Julie Aurélie Evans shares her entrepreneurial Journey

Julie Aurélie Evans is a fashion visionary and leader in the industry. She has held several prominent positions in the fashion world, most notably as the former head of buying and design at Inditex Group, ZARA & BERSHKA, where she was responsible for a 300 million euro annual budget and various lines of clothing. Currently, she is the Founder, CEO & Fashion Insights Director at Sustalytics. Her experience in the fashion industry, combined with her passion for sustainability, makes her business Sustalytics an invaluable asset to fashion startups.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Julie Aurélie Evans, and I’ve spent over a decade working in the fashion industry, including for major brands like Zara. I began my career as a buyer but eventually advanced to managing buying & design and corporate product strategy.

I pivoted into technology, specifically fashion technology, and founded Sustalytics to help brands make more profitable (and sustainable) decisions.

What motivated you to start Sustalytics? How did the idea come about?

I hate waste – producing only what consumers want is the goal, so why don’t we involve the consumers in the process?

After all, they are the ones deciding whether your product will be a best-seller or a bad-seller.

Sustalytics is a market research platform – you upload your visual design concept and we survey consumers at scale to tell you which concept is a winner.

What was your mission at the beginning of starting your business?

At the start, my focus was solely on the product, but I soon realized that a brand’s success is not just about its products but also its overall reputation. If people don’t want to visit your store or website, your products are a waste.

Now, some of our clients also use Sustalytics for marketing by testing campaigns, and ads and analyzing consumer behavior to understand their audience better. We also offer Brand Health trackers.

Michele Levy, founder & CEO of Melissa Shoes, was the first one to use our system for marketing & advertising purposes. Seeing the results and the ROI, she pushed us to develop further in that direction.

Brand awareness, popularity, customer engagement, and experiences are crucial for a business to succeed. To stand out in today’s market, companies need to engage with consumers and create memorable experiences. That’s why I’m excited to introduce a new service, Metalytics, metaverse marketing for fashion brands to help our clients measure their brand health and improve it.

Tell me about this new project

Metalytics is the combination of metaverse & analytics. We assist brands in standing out and achieving success by providing them with practical and effective metaverse solutions. We offer all-inclusive packages that include the production of avatars, 3D outfits, and AR pop-up stores, comprehensive marketing materials, and in-depth measurement studies to track success.

Our focus is to offer critical metaverse marketing solutions for fashion that makes sense for them, from virtual stores to their digital influencers which can represent their brand.

We take brands to the next level with the metaverse!

When times get tough, what would you say motivates you to keep going? To not hit the snooze button and to keep fighting for your goals.

My clients are my driving force. I enjoy tackling challenges, developing strategies, and analyzing metrics. My ultimate goal is to make a significant impact. I am a problem-solver by nature and can’t help but be hands-on in finding solutions to improve measurements and performance.

The metaverse concept is widely discussed, but I was concerned about the need for a tangible return on investment for businesses. I work with real people and companies that have specific goals and objectives, and they are not all luxury brands.

I aim to make the metaverse accessible and practical for fashion brands all sizes by providing campaign, marketing, and measurement services. In a more down-to-earth and realistic way, we tackle the needs of every brand.

What do you attribute your success to? Is there a trait you have or a person who helped you along the way?

Definitely my husband. He works for Meta and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the table. His input helps me aim for the highest level of quality in the services I provide.

What is unique about your business? Is there a competitive advantage that you have over the rest?

We are adaptable, we follow and stay-up-to-date with trends.

We offer access to the latest technology in an easy way and help our clients overcome real-world challenges. What sets us apart is our focus on metrics. We named our service Metalytics because we measure the success of the metaverse initiative with analytics. Our aim is to bring the benefits of the metaverse to fashion brands in a way that impacts their overall brand health.

Have you ever gotten a disappointed client or customer? If so, how did you handle the situation?

Clients who don’t come from technology have a hard time understanding and valuing what technology and data can bring to their businesses. They tend to focus on specific tasks and responsibilities within their role, rather than considering the broader perspective that a C-level executive would have.

To address this, it’s important to actively listen to their concerns and feedback. Although sometimes their disappointment comes from external factors outside of your hands, this can also lead to new ideas and opportunities for collaboration.

Helping non-techy clients see the bigger picture is like being a tour guide for a treasure hunt. They may be focused on digging for buried treasure in their backyard, but as the guide, it’s our job to show them the entire map and all the potential riches just waiting to be discovered.

What are the three best pieces of advice that you would give to a woman starting a business? What do they need to know from the very beginning?

• Network, network, and network. People are the key to anybody’s success.
• Be open to evolve and pivot; don’t stay grounded in your idea.
• Learn and add your knowledge to this. This is how you will create a niche profile for yourself and Disrupt.