This is Part 2 of our article series regarding CapitalQ Community Member Jillian Beed and her fashion label Rue Stiic.  If you missed it, you can check out From an Apartment in Mount Lawley to over 150 outlets worldwide – Part 1.  Otherwise, please continue to read about Jillian’s amazing story…

The Rue Stiic Difference

Jillian knew, that to make her range stand out from her competitors, she would have to do things differently. First step was to have all her clothes hand made. After endlessly searching for a suitable and affordable solution in Australia without any success, Jillian found the perfect match in Bali, where she has now set up her second office.

Another point of difference is the standout designs using luxe textiles and hand created prints.

As she declares on her website, ‘Rue Stiic features… easy wearing fits which can be styled to the wearer’s individual personality.’

Jillian knew, that to make her range stand out from her competitors, she would have to do things differently.

The new Copacabana range typifies this with cute little summer numbers that are ideal for strolling the esplanade or catching up with friends on a lazy afternoon.

Research Leads to Profit

As the business grew, Jillian conducted her own research to see where her high demand areas were. This insight led her to Byron Bay in NSW where she discovered her most loyal and dedicated customers are located.

The cosmopolitan mix of laidback coastal lifestyle, affluent investors and Hollywood A listers is the perfect match for Rue Stiic.

Knowing this important information, Jillian now bases her business from Byron Bay so she can maximise the brand loyalty. On top of this she has an outlet store and a concept store in Byron. An important motto in business is “Go where the money is” and Jillian is definitely doing that.

With the manufacturing in Bali, Jillian splits her time between the two holiday destinations.

Jillian in the Rue Stiic Bali workshop.

Timeline of Major Milestones

  • Rue Stiic started in 2013 from a small Mount Lawley apartment
  • In 2016 Jillian landed her first major stockist in Surfstitch
  • 2017 started focussing on the US market
  • Late 2017 started selling to URBN Group which carries brands such as Free People, Anthropologie and Nuuly
  • 2018 started selling to General Pants Co and The Iconic
  • 2019 marked Rue Stiic’s entry into Myer Stores

Evolving Partnership

Jillian has been a CapitalQ client since the very earliest days in business. And the relationship has evolved over time based on the business’ needs.

Of course, as her business credentials were established, an early step was the restructure into a corporate entity.

From there, entry into new markets brought new challenges.

Breaking into the US market is a major coup for any small Australian business, and it necessitate a separate US LLC.

CapitalQ has also acted as a Virtual CFO for Rue Stiic, managing all aspects of internal financial matters during the period when things were too big for Jillian to handle personally, but not yet big enough for her to take someone on inhouse.

Where to Find Rue Stiic

To locate all of Rue Stiic’s stockist’s and to view the large range of clothes and accessories, go to ruestiic.com where Jillian is offering 20% OFF for CapitalQ Community Members until 1st March 2020. Simply enter the code “CAPITALQ” to apply the discount at checkout.