Viviane Jaegar and Emma-Jayne Parkes are co founders and
directors of SquidLondon and are responsible for the highly
innovative umbrellas the "Squidarellas". The umbrellas are
developed with material technology that means the umbrellas reveal
a colourful design when it rains. The pair came runner up in the
Deutsche Bank Award 2008 and the first 100 limited "London Skyline"
umbrellas sold out within 100 days.
Both Viviane and Emma-Jayne gained first honours degrees at the
University London College of Fashion in Product Design and
Development and decided to commercialise the prototype of the
umbrella they created. In this video interview, the co founders of
SquidLondon talk about the importance of developing a strong
relationship with the manufacturer, which in their case was in
China, as well having a cultural understanding of foreign business
practises. The importance of efficient market research is also
highlighted, looking at the viability of the business idea and the
presence of competition, as well as identifying target audience and
potential retailers.
The entrepreneurs also speak of risk taking and the advantage of
starting up young and how to deliver a good pitch. The product
design pioneers are hoping to set the trend with material
technology by connecting science, design and marketing. In the
words of BBC Radio 4 "SquidLondon are the entrepreneurs to watch in
the future".
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A free video on young entrepreneurship with Emma-Jane Parkes & Viviane Jaeger from Smarta, the small business support and advice network.