We invited our gorgeous #beciequibabes to ask Beci Equi creator, Bec Desmond anything and everything they have been curious about!
What made you decide to start designing riding clothing? ( from Karen and Dimitee):
I have always had a bit of a 'secret' passion for fashion...it's not something I used to actively encourage in myself until recently, but , as a bit of an online shopping addict, I used to order LOTS of riding clothes.
Basically I found it hard to have a comfy pair of pants that looked amazing, suited our Aussie climate, lasted a reasonable amount of time, and were affordable. So, I decided to look into designing and manufacturing my own clothes and...here we are today!
What age did you first ride...and what breed? ( from Catherine)
I started riding lessons at a local riding school in England when I was 5 years old...totally hooked from day 1..poor Mum and Dad!
The pony I used to ride was Tommy, a cute fury little grey Welsh Mountain Pony. I seem to remember always being attracted to the larger horses though, and fondly remember being allowed to ride 'Fleur', a big bay mare (big to me anyway) who needed someone to lead her if little kiddies were riding. I loved a challenge from the start!
What are your riding goals? ( from Karen)
My riding goals used to be really defined; I wanted to train and ride the classical way, and inspire people to train with the concept of art at the heart of what they did. In some ways I achieved this goal, as I have been lucky enough to follow my riding through to a skill level that has allowed me to perform at some events and do some exhibitions locally in Western Australia where I live.
After I hurt my back in 2017 (non riding related), I really had to readjust my goals. Riding itself is the weekly goal. Sometimes it is achieved, sometimes life, or physical issues get in the way. I don't have the same expectations of myself as I use to have. I have learnt to accept my limitations and enjoy simply loving my horse, rather than having to really ride and train to perfection.
What is your favourite breed? (from Gail)
I LOVE Iberian horses. I have owned Spanish and Portuguese horses since I was 14, and am well and truly addicted to their sensitive and willing attitudes. My heart flutters when I see a roman nose!
The horses in some of our social media images are horses I have owned/bred or do own, including Jaguar, the buckskin Lusitano stallion pictured above, and Ebano, my current horse who is a 4yo black PRE stallion.
What's your average day like? (from Julieann)
Well, they differ somewhat depending on if I am at my 'day' job or not. Yes, the reality is that starting up a new business is super costly, and, having pretty much depleted my entire savings account creating the business, I do work full time in the security industry to maintain my bank accounts and expensive saddle pad addictions...
On my days at work or 'off' (is there such a thing?!), I'm up at 4:30am with my partner, Brian, who educates Pacing horses. We usually work our small stable of horses together, and I help out with the general stable duties. We rent the stables within a racing complex near our little suburban house, so it is quite close and convenient to home.
As orders come through from the online store, I wrap and send them usually by 4pm each day, so the Post Office ladies know me quite well now with pretty much daily trips.
Lunch is squeezed in when and If I have time, and of course, every spare moment is spent on Facebook and Instagram, to answer customer questions, engage with our fans and keep things ticking over.
I'm seldom up past 8pm, and my eyelids are half closed usually around 7pm!
What's your favourite drink after a long week? ( Catherine, Katie and Bianca)
I'm a bit partial to a vodka martini - dry with extra olives! But, the usual, end-of-a-stressful-week drink is normally a double rum and coke, lots of ice!
Other notable favourites include strawberry caprioska and espresso martinis...yummm
What are your future plans for the brand? ( from Julieann and Rebecca)
I have SO many plans, I literally find it hard to sleep some nights with pure excitement!
I am planning on expanding our range to include more tops for a start... also, I am looking for equestrian shops who would like to stock our products not only around Australia, but around the world.
How do you choose your Brand Ambassadors? ( from Karen, Nicole and Audrey)
I currently have two types of people who I have to help build our brand exposure. Our current Brand Ambassador for 2019 is WA Eventer, Ella Shore. Ella is a successful eventing competitor and comes from a very horsey family. Nowadays, Ella not only still competes with a young horse, but she also works as a mechanic! We loved the fact that Ella has a growing Instagram following and she has a life outside of horses too. She is always positive, fun and a great role model which is important for our brand.
We also have a number of Social Sharers, who are everyday horse chicks who have decent sized social media followings and are very active on Facebook groups and on Instagram. None of them are professional riders, and they are all shapes and sizes, located all over the world!
So, for both Brand Ambassadors AND Social Sharers, we look for people who are very active on social media, have a positive, happy vibe, and have a growing social media presence.
How do you choose your models? ( from Alisha)
The models we have used so far are all horsey girls from Western Australia, where I am located. None of them are professional fashion models, but they are all fit, healthy ladies who either work with horses or own horses.
We chose these girls because they were GORGEOUS, were comfortable around horses, and represented the stable to street vibe we go for.
We have a new photo shoot in planning stages, using one of our original models and also opening it up to a couple of new models who are different body types and sizes, to represent a larger range of our customers.
Will you expand your sizing range? ( from Melanie)
YES!
We do have some limited edition leggings that won't be restocked, so these will only be available in current sizes.
All of our new items that are produced for future collections will include XXS (size 6) and XXL (size 18/20) to cater for a broader range of girls.
How come the sizing is different between your products? ( from Amelia)
Because our different products use different materials, they have differing amounts of stretch and give.
Our Luxe Leggings are made from ultra stretchy fabric which is also really light weight. This means they have a massive stretch capacity, and also look best when they are not worn loosely.
Our Denim on the other hand, is still super stretchy, but is a much thicker fabric density, so the fit is much firmer and less forgiving.
We also encourage customers to check out our sizing guides and size page before making a purchase.
Who is your style inspiration? (from Charmaine)
Well, that's an easy one. I LOVE Silvia Rizzo, an Italian dressage rider who lives in Germany. She is so bubbly, fun loving and has such an edgy style that she brings to the dressage arena - she really pushes the boundaries of fashion in the competition arena which I think is so important for spectator appeal.
Silvia has even helped me with one of my own competition outfits for the AHAA Nationals in 2016..we won heaps of titles, so it must have been good!
What is your favourite product from your range? ( from Emily)
That's a hard question...it's like choosing who is your favourite child!
I would have to say, the Denim SkinTights are so flattering - they literally make me look a whole size smaller than I really am.
I remember getting my samples from my manufacturer and putting them on, walking out into the lounge room and my partner goes " what have you changed...you look hot.."
Mission accomplished!
How did you come up with the name Beci Equi Couture? ( from Chris and Eve)
It happened pretty quickly once I took a hard look at my competitors. There are heaps of fancy high end sounding snobby horsey brand names out there, and there a few that are a bit 'young' and brash sounding. I wanted something that was cute, but flirtatious and also reflected my personality. Beci Equi Couture (B.E.C) is also my preferred name (Bec)!
Is your nick name Beci? ( from Amanda)
Absolutely not ha! Don't ever call me Beci lol.. its Bec!
What size are you? (from Jasmin)
I'm between a 12 and 14 in bottoms, a 12 in most tops. I'm 5'1" so little and round-ish!
What other brands of equestrian wear and accessories do you like? ( from Joanne)
I love KEP helmets. I have a gorgeous limited edition black cromo S shine helmet that features in some of our photos and I use as my competition helmet. My everyday helmet I also love, it's from Jin Stirrups Italia.
I also love the look of Mane Jane belts...they look so stylish and funky! I don't have any but I plan on changing this in the near future for sure!
What drives you to be a successful entrepreneur? ( from Charmaine)
I suppose since I hurt my back and don't ride much any more, I have put all of my passion and effort into the business. I am the type of person who likes things to be perfect; it doesn't matter if I'm riding a half pass or choosing material for a new product, it has to be perfect.
I also like the idea of not having to work for someone else for the rest of my life. I'm a very independant person, and I would love to get the brand to the point where one day I can walk out of my day job office and say " bye b***ches..!"
Have you got any hidden talents? ( from Meg)
Well, not really. But, I am good at teaching people riding. I used to do that along with training horses as a bit of a profession. It is something I love - to help people get the best out of their horse and create something that not only looks beautiful, but more importantly, feels beautiful.
I also really enjoy photography - not saying that it's a talent of mine, but, thanks to some amazing cameras, I seem to more often than not, take some nice snaps of our products and my horses
What would you do if you won the lotto? (from Catherine, Mary and Gheeta)
That would depend on how much I won!
But if we are talking multi millions, I would book a world 5 star trip, buy all my old horses back, and keep on designing amazing riding clothes as my hobby!
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Thanks for all of your questions!