique in downtown Dubai before moving the business online this year. We still have several of the same loyal customers since day one because we truly care about the customer and take care of every little detail.
What was your biggest fear when going out and starting your own business? I think when starting out I was actually fearless. I was so motivated and was just focusing on the end goal.
Did you face any difficulties at the initial stage of setting up your business?
As a very young expat female doing everything by herself there were a lot of challenges along the way. It takes a very strong personality to stay determined as I did to keep the business going all these years.
How do you tackle challenges that arise?
I am fortunate to have a very resilient character so for me challenges are just part of the journey and I don’t dwell on anything. I just keep things moving.
October, October,2020 2020
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