STORE CHATS #002 - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2023

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2023

International Women’s Day happens every year on March 8th. It is a commemoration of the day in 1914 where women came together to fight for the right to vote. The day remains an occasion to mark the continued fight for gender equality but also lends itself as a chance to celebrate the achievements of women, non-binary and trans people. 

With over fifty percent of Liquor Store's staff being women, we sat down with two of the team, Dervla and Aideen, to have a chat about what International Women’s Day means to them.

Dervla
[She/Her]

1. Tell us a bit about yourself!

Hello I am Dervla! I am 22, and I am from Somerset. I moved to Birmingham nearly 5 years ago for university and decided to stay after my studies were over, in which I stumbled across this position at Liquor Store just over a year ago. When I’m not at Liquor Store I am usually having a pint or two with Aideen or screen printing for my own clothing brand in my flat! 

2. What does International Women’s Day mean to you and why do you feel it’s important to recognise the day?

I think International Women's Day is an important day to recognize the controversy, struggles and achievements women have had to face throughout the years. We have to also recognise the existence of inequality that still occurs in this day and age and continue to fight for gender equality. I think on this day it gives us an opportunity to highlight women who inspire us and focuses on the ever evolving women's rights movement.

3. What is it like being a woman working in menswear?

I think the idea of “menswear” in this side of the industry is a loose term now with a lot of blurred lines, which is a refreshing idea of beginning to not gender clothing, especially when growing up at school you are told the differences of pink and blue or a skirt and trousers from the get go. I love to see more people of all genders feeling comfortable to be shopping with us, in clothing that's classed as “menswear”, especially when I wear and have a passion for all the products we sell. 

However, being a woman working in menswear I feel definitely does come with its challenges. I think I can speak for all the women working here at Liquor Store, that sometimes it can be perceived, through unconscious bias perhaps, we are seen not to have as much knowledge as the men working in menswear. However, through us working in a male dominated menswear industry and for all the women designers shaping this line of work, I can see some attitudes changing for the future generations of women - hopefully not only in this sector, but in all sectors of work. 

4. What’s been your greatest achievement working at Liquor Store?

There isn’t one singular achievement that comes to mind through working at Liquor Store, but more focused on all the little bits I've learnt collectively. From learning how to do denim repairs with Nudie Jeans, to learning what seersucker is! And everything in between, it built my knowledge and fed my passion. Liquor Store has taught me things I would have never previously had the opportunity to, and pushed me far out of my comfort zone showing me sections and areas of the industry I hadn’t even known to have existed. I am so excited to continue learning more and more and can’t wait to see what's to come. 

5. What do you wear to feel empowered?

To feel empowered in clothing I must be comfortable, and ever since I was little I found comfort in a baggier silhouette, which just so happened to be classed as menswear, for me growing up I had always had such an interest in fashion, yet “womenswear” never seemed to do it for me, I am happy to see women paving a way in menswear as it makes me feel empowered to be a part of it. 

6. Who is an inspirational woman/role model to you?

An inspirational woman, who I have always looked up to and I am constantly motivated by is my mom. From bringing my sister and I up predominantly alone whilst also smashing a full time career, she has always persisted in day-to-day life and consistently managed the random mishaps that life tends to throw at you. 

Aideen
[She/Her]

1. Tell us a bit about yourself!

Hello! I’m Aideen, I’m 25 and I was born and bred in Birmingham. I did a five year stint in Manchester before coming home to the righteous second city! That being said, I loved living up there and try to get back up as often as I can. When I am at home, I like hanging out with my nephews - that clip of Gemma Collins shouting about being all “gamed out” is me at the end of a weekend! I’ve technically worked at Liquor Store for three years now (though with lockdowns and that, I’m just off two years) and I love it. I’m really enjoying learning about the industry whilst still getting to serve customers and figuring out the next steps to my end career goal of being a buyer. All of that is accompanied by probably a few too many pints of Guinness!

2. What does International Women’s Day mean to you and why do you feel it’s important to recognise the day?

For me, it’s a day to reflect on the progress that has been made but also recognise how much is still left to be done before we’re even considered equal! We live in such an imbalanced world, that calls for change and celebrations of progress are two things that should be incredibly important to us all. Within the workplace, we’re pretty lucky at Liquor Store, these are things that seem to happen as and when needed by team members across all levels and genders. But this definitely isn’t the case everywhere. International Women’s Day is important to reinforce that things are not as they should be and they can always be improved. IWD always seems to start a conversation which hopefully comes with an education or at least an increase in awareness of why we’re still fighting! 

3. What is it like being a woman working in menswear?

Fashion is stereotypically a female thing so you’d think it’d be easy but the industry is completely different. It's a male dominated world with the majority of big positions being filled by men. Add to that, only 16% of people in the fashion industry are from working class backgrounds and you might start to see where my worries for the future used to come from! I started my journey into menswear with a degree in fashion buying, but it felt like I was just one of many in the production line for a job at Boohoo or PLT so I left there with the aim of securing a more hands on role in menswear, (hopefully somewhere without a blase attitude to destroying the planet!) - which is why I was so made up to get an offer from Liquor Store. Since starting here, things don’t seem unachievable. There’s female representation on every level now and equal opportunities are created for us all. I’ve been encouraged to be the authentic version of myself which without it becomes easy to get lost in who you think you should be perceived as. I hope that in future jobs, if the support isn’t what it is here, I’ve grown at Liquor Store in a way that will help me stand up for change and progress!   

4. What’s been your greatest achievement working at Liquor Store?

Honestly, probably how much I’ve been able to grow as a person. The constant support and encouragement from all members of the team has made it easier for me to develop in areas I previously shied away from. I came to Liquor Store as a big ball of anxious energy, someone who only really made their voice heard after a few pints! But knowing, from the start, that I had the backing of management made it easier to come out of my comfort zone. It meant I started contributing ideas I’d had, asking questions I’d have been too shy to ask before and therefore learning a lot! I think it was this growth within myself that meant I got promoted to store supervisor, which is a responsibility I’m chuffed with, especially given the situation illustrated in the question above. I don’t think this is possible unless women enter roles either seeing themselves represented in management or knowing there is a space for them within that team. 

5. What do you wear to feel empowered?

Sometimes it’s a dress, heels and three layers of fake tan but most of the time it’s anything I feel comfortable in, which tends to be menswear. When I was a kid it was all Villa tops and Lacoste tracksuits which has definitely stuck with me as I’ve got older. Of my day to day wardrobe I’d say a good 70% is menswear. Also with the way clothing is being designed now with all genders in mind it’s making it easier to find the silhouettes that make you feel stronger in your size. I had a big pair of wide leg, balloon pants on the other day with a Satta cargo jacket and a pair of 905's. I felt really empowered in that outfit, even if my dad did tell me I looked more like a lad than usual, that comment tends to spur me on!

6. Who is an inspirational woman/role model to you?

She might hate this, but Liquor Store's very own Vicky Pattison! What a woman! Vic inspires me in all aspects of life. Within the store she’s shown me what’s possible, she’s always got good advice and responds to situations in a way I can only hope to learn. Vicky is the magic force behind the scenes - she keeps everything (shop and staff) ticking over and in my time at Liquor Store, I’ve never heard a single negative thing said about her. She’s just absolutely marvellous and a role model we’re lucky to have!