International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on what we, as women have achieved and celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women all over the world. It is also a day that continues to motivate strong powerful women around the world to stand up for their rights and fight for equality on a daily basis.
Three inspiring women tell their story
At Olsen, our mission is to create fashion for women that empowers their confidence and highlights their unique personalities. To do this, we always put ourselves in our customer’s shoes to understand their needs. Why is this so easy for us? Thanks to the many great women who work at Olsen, and are virtually a reflection of all the powerful women out there. Three of our Olsen employees tell us their personal stories here and encourage us to hold on to our own dreams.
Frederike: Team leader at 30!
Hi, I’m Frederike and I’ve been working at Olsen in Supply Chain Outbound since the end of 2018. In this team, we take care of delivering our Olsen goods from the warehouse to our customers on time. After less than two years at Olsen, I was promoted to team leader. That was a few months after my 30th birthday. Fortunately, it’s no longer unusual for a young woman to be promoted to a management position. At least I was given that opportunity at Olsen. Of course, that can be quite different at other employers – unfortunately!
With empathy to success
I believe that being a good leader has nothing to do with age or gender. On the contrary: I am particularly sensitive and can easily empathize with my fellow human beings. That’s an advantage in my position, because I work with so many internal and external interfaces that all represent different interests. I have to be able to find compromises that satisfy both sides. Anyone can acquire technical knowledge, but when it comes to working together on an interpersonal level, you simply have to have a certain flair.
Nevertheless, it is still often the case that as a young woman you have to prove yourself even more in order to be taken seriously. But if you believe in yourself, over time you take the wind out of the sails of even the biggest skeptics.
My tip to other young women
An instructor once told me, “You grow with your tasks.” and that’s exactly what I want to pass on to all the young women out there. If you ever feel like you’re standing in front of an imaginary mountain whose summit you’ll never be able to reach, don’t let that scare you away. Just take it step by step and you will realize: Everything is half as bad as you thought. With every experience you gain on your way, you will become stronger and in the end you will reach your goal!”
My personal power look
My current favorite look is from the Olsen SEA FORWARD collection. Not only am I a huge fan of this collection because it reminds me of relaxing days by the sea. The nautical colors are totally me! My favorite thing to wear is a look that is both dressy and casual. The base is a light blue blouse that is perfect for the office. By combining it with a striped cardigan and blue jeans, it gives the look a sporty touch. I feel strong and confident in it at all times!
Dominika: Working as a single mother!
My name is Dominika and I am a Retail Operations Manager at Olsen responsible for sales in Poland. My desire has always been to work with a lot of great people with whom I can share my knowledge and at the same time always learn something new. That’s exactly what I get to do all in my job and I’m super grateful for that. It’s so important to love what you do. We spend so much of our lives at work – then it should be a job that fulfills you! Sure I have good days and bad days too, but even when I’m feeling a little low on energy, I know I can rely on my team 100%. We always motivate and inspire each other.
Child and career? No problem!
I’m a single mother of a six-year-old son and am often asked how I manage the balancing act between job and child. Well, sure, everyday life is sometimes very challenging, but I have incredible people around me both at work and in my private life, all of whom support me. There were times when it was unthinkable for mothers to not only take care of their children but also have a career. Thankfully, a lot has changed since then! I am able to be a loving mom to my son and also self-actualize at the same time. I even find that I’ve become even better at my job since having my son. After all, we moms in particular know how to be well-organized and pull a Plan B and Plan C out of the hat whenever necessary.
My secret: small yoga time-outs
With all the professional and maternal duties, time alone for myself often comes up short, of course. But I think it’s very important to take a few minutes for myself in between. That’s why I often get up at 6 a.m. and start the day with a round of yoga. Of course, sometimes it’s hard for me to get out of bed, but it’s worth it for the feeling after my yoga session! It gives me a lot of positive energy, which not only benefits me throughout the day, but also my colleagues and my little darling.
My personal power look
My absolute favorite Olsen collection is the COLOR JOY collection. The bold colors reflect my positive personality really well. For example, I like to wear a sporty sweatshirt in the bright color pink – it’s not only comfortable, but its color also puts me in a really good mood and gives me self-confidence. In addition, I combine casual jog pants and on cooler days, a color-matching scarf may not be missing.
Sheron: “Fashion is my passion!”
I joined Olsen as a store manager in Canada back in September 2020, and I’ve loved every moment of it! I have been involved in fashion professionally for over 35 years and love working in this environment. Fashion is my passion and the great thing about my job at Olsen is that I get to share that passion with our customers. I really enjoy dressing each and every customer according to her personal taste and giving her personalized fashion tips. I get so much gratitude and excitement from our customers every day and that’s my biggest motivation!
Balancing act between fashion & family happiness
Pursuing my career in fashion so single-mindedly was not always easy. In between, I became a mother to four wonderful children, who of course also demanded all my attention. But I didn’t let that deter me in the slightest – I think it made me stronger! I have always remained true to myself and have always known who I am a strong, passionate person. That’s how I’ve managed to be there for both my children, grandchildren and my clients.
“My family is my balance!”
In the meantime, my children are all grown up and some of them have given me grandchildren. My family is the most important thing to me and offers a perfect balance after a long day at work. I can only encourage all women to hold on to their private and professional dreams. Using myself as an example, it shows that you can achieve success in both areas!
My personal power look
As a store manager, I naturally sit at the source and am always the first to get the latest fashion trends. I love it when we get new collections and I get inspired by the colors and patterns. My current favorite is the long sleeve blouse with the allover floral print. This one totally puts me in the mood for spring! I prefer to combine it with casual jeans and a utility jacket.