Emily Riggs - Founder & Creative Director of Iris and Wool - A Farm to Fashion label and a journey of pain to purpose!

In this episode, I chat with Emily Riggs, the Founder & Creative Director of Iris and Wool.After cancer struck, twice, Emily designed a life with purposeWhen she was just 10 years old, Emily was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.Shortly after her diagnosis, her mother lost her own cancer battle, passing away from breast cancer, aged 43.In her most difficult days, Emily found herself turning to fashion for comfort and to express her creative flair.Years later, Emily found love with Tom, a fifth-generation merino sheep farmer. Together, their family runs 15,000 merino sheep across their 100,000 acre property in Burra, South Australia.In 2019, after welcoming two children, Emily founded Iris & Wool and finally realised her dream to design, merging her love of fashion with merino wool.‘Iris’ is in honour of her mother’s favourite flower and five percent of every sale is donated to the McGrath Foundation to provide ongoing support to people experiencing breast cancer.It’s always a special moment in time for me to witness one of our community members pursue their passion and purpose, launch their fashion business but grow and thrive!What stood out for me during this interview was that Emily shared how rewarding her business was, that it has given her a confidence that she has never felt before and shared that her business is good for her Mental Health.I was inspired by Emily’s story, her gorgeous brand Iris and Wool and her goal to go GLOBAL and share Australia’s precious merino wool worldwide and I’m sure you will be too!You can find Emily at:Instagram: @irisandwoolWebsite: www.irisandwool.comBrand Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB2ntxS23H4JOIN OUR SYFB PROGRAMME If you want to make the Fashion Business your Business in 2022– then head to our website and watch the replay of our last Info Session & QA.Our waitlist is now open for our 'Start Your Fashion Business' programme, so if you would like to join our community alongside inspiring people like Emily, jump on the list now!If you're up for a Mini-Course, check out our Start and Scale Studio. and explore Start your Sourcing Strategy, Startup Cost Analysis, and Tech Pack Development.If you want to work 1:1 with a Mentor and kickstart your biz development, you can head to Your Mentor Collective– book a 1 hour of power session with one of our amazing industry Mentors - that's where the magic happens!You can find Fashion Equipped over at:Instagram: @fashionequipped @startyourfashionbusiness_auPodcast Insta: @fashionbusinessmindsetFacebook: www.facebook.com/fashionequippedWebsite: www.fashionequipped.com.auLet's do this together, let's make The Fashion Business, YOUR Business!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.