WNU Women: JOSEPHINE PHILIPS

Josephine Philips started SOJO in 2021, a clothing alterations and repairs app, driven by a belief in a slower and more considered approach to our relationship with fashion. Since its launch, Philips has also introduced a B2B service enabling brands to offer a seamless, convenient and scalable tailoring and repair service to their customers.

The Interview:

My name is Josephine Philips, I'm the founder of SOJO which is a startup modernising the clothing repair and tailoring industry. 

Why did you start your business?

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world and what we’re trying to do is change the culture around fashion so that you actually care for your clothes. They should fit you really well and they should last a lifetime and that is achieved through tailoring and repair.

How do you wear your WNU?

I wear my WNU baggy! I love a baggy moment and I love wearing it with baggy tailored trousers and a trainer to make it a bit more chilled, so it's kind of like a “start up but workwear” vibe.

What do you wish you'd known before you started?

I wish I’d known that it's a marathon not a sprint. Super cheesy, but I think when I started I was like, “overnight success, can't wait!”, and actually it's a really long hard haul that you have to strap in for.

Is there one woman in particular who has impacted your career?

There is, Sharmadean Reid was one of the first black women to every raise venture capital funding and run and start a successful start up in the UK and she definitely inspired me to get into the sector, especially when in tech, its all white men, so it was really nice to see that representation and know that path was forged for me to follow after her.

What is your New Year resolution?

I love new year's resolutions and I usually make like 50 new year's resolutions, but my main one is less social media… No instagram scrolling in the morning!

What would you have said to your younger self?

Actually I do try and tell myself this now, but I wish I told myself it earlier: you need to enjoy the journey. It’s not about where you get to at the end, it's about enjoying every single day and I say this as well because I think in five years time or in 10 years time I’ll look back and think this was the time of your life, and I need to enjoy it now in the actual moment instead of just reflecting back and loving it.

What are your goals for 2024?

I’d say all my goals for 2024 are business related, because SoJo has had a really great year in 2023 but next year it’s all about growing because with our growth comes more impact. We want to launch with many more brand partners and we just want to change the fashion industry for the better. It's a big goal and we’re going for it!