I Built a £4M Fashion Brand, Here's What Nearly Destroyed It | Rokeya Khanum from The Break

I Built a £4M Fashion Brand, Here's What Nearly Destroyed It | Rokeya Khanum

1 hour 1 minutes Posted Jun 18, 2026 at 5:00 pm.

Introduction

From homelessness at 17 to starting a fashion brand after redundancy and a side hustle beginning as a new mum

Building in private and why she stepped back from founder content to protect her privacy and choose marketing that fits her

Rokeya’s founder journey from side hustle to full-time (and how responsibility early in life and community expectations shaped her approach)

Why there is no fixed path in business or life and how unconventional journeys can still lead to success

Balancing relationships and ambition as a modern woman (and how to build success alongside personal life)

Revenue milestones and why profit matters more than turnover when it comes to real business sustainability

Rebuilding from scratch by restructuring, hiring experts, and removing ego to scale

The importance of a close support circle and the role of trusted friends throughout the journey

Becoming your own biggest support system through self-belief, resilience, and confidence

The reality of success versus expectation including gratitude, rest, and learning to step out of day-to-day operations

Hiring lessons for growth including slow hiring, fast decisions, referrals, and maintaining high standards

Motherhood while running a business and managing time as a single parent entrepreneur

Feeling behind in life? Why personal timelines matter more than comparison

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Show notes

At 17, she was homeless, living in hostels, with a premature baby and no blueprint. Today her fashion brand has appeared in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and turned over £4 million. This is the real story of how she built it and what almost broke her.

What we cover:

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