Working in a Westfield shopping centre, Alies Bol noticed a gap in the market. There was no apparel that spoke to her in the way bright and bold West African designs do.
The Sudanese-Australian would buy materials from overseas and get dresses tailored for special events. She dreamt of starting her label, but it was only when her two loves, clothing and fitness, collided that Frika Activewear was born.
“When I see activewear [in stores], it is beautiful, but it is missing that touch, the vibrant colours, the beautiful bold colours that’s in the African fabrics,” the chef and personal trainer told SBS News.
“I want my activewear to be worn to the Olympics, I want to see celebrities wearing it, but also, I want to give that sense of belonging.”
“Something struck me [when I came to Australia] there was not a store that I could identify with; there was not a store owned by an African.”
But getting the business off the ground has been a struggle; Ms Bol has no extended family network or mentors to lean on.
Something struck me, there was not a store that I could identify with, there was not a store owned by an African.Alies Bol
The 33-year-old emigrated from Sudan to Australia as a teenager. She didn’t speak English when she arrived with her sister in 2002.
"It is hard because you don’t have that financial condition to just start a business from the ground up, and you don’t have a family member or someone you can lean on,” she said.
“It was just work after high school… I didn’t study business. I didn’t know someone that I could go to for help. If you don’t have much English [language skills] and if you don’t know where to look, it is hard.”
The bright geometric designs are a world away from the gowns and corporate wear, with an Italian flair, designed by the iconic Carla Zampatti, but the two women have shared a similar struggle.
Models wearing Carla Zampatti walk the runway during the Virgin Australia Grand Showcase as part of the 2019 Melbourne Fashion Festival in Melbourne. Source: AAP / Stefan Postles
She left her family at just 18-years-old to pursue her fashion dream in Sydney. But when she tried to start her label, she struggled to get a business loan.
Banks in the 1960s would not extend finance to a woman, especially a single mother. Her multi-million-dollar brand was started with a loan from a cousin.
Born in Italy in 1942, Ms Zampatti migrated to Australia in 1950 at the age of nine, setting up her fashion famous label at only 24. Credit: Georges Antoni
It is designed to help other young women from diverse backgrounds, like Ms Bol, break into business, education or the arts and achieve their goals.
“My sisters and I are so incredibly touched. This award couldn’t be spot on in terms of her own journey and what she wanted to encourage others,” her son and current CEO of Carla Zampatti Limited, Alex Schuman, said.
“She would absolutely love it; it represents quintessentially what she stood for. I think she would hope it encourages many other women to follow their dreams and throw their focus into a business venture or whatever other measure they want to choose.”
Allegra Spender, Alex Schuman and Bianca Spender pose for a photograph during a tribute to their mother and fashion designer Carla Zampatti at Australian Fashion Week 2021 in Sydney. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
“This scholarship will support the commencement of a personal or business project - whether it be education, technology, arts or business. This isn’t exclusive to fashion, and Carla wasn’t exclusive to fashion; she was a trailblazer in business,” said the Executive Director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation’s Dr Hass Dellal.
“We want to see more young women from diverse cultures overcome barriers and challenges to achieve their aspirations and, in the process, strengthen the future prosperity of multicultural Australia.”
Much like the beginning of Carla's story, funding is the biggest barrier for Alies Bol.
The 33-year-old continues to work full time while also building her business at night, but the hard yakka is not enough to pay for the first round of stock.
“My biggest challenge now is being able to get the funding to order my first round [of products] … I spent most of what I have saved up on sampling products because my designs were something new, not many people knew how to print the design.”
She is working on a crowdfunding campaign to kick-start what she hopes will become another iconic Australian brand.
