Nothing can be compared with the feeling of possessing the luxury of the pearls as compared to the taste of failures for a start-up incliner. Having said that, Fashion is not just something that ceases to have existed just in the dogma of dresses, It is in the streets, it is the inculcation of ideas, the reflection of the way we live and what tends to be happening with the pinch of surmount and addition of technology. Joana Lacerda who is the Director of Impact of The PowerHouse shares with us the fable of what led to the foundation for her organization and how the idea of purpose hit before it commenced. In her pearl of wisdom, she shares with us that The PowerHouse was born due to the success of her group’s first brand, ElektroCouture. It all commenced when Lisa Lang enlightened a ray of focus on the development of fashion technology and the formation of the idea that women can be beautiful and smart at the same time. The PowerHouse is simply merging the two worlds of fashion and technology under the same roof, the planets that are totally distant from each other, yet when combined, could do wonders in the night sky. Post identifying the next big purpose, Lang sooner than never realized that the real concern arises when we don’t have a technological realm to associate the two industries to serve the purpose. The Power House became the tool that connects the dots between the fashion houses that needs to know more about technology and the technology houses that have no idea about fashion. Joana has her own definition of success wherein she exclaims that her success relies on happiness, on realizing a positive impact on people through her work. Inspiring people and knowing that every little step of her work has a meaningful impact and this inspires her to outwork on a recurring basis.
The sound of Idea:
Start-ups are all about embracing the boulders along the way, choosing to scoop the lesson, and moving forward while savoring the journey and its purpose in the destination at the end. While seeking insights about her boulders in the entrepreneurship journey, we have been halted into a circumstantial moment when Lisa Lang raised a concern regarding the gateway of building the organization. As per her thought, she questions that whenever an entrepreneur is willing to commence a fashion brand, they tend to start by sitting with the canvas and depicting their designs. Post the creation, they either hire a seamstress or sew it themselves to launch in the market. But, when an entrepreneur is in a dilemma since he/she is willing to develop or innovate something at the intersection (between the planetary distance of fashion and technology and their combination), who they shall turn their head towards?
The identification of this surreal link became the recurring challenge for the organization that they have been overcoming over the years. Mentioning a recent event, in 2019, they felt an impulsive urge to open a third company that will be dedicated to solving the concerns which then gave birth to FNDMT – focused on manufacturing solutions on the contrary. Reminiscing the entire dogma of boulders, she quotes that, “We like to see our challenges as opportunities. But we had some obstacles along the way, of course.”
The comfort with Luxe:
The vision of the organization shall be as imperial to standby it. It is not enough just to stare at the stairs and dreaming for it to magically transform into an elevator – you need to step up as per the advancement of constant needs of the venture. The advancement of technology ignites new hope and bag new opportunities along with, this has been the stigma of The Power House wherein they believe that the job of the designer is to learn and adapt new technology as it renders. Keeping pace with the new normal that redefines the scope of technology, the scope of fashion is elevating on a similar basis. In her pearl of wisdom, Joana shares an insight that in the fashion world, technology is an important and innovative strategy for finding new products and new markets. Quoting her thoughts on the same, she states that “We are helping people to make that faster. Because, after all, our merchandise is time and experience.” She and her partners are utilizing the well-house of their personal experiences, network, and ability that can assist the information consumers to take certain decision rapidly resulting in the saving of time. With the introduction of up-to-the-minute technologies, the exchange of information has immensely increased. Consumers are much more impatient than ever. And this constant change and alteration in the market are resulting in enormous pressure on organizations that cannot afford to start from scratch. And that is why The Power House has come to the rescue like a rocket and has assisted the bridge to innovate.
The shabby elegance:
Vision without the blueprint of execution is hallucination. Upon seeking the accolades of honor that have framed the wall of the house, Joana shares that she has had gained experience as an activist for Human rights and has been generating impact through public debate circling into the concerns of woman empowerment and sustainability. This has generated an opportunity of invitation to speak at the United Nations Headquarters NYC as an adviser followed by the recognition of her close work with UNHCR. She is also a high-level expert advisor for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Digital SME Alliance, bringing to the Commission a disruptive and inclusive mindset towards the future of AI and related technologies in Europe. In 2017, Forbes recognized her as one of the brightest entrepreneurs, innovators, and game-changers under the age of 30 who are transforming business as usual and changing the world in the Law and Policy category. (Forbes 30 under 30 Europe). In her concluding pearl of wisdom, she quotes that, “The biggest purpose in my daily-word is to feel that people are happy, that this company is a place for long-life learning and that there is a purpose in everything they do.”
