Starting My Own Business

Find out about IYASU founder Dr Catherine Fernando and what she has to say about starting her own business.

I am incredibly passionate about IYASU and it’s just as well because it has definitely been a bit of a challenge!

Firstly, my background is in Medicine. It is the only career I have experienced, and the only vocation I ever dreamed of. I didn’t go to medical school with any aspirations of starting my own business, so it’s kind of strange to find myself as CEO of an exciting start-up company.

As a female doctor, I was dismayed at the outdated, masculine brown Gladstone bags on offer, and recognised that these, albeit iconic, traditional accessories no longer catered for the now predominantly female healthcare workforce.

I envisaged a collection of beautiful, functional, fashionable bags which appealed to professional women. I knew I had a great idea, and I knew what I wanted to do. But I had very little understanding of how to achieve my goals.

With the support of organisations such as Business Gateway and Scottish Enterprise, I gradually learnt the fundamentals of a good business plan. They admired my vision and provided me with funding to seek innovation expert support, intellectual property protection (trademarks and copyright etc.) and a grant towards initial design costs.

Their constructive criticism and early financial contributions were invaluable in forming the foundations of IYASU.

From the outset, I wanted to ensure that IYASU products were made with as little harm to the earth as possible. And that this enterprise should make a positive difference to people. But this is harder than you might think…

Our bags are made of Recycled plastic (RPET) and PU vegan leather to reduce our carbon footprint. However, the fashion industry is very set in its ways and used to make products cheaply with little regard for the environment or those who work in the factories.

Recycled materials are more difficult to access and more expensive. But IYASU believes that this is a price worth paying to do the right thing for the world.

As a society, we need to start thinking more about where our fashion comes from and how it is produced. We simply can’t afford not to.

We spent many months looking into plant-based leathers such as “Piñatex®” – made from pineapples, as well as other vegan leathers made from apples, grapes, and mushrooms. Although promising, sadly, these materials are still in their infancy and are either not available on a large enough scale or require extensive upkeep such as regular waxing. Which is not practical for a heavy-use work bag.

We are, however, committed to moving to the most eco-friendly fabrics when this becomes more feasible.

In creating the IYASU collection, I have worked with a professional designer who has over 30 years in the fashion industry.

Each set of samples (there have been many) has been meticulously inspected and tested regarding their look, feel and function. Pockets have been adjusted in size and position, zips deliberated over, and each fastening, branding element, strap and handle has been thoughtfully crafted and scrutinised. This process has taken more time than I ever imagined.

Soon after deciding to pursue this venture, the world was overwhelmed by the Covid-19 Pandemic. My personal experience of “lockdown” involved working in General Practice, home-schooling my four primary school-aged children, studying for the Diploma in Practical Dermatology with Cardiff University (online), and trying to start IYASU!

All working parents can relate to the exceptional demands of attempting to educate their children sufficiently whilst balancing their workload, going for “the daily walk” and mastering “Zoom” and “Teams.” Need I say more?…