House Of Celeb Dresses: From Bedroom To Showroom
House of celeb dresses have made a name for themselves as the luxurious, yet affordable brand that puts women’s confidence at the forefront, with their flattering designs.
Conna Walker is the 26-year-old master-mind behind the fashion empire, that she launched at the tender age of 17. She’s always had an eye for sales, as her childhood explains…
Image Source/ Instagram
The Early Days
At just five, Walker was fronting part of her parents’ furniture stall, running her own toy section. Business- minded from the very start, she was always destined for something special, deeming herself as ‘a good little seller’.
As her parents’ business found its feet, they opened up a shop whose success went on to fund their daughter’s private schooling. Walker attended independent Chigwell School during her teens, where she excelled academically, but admitted to being bored and ‘itching to get out’.
Her parents’ business found them often abroad in China for meetings with manufacturers, in which Conna found herself in on one when she was 17. This meeting would go on to kickstart her fashion industry takeover…
Image Source/ Evening Standard
An Eye For Business
Whilst in the meeting, Walker reminisces on spotting some bondage style dresses, which she hadn’t yet spotted in her hometown of London.
With a keen eye for fashion and what could take off, she came back with 30 of the pieces and uploaded pictures of her modelling them to bidding site, eBay.
As time passed her eBay shop grew, balancing its upkeep in between her school timetable:
“I answered questions before school, during school. Id go home, post bags off, loads more eBay listings, do my homework.”
She continued to visit China every month from the age of 18, with a loan of £3880 from her Dad, meticulously working with the factories to express exactly the fabrics and cuts she wanted to bring her designs to life.
Image Source/ Instagram
Being as hands on as she was no doubt helped to take her business to the next level. She knew exactly the customer she had in mind- women from the ages of 18 up to 30- who wanted to feel confident and sexy when getting dressed up.
Her infamous bandage, hourglass- enhancing pieces were desired by women across the world who wanted to feel feminine, whilst also sexy.
Conna herself expresses:
“Snatched in waist is the most flattering shape. We want to make women of all different body types feel confidence in what they are wearing.”
Although still grinding behind the scenes, things went quiet for a few months. Regardless, Conna persisted, and reaped the benefits a few months later, in the form of a J-Lo album cover repping one of her designs.
Image Source/ RaupUp
House Of Celeb Dresses: Making Big Moves
In 2014, J-Lo’s stylist dressed her in the red vinyl skirt designed by Walker herself, which made it on to the COVER of her 2014 album.
You’d think if anything would be a turning point for a brand, it’d be this. It unfortunately worked the other way and sent Conna on a downward spiral of wrong decisions, including overestimating stock and taking companies to court for ripping off her designs, ultimately leading to near failure of the brand when she was just 21.
Video Source/ Youtube
Not one to quit, she picked herself up and brushed herself off, taking herself overseas to LA, where she would fight for her business:
“I delivered my clothes in person so I could build a better connection, charm them a bit, I had to make it work.”
With no luck for a few weeks, it soon took a turn when out of nowhere celebs, who she now classes as friends, including Khloé Kardashian and Gigi Hadid, were rocking her designs. What’s even more impressive is that Walker didn’t fork out a penny in paid promotion, instead donating her pieces in hopes somebody with a following would wear them.
Image Source/elle.com
The Person Behind House Of Celeb Dresses
These days, Walker has been able to take a relaxed backseat, whilst still overseeing creative direction of her brand, between her London and Hollywood homes.
She’s also been successful in terms of her love life, going public with her MTV presenter boyfriend, Steelo Brim, back in July 2017. MTV’s ‘Ridiculousness’ presenter Brim, born in Illionois, Chicago, shares Walker’s lavish lifestyle, with his own impressive net worth of $3 million.
Conna doesn’t currently have any children, instead still focussing on growing her fashion empire, but who knows in the future there might be a mini- fashionista…
Image Source/ WikiNetWorth
How Much Has It Earned Her?
To this day, eight new styles are dropped on the House Of CB site every Monday and are almost nearly sold out every Tuesday. The brand pulled in profit of £12m in 2018, putting Walker’s brand at the top of her game- if you want a luxury, but affordable going out ‘fit, she’s your woman.
Videe Source/ Youtube
In January 2019, Walker appeared in Forbes 30 under 30, proving that initial £3880 loan from her Dad has well and truly paid for itself.
With no investors, no debt, and now an 11,000 sq foot store in her hometown, she’s pretty much set herself up for life at the age of just 26. She reveals her secret to success is simple- she IS the customer:
“My customer is me. I understand what they want, how they want to look, how they want to feel.”
Image Source/ Instagram
Walker admits that despite being the boss babe she is, she was met with judgement and doubt by (largely male) industry members when she was starting out. She revealed her battle to be taken seriously, which ultimately fought itself with the power of her success.
She reveals that men in the industry just thought ‘she liked pretty things’ and failed to take her business-driven, future fashion-world- dominating self seriously. She might like pretty things, but so do her customers…
