How Leona Edmiston is surviving the fickle fashion industry

As her peers court investors, sell out to large corporations or simply shut up shop, Leona is still standing proudly as one of the few Australian fashion designers who has managed to keep her label independently owned in the punishing fashion trade.

So how does she do it? Did she emerge from the womb, all pink and purposeful, clutching her first business plan?

“Oh no, I had no idea,” she says, laughing, recalling the naïvety of heady days of the late 1980s when – as one half of the hip Morrissey Edmiston label – her clothes were championed by the likes of pop stars Kylie Minogue and Michael Hutchence.

“We just launched into it. We had no business plan.”

Soon, however, after a very public bust-up between her and Peter Morrissey, and then another fall-out with a subsequent business partner, Leona was scrambling to come up with business plans of her own.

Having great people around you is the key to success in business, Leona tells reporter Ingrid Pyne in the 2015 edition of How Busy Women Get Rich, published by The Australian Women’s Weekly.

“One person cannot possess all the skills you need to succeed in business and, even if they did, you would be stressed about the business side of things. The thing about being creative is that you cannot be stressed because then you are going to contract and play it safe. The moment you start to play it safe, your product loses its edge.”

Another tip: “Always choose your business partners wisely.”

Enter Jeremy Ducker, Leona’s husband of 13 years. It was Jeremy, a lawyer-turned-filmmaker, who encouraged Leona to relaunch her label after she finally settled all her bitter legal battles.

“Jeremy said, ‘I will help you for a period of time’ and however many years later, we are still doing it together,” laughs Leona.

Her husband is the brand’s business brains, overseeing its expansion into sunglasses, jewellery, shoes, handbags, sleepwear, fine hosiery, swimwear, a children’s line, and a diffusion label at a lower price point. Leona remains its creative force, scouring the globe for iconic prints to grace her dresses and constantly designing new shapes and styles.

Three years ago, Leona and Jeremy had twin girls, Dusty and Dylan. Her life, formerly a heady whirl of work, shows and parties, now consists of work, Shaun The Sheep, and puzzles.

“Nobody can ever prepare you for how all-consuming, 24-hours-a-day children are,” Leona admits.

“I now live in a complete bubble of home, work, home, work. Luckily I have enough years [in the industry] to know what I am doing and feel confident that I am making the right decisions.”

You can read the full story in How Busy Women Get Rich, which is available now in newsagents and supermarkets, or online at https://www.magshop.com.au/how-busy-women-get-rich-2

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