A young York entrepreneur whose business is ‘100% female empowered’ has spoken how her business epitomises the spirit of International Women’s Day.
Bronte Mitchell, founder and editor of Femme Magazine, said that her all-women team was showcasing the work of women in an industry which was often male-dominated.
This year, today’s International Women’s Day (8 March) has the theme #ChooseToChallenge – which means “a challenged world is an alert world”, and we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions.
Femme Magazine is a country, fashion and lifestyle magazine designed to educate and entertain readers about the Yorkshire countryside. From rural country homes to new fashion brands, Femme is a great source of information for the latest news, stories and images.
Brontë, 21, who is also a journalism undergraduate at York St John University, tells YorkMix, about her vision – and why International Women’s Day is important to her.
‘We epitomise its purpose every day’
Can you tell me a bit about your business and why you started it?
Finishing sixth form with the best qualifications, I headed off to London College of Fashion to study an Integrated Masters in Fashion Criticism and Journalism.
When in London, I witnessed a lot of complications and soon found out that living as student there wasn’t what I had originally imagined. With a heavy heart I made the decision to return to York.
My determination and passion were slipping away, as what I had envisioned hadn’t gone to plan and my aspirations of being a fashion student were gone. I knew I needed something to re-ignite my love for writing and style once again.
I saw a gap in the market for a country magazine that showcased country lifestyle and fashion whilst supporting recognised and upcoming businesses. And so, in January 2019, I released Femme Country Magazine, a female dedicated magazine that foot-printed on all acres of country life.
Why is International Women’s Day important to you?
Our magazine is 100% female empowered! I work with a lovely team of girls and am very passionate about feminism and women supporting women.
The agriculture industry is dominated by men and often the female workers get overlooked. I wanted to showcase women inside the country sector. Those with businesses, those working in the fields, those aspiring to achieve the country look and all those with ambition to support other women inside the industry.
International Women’s Day is more than important in my business – and I think we epitomise its purpose every day when women read our magazines and when myself and my team sit down to create features.
Do you take influence from a particular female role model?
I have the upmost respect for Jade Holland Cooper. As a fellow country girl, she turned her small fashion business, Holland Cooper, into a multi-million-pound brand.
Having met her multiple times, she has given me the push to ignite and expand Femme Country Magazine. Her work ethic is outstanding, and it is something I look up to everyday as I do have the tendency to work more than relax – but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
What it a typical day to day life like as a young woman in business?
I do tackle multiple jobs at once. So, amongst university work, an internship with Mindless Mag and a part time job, I really support the view that there really aren’t enough hours in the day!
On a day committed to the magazine, I usually wake up at 8:30am and will be at my desk for 9am. Commencing with checking my emails and my calendar I update on my calls list for the day and prepare materials in relation to the subject of the call – this could be a business interested in advertising, a feature enquiry, shoot planning: the list can be endless!
From midday onwards, I work on the composition for the next seasonal issue and continue to write features for the interior pages using the content collected.
On a particularly busy day, I tend to liaise with businesses about future projects and PR companies about collaborative work. Usually, business days end at 5pm, usually for me I’ll be working until 9pm sometimes, but because I’m so passionate about what I do, I love it!
Will you being doing anything to celebrate International Women’s Day?
To celebrate the community of subscribers we have, I intend to provide every new subscriber from 8 March a complimentary copy of our brand-new sister publication, Femme Petite as a thank you for the support and continuous love we gain through the connection.
I will also be posting throughout the day via our Instagram story creating awareness about our ambition at the magazine and to remind others that there is a status for women inside the country sector no matter what role they play.