Going back to where it all began- KCL Enterprise Connect

We are celebrating, as Innovation at our old university is back! We cannot be happier. Last week we had the honour of listening to Baroness Dido Harding and MBE Cath Kidston.

Photo: Baroness Dido Harding, MBE Cath Kidston, Enterprise Connect

Both inspired us so much we had ideas bubbling in overload while listening to them. 

The dynamic between the two was extraordinary - demonstrating that there is much to be learnt from business owners and CEO's of large corporations.

Brand Spotlight: TalkTalk

We were quite surprised to have found some common ground in TalkTalk's ethos' and our own, very much inspiring us.

Photo: TalkTalk

TalkTalk started with one powerful idea; 'free' - making things free for customers. It's no surprise then, that as a company it was born into chaos, as it was flooded with 200,000 customers within 6 days- not over its estimated 6 months. The TalkTalk inside joke is that it was a company acting like a teenage octopus, with fast growth and not able to control its limbs!

TalkTalk's starting point with anything new is the customer - they ask 'Why would our customers be pleased to be our customer?'

Photo: Enterprise Connect, KCL

The company is formed around their 'Bright Basics';

1. Customer - every company knows their customer can go elsewhere and only if the company continues to deliver will the customer remain loyal. TalkTalk have been nominated the worst company for customer services and won the Money Mail wooden spoon twice - Dido commented that this wooden spoon sits on her desk and spurs her on everyday. 

2. Innovate - why zig when the world zags? TalkTalk aims to approach things unconventionally and innovatively.

3. Value - our customers live on a budget so we must also. That means no big bonuses or first class travel for employees and ultimately lower charges for the customer.

4. People - be yourself at work, TalkTalk encourage individuality, which promotes diversity. 

5. Community - TalkTalk make decisions because they are right, not because they are profitable.

These philosophies are what we share with TalkTalk - it was a very big surprise that we share the same values as a big multi national in the telecoms sector.

1. We prioritise the customer - we are a company founded on the premise that customers are underserved by current lingerie brands and we, as customers, want to do something for ourselves and every other customer that shares our frustration and disappointment with bras on the high street.

2. We believe we buck all the trends - we zig when the lingerie industry zags - we are approaching our business from the opposite end to most people, and mixing up the design process to do it differently than all other competitors. Why follow what the industry is doing it wrong....?

3. Why would we complain about misleading advertising then mislead our customers with our advertising? All our campaigns will be shot with real women, ourselves included, and without any photoshop or photographic manipulation.

4. We want our company to be a place where everyone is themselves, a part of the family and loves the job and work they do daily. We get the honour of working on our dream job, we would love to give others their dream job, or something close to it.

5. We have always remained true to one premise - we are a business founded to solve a problem. We conduct our business first and foremost around solving this problem.

We then had the privilege of listening to an interview with Cath Kidston.

It was fascinating to hear how Cath created a huge, global business with no prior business knowledge or business education.



She started with the Yellow Pages and an explosion of ideas in her head that she was convinced customers would love.



She achieved her success by trusting her instincts, following her passionate enthusiasm for designs that were not available on the market and gaining the best and most experienced, trusted team.

As huge, huge Cath Kidston fans, it was an extraordinary experience to talk with her after the event!

We have always wanted to create a company where everyone that we employ adores working for Attollo.

It is one of our dreams to create a working environment that people adore and where they love working. Cath provided a wonderful insight into how to make this possible, and how to create a team that is loyal to the company ethos's and values.

Thank you not only to Cath and Dido for inspiring us and spurring us on, but also to our university for persistently engaging us with the most fantastic contacts that we have the privilege to be influenced by and learn from. 

Attollo Turns One!!

Exactly three years ago we both met during Freshers Week at university.

Exactly two years ago our bitching and moaning about DD+ bras went up a notch as our friendship grew.

Exactly one year ago Attollo began.

We cannot believe that we have had Attollo for a year!!!




Although we did not incorporate the company until October, September 18th is our appointed birthday. It was this date in 2013 that we prioritised Attollo over our other commitments, and today marks one year since we've been working constantly on Attollo, getting it closer and closer to launch each day.

A year ago we went to a business networking event at university with Lee McQueen, Apprentice winner 2008 and Levi Roots, Reggae Reggae sauce founder and Dragons Den successor as the speakers. We went to find out when we should start the company, how soon after university should we set up the company and how on earth we could create our dream company from the perspective of two very inexperienced third year Geography undergraduates.

Little did we know, that all these questions would answer themselves in the next 24 hours.

We networked for the first time, bluffing and smiling our way through conversations we simply did not understand, with terminology being thrown around while we were both trying to discretely get google to translate.

That night we got offered to meet two exceptional contacts the very next day. Like two little giddy children on Christmas Day we embarrassingly burst into tears. To us, that demonstrated how much Attollo was meaning to us and later our parents received very intangible conversations. The suggestion of business meetings the next morning did not go down at all well.

That night we worked round the clock, obtaining domains, email addresses, and obtaining the right to use social media under our name before our meetings in the morning.  Meetings that went so well, it was time to leave our beloved teams; Fleurette left her beloved Cheerleading Squad, Alice left her beloved Hockey team, to focus on creating a business that would finally give us bras we could be proud to wear.

Although this year has been a whirlwind, full of ups and downs on a daily basis, we couldn't have asked for more support and encouragement from our friends and now our families.

We've met some incredible people and without the tireless support of our ever-growing team, we would not have taken Attollo where it is today.

It's also exactly a year since our parents knew we were completely serious about chasing our dream of making Attollo into a reality.

Today marks the half-way point; it is a year since we started Attollo and a year until we bring Attollo bras to all you lovely booby ladies.

In exactly a year's time we will be launching our first range. We cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for us but we know that we love our job more than ever and feel incredibly lucky to be not only create bras that we finally can love wearing, but most of all we get to work with our best friend and sister from another mister every day.  Happy Birthday Attollo!