Research by NatWest has found that 50 percent of female entrepreneurs in the North of England have never been branded with stereotypical gender labels when running their business. In addition to this, 61% of respondents had never experienced someone commenting on or alluding to their work attire in a negative way in a professional environment – the highest across any region in the UK.
Jyoti Matoo is the founder of Voir, a digital fashion magazine which celebrates diversity and empowerment and is distributed in 31 countries and in 785 hotels. Jyoti has also worked as a stylist for music videos, and has styled male celebrities such as Tom Zanetti, Chip Munk, JME, Baseman, D Double EE, Lethal Bizzle, Hailie WSTRN, Mist and Steel Bangles.
The business was started in Jyoti’s cellar in Leeds more than five years ago. And while she admits that being a woman in business is a challenge, she doesn’t feel she has experienced blatant sexism.
Jyoti said: “It’s very, very, very tough to be a woman in these industries. They are incredibly competitive and you encounter knock backs but you must stay firm in what you believe and what you ultimately want to achieve.
“I was approached to do the music video despite having limited experience in this area. Both industries are very male-dominated but have different priorities so you have to alter how you approach them. When you are working with a musician a lot of the time their personal style is linked to their brand image. You may come with hundreds of ideas that just don’t quite work so you have to do your research in advance. For music videos directors will also have ideas on what they want and have a vision about this.
“With that in mind you have to be firm in your vision if you think it’s something completely different. You can’t shy away from disagreements but be clear and stand your ground and you can win them round. You have to make sure they have your buy in. If an artist isn’t comfortable with what they are wearing they will not perform which is why research at the beginning of any shoot is important.”
To celebrate those women who are making headway or are thinking of making their mark within business, Voir has a Female Empowerment issue coming out in autumn. Voir has also recently shot the rising star that is Raye, for the cover of this empowerment issue. Raye is just one example of a young female that has fought her way through the male dominant music industry and made a name for herself. She is a prime example for young, independent women and evokes a message that Voir is built upon.
Heather Waters, Enterprise Manager at NatWest said: “While it is clear that a high percentage of women are still experiencing gender specific challenges it is fantastic to see more female entrepreneurs rising above any negative stereotyping and being more determined than ever to succeed regardless. Therefore it is vital to the UK economy that we do all we can to encourage more women to be confident in their skills, champion their strength and to start new businesses.”
NatWest has over 400 Women in Business specialists throughout the UK. These specialists are accredited by the Chartered Banker in conjunction with Everywoman, an organisation that provides resources and services to support women who are starting or growing their businesses. Through these dedicated business experts, customers have access to their hands-on expertise, unique business insight, training and opportunities to create valuable connections.
