Meet the Female Brand Founders Changing the Game

In 2021, Yasmin Sewell pushed the boundaries of the beauty industry, launching the world’s first wellbeing brand to fuse energetic healing with master perfumery. Vyrao offers a collection of seven unisex fragrances, incense and scented candles that are catalysts for holistic wellbeing, infused with curated ingredients that can boost your mood and encourage different emotions, based on the science of scent. Formulated from the finest organic, ethically sourced plant and flower extracts, drawing on neuroscientific principles, energetic practices and perfume lore, Yasmin Sewell and her brand champion fragrance as a tool for healing, promoting that positive emotions contribute to better physical health.

“Unfortunately, a woman’s journey in business is trickier and there is much to navigate, I hate to say it but it’s real. So truly, we need to support each other as women and give each other boosts of confidence and guidance whenever we can.”

Inspired by the therapeutic ritual of self-reflection, Estée Lalonde's bodycare brand Mirror Water cultivates rituals of relaxation with nourishing self-care essentials to help encourage conversation and connection with our minds and bodies.

“Being a female founder is simultaneously the most challenging and most empowering thing I’ve ever done. Every day brings new challenges and hurdles that feel insurmountable until you conquer them! I have been embraced by the women in my field and have become a lot more comfortable asking for help. It has been incredible to feel supported and championed by other women and I always try to pay it forward when possible.”

Australian designer, Lesleigh Jermanus draws on her Lebanese heritage to celebrate sustainable and ethical practices by using natural fibres and traditional artistical craftsmanship with her one-of-a-kind fashion brand, ALÉMAIS.

“I feel fortunate that I was brave enough to follow my heart and start my business. As we enter our fourth year, I can reflect and realise that the relationship between inspiration, discomfort, challenge and growth are intrinsically linked. One of the most challenging aspects of building a brand is juggling the many hats I have to wear each day – designer, creative, leader, business owner, partner and mother. It is a paradox that this is also the most rewarding experience of my career. I think a lot about the quote ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ and I know that to be true at ALÉMAIS. Walking into the office every day and being surrounded by inspiring women is an empowering force.”

As the woman who revolutionised natural haircare with bespoke products for afro and curly hair, Charlotte Mensah is no stranger in the beauty industry. With an award-winning brand and famed hair salon – Hair Lounge – under her belt, Mensah is renowned for her transformative Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil, which hydrates, nourishes and restores Afro, mixed and curly hair.

“Don't fear failure; instead, prepare for it. Business involves making mistakes. If you're not making any, you're not taking enough risks. Embrace challenges and stay humble by remembering your own journey as a beginner who made mistakes.”