Growing up we were always sporty, and at around 6 years old we begun playing cricket and just fell in love with the sport! However, we became fed up with having to wear cricket clothing that was uncomfortable and made for men and realised that if we were having this problem then lots of other girls must be too, so we decided to do something about it!
Tell me about the business - what it is, what it aims to achieve, who you work with, how you reach customers and so on?
Maiden aims to achieve inclusive sportswear for all, that we can all feel comfortable and secure in so that we can play to the best of our ability and not be held back. We are working with a small team to start and have been using our various social media channels in order to get the name out there! Our main audience is cricket clubs in and outside of school, so we have created the “rising stars” platform where young people have the opportunity to sign up as an ambassador for the brand and promote the kit on their socials, sharing with similar groups that will also be interested.
How has the business evolved since its launch?
We only launched a few weeks ago, so we are still in the very early stages of Maiden! However, we are very excited for what the future has in store, with our social media growing day by day (over 600 followers on Instagram), and more people becoming interested in the brand and products.
How are you funded?
Privately funded through friends and family so far, but we are going to need to do a seed round soon.
What has been your biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome this?
It took us a while to find the perfect material for the Maiden clothing, as it needed to be thick enough to not be see through, but thin enough to still be breathable whilst exercising. Determined, we used trial and error to find the materials that fit our aims, going through the process numerous times until the design was perfect.
How does Maiden answer an unmet need?
We noticed a huge gap in the market for girls' sportswear, with period protection, flattering materials and non – see through clothing. The lack of female sportswear has led to many injuries in both professional and amateur sports teams, so we wanted to change this and increase the number of girls taking up sports.
What’s in store for the future?
We want to increase girls' inclusion in sport by giving them confidence when playing cricket, whilst also growing the collection of Maiden and branching out into new products. Watch this space!
What one piece of advice would you give other founders or future founders?
Have confidence in your idea, if you believe it is something that is going to help those around you then it is worth seeing the idea through and putting your all into it!
And finally, a more personal question! What’s your daily routine and the rules you’re living by at the moment?
Well I have GCSE’s coming up and therefore its pretty much revision at the moment. Lie in’s as much as I would like them aren’t really optional. With orders to fill, geography and French exams looming there isn’t a lot of free time. In terms of “rules to live by” – well I guess, you can only do what is in front of you, so don’t get stressed.
We have 2 posters in our house with words I like:
“It will all be OK in the end and if its not OK, its not the end” – John Lennon
“Always be yourself unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman”
Honor and Cat Black are the Founders of Maiden.
