Military hats like you have never seen them before… Glitter Gals’ founder, Zara Dipple, on how her hen do inspired a business loved by TOWIE
Glitter Gals only started in 2019: did you ever imagine it would take off the way it has done?
Both yes and no! I’ve always hoped and believed that one day I’d have a successful business, but I guess you never really know if you’re onto a winner or not at the start of a new venture. I definitely never imagined that Glitter Gals would do so well in such a short space of time. I feel so blessed and thankful every day that it has.
What was the idea behind launching Glitter Gals?
It was my own hen do back in 2019 and I wanted to make a hat for it. One thing led to another and we started making hats to sell. The rest is history!
Why the military style of hat as the focal point?
There’s something about wearing a military hat that makes you feel strong, empowered and basically like a total badass. When you take that and add a whole lot of glitz and glam into the mix, the military hat just becomes the perfect accessory for women who want to feel amazing for an extra special event!
When did you realise the business idea was a winner?
It would probably be at the start of 2020 when we had an influencer wear one of our hats for the very first time. The Instragram page went crazy, I had never experienced anything like it before. After that everything went from strength to strength and orders started coming in thick and fast.
How much has your celebrity following helped grow the business?
An incredible amount. And having our hats on Geordie OG’s and TOWIE has been amazing for the business too. I still pinch myself that the hats have been on TV!
How does the process of making a new hat work?
It’s a pretty long and tricky process, which I’ve managed to get down to a fine art now. Every hat is decorated by hand, each diamanté added one by one. They are very detailed and I have extremely high standards so everything added to them must be perfectly placed.
The bespoke creations aside, what else do you offer?
We also make our own tee-shirts and hoodies for brides and their hen party – they are super bridal and cute! We have some other exciting products currently in development and hopefully on the way very soon, but I can’t say too much about them yet.
As we hit the summer months, what’s most in demand at Glitter Gals?
Hats, hats and more hats! Our busiest time is March-August so it’s literally been non-stop.
What are your hopes for the future?
It would be amazing to grow a big team. We are in need of a much larger space too. We have new products on the horizon so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they will be as successful as the hats. The sky’s the limit, I’m a total dreamer and I always aim high.
