Meet Raffaela Marinetti | owner of a clothing store

We had the good fortune of connecting with Raffaela Marinetti and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raffaela, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After a graduation in FASHION HISTORY and DESIGN, I expected to make my dream come true and to start working in some important fashion company. I live in Italy, there are many fashion companies. I’ve sent a lot of cv everywhere, and I’ve also done a lot of job interviews. Unfortunately many companies were simply looking for interns, there was no salary: I did various internships, but I needed to have a really work. So I contented myself with going to work in smaller companies, less prestigious but I was hoping for a decent contract. Years went away, by but my contract was always fixed-term: I worked many hours a day with very low remuneration.

One evening my father said to me: “You can’t go on like this. You haven’t studied so hard to do these jobs without opportunities. Get busy and take your life”.

So I decided to quit my latest job and create my own job: opening a clothing store.

When I was studying at university, I had worked as a saleswoman in various clothing stores and I liked that type of job.

I wanted to try to create my own in my city, bringing my experience inside.

What should our readers know about your business?
I have to tell the truth, it was pretty easy at first. I was young, I was 27, and I still lived with my parents. It was a big risk to open a shop, but I could try because I had nothing to lose.

If I had to do it now, that I am 38 years old, I have a daughter, a family of my own, a house, I don’t know if I would have the courage to start a new thing because I would be afraid of risks especially for the people around me.
But in 2011 I was more carefree than now and I was able to see the future with positivity and energy.

So it was all very easy for me: I set up the shop in a few months using my aunt’s old furniture and buying few clothes, so as not to fill it up too much from the start.

I tried not to use all the money from the bank loan right away, but to use it sparingly so that I never run out of money.

The first few years I had an old and run-down car and I always worked, even on Sundays, to save money and earn more.

The shop worked well because it was new: a mix of vintage and modern style. At Dafne you could find unique pieces or particular clothes that you couldn’t find elsewhere.

This is why many people also came to the shop from distant cities.

When social networks such as Facebook and Instagram arrived, the work increased because I started publishing photos of the clothes I was selling in the store and this allowed me to grow my clientele and to make myself known even far away. I started shipping clothes and I also created a website with the online shop.

Now I dedicate almost all of my time to selling, both in-store and online. I have little time to create, design, invent. My little dream remains to create a clothing line signed by me and I hope one day to succeed.

People who come to Dafne for shopping feel good: it’s like walking into a friend’s room and choosing what to wear together. Unlike the big chains like Zara or H&M, at Dafne the customer is unique and important.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Gubbio, a small town in the heart of Italy. It is a medieval city and the historic center is very impressive.

The food is excellent: in our area you can find good cheeses, good wine, good pasta, good meat. And also the truffle.

Gubbio is full of restaurants where you can eat well, both typical and gourmet.
In my region there are other very beautiful cities to visit, such as Assisi, Spello, Perugia.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I certainly owe a large part of my business success to my family. My father was the owner of a motorcycle show and a mechanical workshop and since I was a child I understood what it means to have my own business.

He and my mother have always encouraged me to take my own path.

My aunt, my father’s sister, who is like a mother to me, has always supported me on a practical level with advice and help. She was the one who accompanied me to the bank the day I had to take out the loan to open my shop.

My partner helped me a lot to fix the place where we then created the shop. In recent years he has always come with me to fairs, fashion shows, samples. He always believed in me and let me make decisions as I wanted. He does another job, but is always available to help me in the shop.

I have two girls now who work in my shop and I have to thank them for keeping the shop going.

Two years ago I had a baby girl and I couldn’t go back to work for a few months, but my salespeople managed the shop very well.

Even now I often have to take care of my daughter, but I’m calm because these two girls work very well in the shop even without me.

Then I want to thank all my friends and all my customers for always believing in me and choosing to come shopping at Dafne’s!

Website: www.dafneclothinglab.it

Instagram: dafne_clothinglab

Facebook: Dafne ClothingLab

Image Credits
Raffaela Marinetti