3 min read. Written By Phoebe Jamieson.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we are excited to present a spotlight series featuring three remarkable women from The Volte. Discover some of their favourite pieces as they offer tips and inspire others within our Volte community.
Meet Bernadette, co-founder, and CEO at The Volte. Notably, as a working mother, she has overseen the growth of The Volte, expanding it to become the largest luxury clothing rental company in the world. In honour of International Women’s Day, we had the privilege of sitting down with our CEO to ask her a few questions.
Tell us about yourself…
I was trained as a lawyer and worked primarily in London and New York before returning to Sydney. I have three children who along with The Volte keep me on my toes.
As a female founder, what does a typical day look like?
Like all working parents it’s a juggle. Being based in Perth, I usually get up at 6 am and work for a couple of hours before heading to the office and getting the family out the door.
Being the CEO, my work is really varied. Sometimes my focus is on operations, and other times marketing and business development. Running a start-up is a marathon, not a sprint so I am trying to be more balanced this year and make sure I prioritise exercise and rest so I can approach work with a clear head.
Could you share with us the pivotal moment when you decided to launch The Volte?
I had the idea when I was overseas and I saw the rise of Uber and Airbnb and realised that our closets could also be monetised. I shared the idea with my co-founders Kym, Genevieve and Jade and we decided that the idea was too good to pass us by and we had to try and bring our vision to life.
What inspired the choice of name?
We were after something recognisable and also demonstrated the circular economy we were trying to build. The Volte is meant to illustrate all women’s closets in the Cloud. Volte is also a French term for circle in horse training and dressage which was a happy coincidence.
What’s your favourite borrower story so far?
I love stories where a dress is shared and part of significant personal milestones. Some of our dresses have been worn to balls, weddings and graduations. These are high stakes events that people remember for life and the idea that one dress can carry all these important memories for many different people is really beautiful.
If you could rent anyone’s wardrobe, whose would it be?
Being a millennial, I sometimes wonder if I’ve even moved out of the boho stage and still love Sienna Miller’s style choices. What I love about The Volte is that you can experiment with different styles – on some occasions I love a classic Audrey Hepburn 1950s silhouette, at other times I love edgier looks that celebrities like Zendaya wear.
Describe your fashion style in three words…
The Volte has allowed me to experiment with different styles so I would say my style would be somewhat unpredictable, classic and fun. I definitely take the ‘what sparks joy’ approach when it comes to style.
One of Bernadette’s favourite designers to rent: Aje
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