A North Vancouver fashion designer has been ranked one of the top female entrepreneurs of this year.
Janet Stimpson, CEO and designer of White House Design Co., placed fourth on the 15th annual W100 ranking of Canada's Top Female Entrepreneurs, produced by Profit magazine and Chatelaine. Businesses are ranked according to a score based on size, growth rate and profitability.
"I'm thrilled of course," says Stimpson. "That's fabulous, particularly with our placement, fourth, it's wonderful."
Stimpson, 62, has been a part of the fashion industry since 1977 when she opened her first store, Moodyville Cotton and Canvas. Since then she has been building her fashion empire, including her current labels Sympli and Sympli Grand, creating designs and using fabrics that are "bodyfriendly" for a variety of sizes. White House runs all of its operations from around Vancouver and recently relocated to a larger warehousing and operations facility within Burnaby to accommodate its growing business, one of many challenges for the company.
"I've been doing this for so long there's just been nothing but challenges," says Stimpson. "Keeping the business in Canada is certainly always challenging; it's great, we're committed to it, but that raises challenges."
The company manufactures anywhere between 25,000 and 30,000 garments a month. Sewing is done in small factories around the city to accommodate the employees that work in them. Some of White House Design's core staff has been with the company for more than 20 years.
"We're a great family, we have a wonderful time together, keeping everybody employed and happy and in a good environment," says Stimpson. "It's really positive and really rewarding, to see certain staff that's been with me for years and then the younger staff that's growing and finding a place in the business and enjoying it, that's what makes me tick."
Stimpson's collection - including the 2013 Sympli fall offering, currently in stores - evolves season after season, she says. According to its website, the company wholesales the Sympli line to more than 800 clothing retailers in Canada and the U.S. On the North Shore, shoppers can find the label at Phoenix boutique in Ambleside.
"We integrate every piece to work back into the line and we kind of eliminate things that we might be reworking or giving a new face to or something that's just sort of dying off," she says. "So it grows from a place of need, we look at what the woman needs now in her wardrobe with respect to our collection because a lot of people that buy the collection, buy it that way."
Stimpson says one of her main efforts right now is getting the younger staff "up to snuff" so she can take more time off.
"I think I'll work forever but I don't want to work every day, nine to five. That's something that we're working on, which it doesn't seem to be too big of a problem," says Stimpson. "I have great staff. It's fun and fascinating and interesting and always challenging. We just keep on trucking."
