09 Oct Business Teaching from Clare Lichfield Founder of Bodici

This week, 6th October 2023, the FC Designer Workspace students had a guest teaching session from Clare Lichfield, founder of VegSilk, an industry-leading vegan silk alternative and Bodici, her eco-friendly, womenswear brand.

Clare discussed how she started her own business and the important lessons she had learnt along the way.

Clare said: “I talked to the students about how I started Bodici. I tried to show that my journey was deeply personal, connected to my own life story, which is what makes it special and genuine. I wanted to inspire the students to think about their own lives and journeys, with the hope that someday they could turn their stories into meaningful businesses that truly resonate with their audience.

“I asked the students to write down their thoughts in response to some questions and prompts. I made it clear that they might not have all the answers right away, but that thinking about these things is important.

The prompts were:

• When do you feel happiest? I feel happiest when…
• What energises you? I feel energised by…
• My story is unique because…
• The rest of my story will be unique because…
• This gives me a valuable point of view because…
• I will be the first in my family to…
• I will be the person in my family to change a history of…
• How would you like to be described? How does that make you feel?

“I also really wanted the students to understand that having a brilliant idea is just the starting point. It’s totally normal to cherish your ideas, but I really emphasised how vital it is to make them happen. I shared that many people have wonderful ideas, but that the magic happens when they’re put into action in the right way.”

The students were really engaged with this session and it gave them some fundamental questions to think about.

Thank-you to Clare for providing her industry knowledge and insight and for getting the students to really question their motives and aspirations.