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.

This week we chat with Cyrielle Verstuyft, founder of UAE-based resort wear brand For the Sake of Love. The brand was born out after Cyrielle noticed a gap in the resort wear space with the need for pieces suitable for both the beach and for evenings.

Emirates Woman sat down with the founder to find out more about the story behind For the Sake of Love.

What was your favourite subject at school?

I studied fashion in school. We had a lot of different subjects that were related to fashion design, my favourite was the creative class. Where we would design, paint, learn how to work in illustrator and photoshop. It was a subject where we would always do something completely different so I never got bored.

What was your first job?

My very very first job was working in the local bakery – I would just serve customers and eat some amazing pastries in between. But for a long time, I worked in retail stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, Sandro and more.

Can you talk us through the inspiration behind For the Sake of Love?

I felt like there was missing some easy to wear resort wear pieces that you could wear to the beach but also to a lunch or dinner date. That’s why I wanted to create a colourful luxury collection that flatters every body type. The linen shirts are the very first item from For the Sake of Love. Initially, I created 13 colours. However, so many customers were asking me for more options, so now there are 20 colourways available. This year we’ve also got very exciting plans – we are set to launch our first swimwear collection. I can’t wait to show what I have been working on for a very long time!

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

I come from a very entrepreneurial family. When I grew up both my grandparents and father had their own businesses. My grandmother owned a store for luxury baby clothing store, so she taught me how a fashion business works.

What are the key elements of your role?

I’m the owner of the brand and I’m involved in every facet of the business. So I design, deal with factories, quality check, social media, create content, come up with business plans and much more.

Talk us through your daily routine?

My daily routine varies a lot, but generally, I wake up at 8am and the first thing I do which is a bad habit, but I immediately check my social media and WhatsApp messages. After I make myself some breakfast and sit outdoor with my coffee. While I have my breakfast and coffee I’ll go through some e-mails I receive. Around 10.30 I have either gym or Pilates class. In the afternoon, I normally have business meetings.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?

Never give up. You’ll go through some struggles. But don’t forget the most successful people struggled first before they reached the top. Believe in yourself!

What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

Don’t compare yourself & your business with anyone else & don’t stop learning and growing as a person. You are your own unique person and create your own unique path. As long as you believe in yourself, work hard, are happy with your job, you’ll make it work!

And what is the worst?

You have to blend in otherwise you don’t sell and succeed.

What has been the biggest challenge to overcome?

I’m very much a perfectionist. So everything has to be perfect before I’m putting it out there. That has meant a lot of back and forth with factories or sending full bulk orders back because there was a wrong stitch or button. I’ve learned that at the end of the day not to stress out too much about delays.

What are future plans for your brand?

So many exciting things are coming. I’m launching a capsule collection soon. And I’m launching as well my swimwear collection soon. Hopefully, you can find us in stores worldwide by next year.

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Images: Supplied