Mum sells car for $7k, turns it into $4.5m

When a Sydney-based woman headed to India on a sabbatical, she had no idea it would be the start a multimillion-dollar fashion empire.

When Sophie Doyle quit her corporate job and headed to India on a sabbatical, she had no idea it would be the start a multimillion-dollar empire.

The Sydney-based mother-of-two is the founder of The Fable, a silk shirt business that’s now turning over $4.5 million a year – and to help kickstart her idea, she sold her car for $7000.

If you had told her this is what would become of her “simple idea” back in 2015, she wouldn’t have believed you.

Sophie Doyle quit her coorperate job and went on a sabbatical to India where lived in a Ashram in the Himalayan mountains.

The 36-year-old left her marketing job at L’Oreal after being in desperate need of a break and headed to India where she lived in a Ashram in the Himalayan mountains.

“I had just been working hard for years and between work and life, I simply just burnt out and needed a break,” Sophie told news.com.au.

It was during this time she came across a factory run by women, which inevitably sparked her now multimillion-dollar business empire.

“It was in the back of my mind that I may want to try something new, but by the time I headed over to India, I didn’t quite have an idea fully formed yet.”

“[But] one day while I was in a tuktuk I came across a little factory that was run by women,” she explained.

It was during this time she got an idea to start her own business was born, with the 36-year-old founding silk shirt business, The Fable.

“I went in and asked them to help me perfect a silk shirt. I spent a few days with them making tweaks, and I loved what we created so much that I decided to give running a business a go.”

Sophie said she has always loved a silk shirt and working in a luxury marketing job, she always needed to look polished and a silk shirt became part of her staple wardrobe.

However, to help bring her idea to life, Sophie needed money.

And so when she headed back home to Australia, she sold her only asset – her car and used the money as capital.

She came across a factory run by women in line with her ethical values.

But as the company expanded, she outgrew it and relocated to a factory in China, with the same, important ethical views.

“At that point it was my only asset so the car it was,” she said.

“It allowed me to bring in my first batch of shirts. From there I reinvested the money I made into the next deliveries and products. I did have to top up the money a little bit, but the $7,000 is essentially what I started with.”

Sophie said she initially wanted to make a shirt for fun for herself, however, given it’s such a staple product, she figured most women would see the need to own a silk shirt.

“Those who work in an office would probably have the need to own a few of them, so it made sense to me that it could be a viable business.”

The company sells several hundred shirts a week, turning over $4.5 million.

And she was spot on. The company now sells several hundred shirts a week with the black and white silk shirt being the staple sellers.

“A lot of silk shirts are pretty flimsy, so we made The Fable shirts from a lush, thick silk de chime fabric that was more durable,” she said.

“Our shirts can be washed in a washing machine to save on dry cleaning. I love the shape we went with – it’s flattering but with a relaxed fit so it is comfortable.”

Sophie said her shirts are the opposite of fast fashion, “it is made to last and stay in fashion”.

But while her company is hugely successful today, the mother-of-two said it’s been a labour of love.

Sophie said when she first started the business she had an idea and wanted to give it a crack, but had no idea there would be so many people who would love the product.

“It took several months to get the idea to prototype then on to launch. I understood the importance of launching with an excellent product so the sampling process was necessarily lengthy,” she explained.

She said sourcing the fabric is what took the longest.

“I worked closely with a fabric merchant via my factory and was able to source a fabric I felt customers would love. Something which felt amazing to wear but is durable too.”

Sophie said given she’s not a fashion designer, making a clothing item was “tricky business”, as was understanding how factories work, cultural barriers and quality control.

She said the biggest priority for her was ensuring the factory she worked with was ethical.

“What I saw in India was a huge amount of poverty and so making sure the women were given the correct wages, treated well and looked after were very important to me.”

Given the businesses growing success, Sophie had outgrown the factory and needed to relocate to a bigger factory to accommodate the rise in sales.

She now manufactures her items in China – ensuring the factory is aligned with her ethical values.

Sophie said that over the years the reaction from customers has been overwhelming.

“When I first started the business I had an idea and wanted to give it a crack but had no idea there would be so many people who would love the product,” she said.

Sophie said for anyone eager to start their own online business, to get yourself acquainted with META and digital marketing.

“I don’t consider myself to be a fashion designer, I am a digital marketer – that is how I reach my audience and new audiences,” she said.

“Create your product well – 55 per cent of our customers are repeat buyers. If we didn’t leave them with a good impression in the first place, that could have broken the business.

“Instagram is also a great way to show off your product. We ask people to send us in imagery of themselves in our shirts so people can see a variety of people, how they wear the Fable, how they style it, where they are wearing it.”

While the silk shirt is the hero of the business, the brand has evolved over the years to include a few other silk stables, including pyjamas and eye masks.

The Fable is sold online and also stocked on The Iconic.