This week we chat with Rosie Gunn, founder Endless, the UAE’s leading circular fashion platform.
Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’ where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
Beyond her business success, Rosie has navigated the unique challenges of being a female founder in a traditionally male-dominated industry, particularly around securing funding for purpose-driven businesses. Her passion for sustainability, tech innovation, and conscious consumerism truly sets her apart. With a curated collection of designer pieces, Endless lets fashion enthusiasts experiment with 2025’s hottest trends, from rich burgundy tones to bold leopard prints, while staying committed to sustainability.
To delve into her story further, Emirates Woman sat down with Gunn to see how her journey began.
What was your favourite subject at school?
My favourite subjects at school were textiles and business economics. I’ve always been creative as well as enjoying the business and commercial side of things.
What was your first job?
When I was at school, me and my sister monopolised the street we lived on for babysitting, working every night, every weekend – we were raking it in! My first official job was at a small independent womenswear boutique in my local town. This boutique was run by two women – working alongside them taught me a lot including understanding the female customer within the luxury market.
What brought you to Dubai?
Dubai has always had a special place in my heart, and I have always been drawn to the region, for many reasons. I think intuitively I always knew I would live here one day. When I worked in fashion buying in London, I was always searching for jobs out here. My sister has lived in Abu Dhabi for a long time, and I lived in Dubai for a few months with a friend at one stage… I had spent a lot of time out here before I moved. Eventually, the stars aligned for me, and I was able to move here officially (with my partner, and now business partner, Chris). There’s so much I love about living in Dubai, I am very happy here.
What inspired you to enter the space and your brand?
I worked in the fashion industry since I was 15 years old and so have always had a huge love for style and clothing. As I was working in the fashion industry, I was aware of its negative impact on the planet. I was in my 20s living in London and struggled to find nice clothes that fit my budget and weren’t bad for the planet like fast-fashion – which was really the only option for me at the time. I hated the quality and often would only want to wear something once to a party or event. This sparked the idea for Endless. I wanted to create a solution for the wardrobe dilemmas I faced at the time, Endless was born from the desire to empower women to make more affordable, good quality, conscious fashion choices – and offer a solution as ’the new way to shop’.
View this post on Instagram
Talk us through the concept?
Endless is the UAE’s leading circular fashion platform for rental and resale. Our ethos is, if you’re going to wear something once or twice – rent it, and if you love something and will wear it endlessly buy it. Where in the past, secondhand and thrift stores were the key place to buy circular fashion. I found them difficult to navigate and not always an enjoyable experience. I wanted to create a way to shop more consciously, that had as good experience as shopping new. Because of this, we have worked so hard to make the whole process as premium and hassle free as possible including website experience, user journey, courier delivery, professional dry-cleaning, packaging and everything else.
What are the key elements of your role?
Now we have a team that focuses on the day-to-day running of the business – I focus on our main goal which is to grow the business. I mainly focus on the front-end of the business (the brand itself, community, partners, team) and Chris, my co-founder mostly focuses on the back-end of the business which includes operations, logistics, tech and more.
Talk us through your daily routine.
The nature of running a startup doesn’t always lend itself to a daily routine – however, I do always start my day with a coffee in bed, that’s a non-negotiable for me. Running Endless, my days and weeks change quite rapidly as we innovate and grow, new priorities appear. I don’t take any money from the business yet personally, so I also do some modelling and acting – which adds another layer to my schedule. Unfortunately, I don’t have the glamourised IG founder routine yet – just a lot of late nights and hard graft.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
If you really want to pursue something that comes from your heart, go for it. However, I would always advise that if you’re considering starting your own business or start-up, be prepared for the sacrifices that come with it – your time, finances, relationships can be deeply affected, especially in the early stages. It is all-consuming. If you’re genuinely passionate about what you’re doing and obsessed with the problem you’re solving, you’ll find the energy to push through the challenges. But if you’re not completely passionate about it, I would encourage you to think twice. Entrepreneurship has been glamorised online in recent years, although it can be so fulfilling and offer some flexibility – there is also a lot to be said for a stable income, that allows you to enjoy your evenings and weekend time for travel, friends, and family. I wouldn’t sacrifice so much for anything other than Endless.
Tell us more about the services.
Endless is a boutique circular fashion platform for premium and luxury womenswear. Items are available to rent and buy. One side of Endless, is that people and brands can list their items to sell/rent with us – and this can be an additional revenue stream or side hustle. The other side is that people can shop with us to rent or buy fashion pieces.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
If someone is trying to bring you down, they are already beneath you. As I’ve evolved as a person, I’ve noticed that not everyone in my life has been happy to see my growth. Jealousy and negativity can often surround us, especially as we evolve, revealing those who don’t genuinely have our best interests at heart – a reality that’s difficult to accept, but something that I have had to learn how to navigate. I’ve come to understand the importance of setting strong boundaries with those who don’t respect me or contribute to my peace. Being so selective about who you allow into your inner circle as your support network is crucial – and be strong enough to keep anyone out who doesn’t deserve to be there.
And what is the worst?
While I can’t pinpoint the absolute worst advice I’ve received. When you’re still finding your feet and feel inexperienced – it’s easy to get lost following everyone’s advice – from those who are older, more experienced, or successful than you. However, I’ve realised that taking other people’s advice can sometimes lead to really taking you off your path. If you are lucky enough to receive some from respected people in their industry, of course be grateful and take it into consideration. Just always remember that you are the one with the vision, drive and knowledge to get yourself this far – so make sure you also trust your gut and listen to your intuition. Stick to your guns and remember to trust and believe in yourself – you know what you’re doing more than anyone else.
View this post on Instagram
What’s the biggest challenge you have had to overcome?
I have had to overcome so many challenges throughout the journey. So much rejection, self-doubt, growing, sacrifice, stress and anxiety, my mental health – the whole process has been the biggest self-development journey anyone could imagine (both personally and professionally). However, the main challenge I’ve had to overcome is being underestimated. I am often underestimated due how I look and my kind nature – plus that I work in fashion! This can mean that some people don’t take me so seriously – in many cases I must work a hundred times harder to prove myself as a woman in business.
What’s lies ahead for the brand?
For us in terms of growth – we are focusing on growing our team, community, brand partners, IRL events and lots more.