Listen First: What 40 Years in Fashion Taught Julie About Women
This year's International Women's Day theme is "Give to Gain." After four decades of dressing women in Brisbane, Julie has been reflecting on what that really means.
Here's what she's learned: listening is one of the most powerful things you can do in fashion.
Not listening to trends. Not listening to what the industry says women should want. Listening to the actual woman standing in front of you, telling you who she is and who she wants to become.
That's where the magic happens.
In 1986, Julie came back from London full of youthful energy and the boldness to think she could build a fashion label in Queensland. Women were flooding the workforce, free university had opened doors that had previously been closed, and there was a cultural shift happening. Australian women needed more from their corporate wardrobes – they needed clothes that said "I belong here. I earned this."
So Julie started making them.
Was it easy? Not even close.
The biggest challenge wasn't the business side. It was trusting herself. Trusting her passion for beautiful textiles. Trusting that supporting women through life transitions with clothes that made them feel powerful was valuable work.
Because here's the thing: when you start a creative business as a woman, you can spend years wondering if what you're doing truly matters. Julie learned that it does – but you have to trust that before anyone else will.
People often ask Julie who her mentor was, who believed in her first.
The truth? There wasn't one person. There were hundreds.
Hundreds of women giving support, knowledge, tiny micro-moments of encouragement that enriched every single day of the journey. A customer sharing how a dress made her feel confident in a job interview. A supplier offering their expertise. A team member bringing a perspective Julie hadn't considered.
This is what "Give to Gain" actually looks like in real life. Not grand gestures or formal programs. Just humans showing up for each other in small, consistent ways that compound over time into something extraordinary.
Success isn't built by one person working alone. It's built by a community of people who see each other and choose to help.
For Julie, the most important way to give back is simple: being present and actually listening.
When a woman comes into the Tengdahl boutique, the conversation isn't just about what she wants to wear. It's about who she is, what she's going through, what she wants to feel.
That's when something magical happens. She trusts you.
And that trust, Julie says, has been the greatest gift of her career.
Forty years on, Tengdahl isn't just a business. It's a web of relationships - customers who've become friends, staff who've become family, a community built one thoughtful conversation at a time.
What Julie has gained by giving is this: when you really listen to a woman (not just about clothes, but about life) and then create something that helps her shine her light, you become a better designer, a better businesswoman, a better human being.
You can't buy that kind of education. You can only earn it by showing up, listening, and caring.
After four decades, people ask what keeps Julie going.
Honestly? The exact same thing that made her start this business in the first place.
That youthful energy to help someone shine their light. Her beautiful team. Creativity. Learning something new every day. When clients share their stories, it makes her better at what she does.
The work hasn't changed. It's just deepened.
Julie isn't chasing trends or trying to be the next big thing. She's doing what she's always done: listening to women, creating pieces that last, and believing that quality and care matter in a world that doesn't always value either.
When asked what advice she'd give young women wanting to start a creative business, Julie's answer is thoughtful:
Master the art of listening - not just to customers, but to your intuition, to your collaborators, to the world around you. Be humble. Never judge yourself or others. Everyone's navigating challenges you can't see. Trust your higher self. The voice that knows what you're meant to do, even when logic says it's impossible.
And to her younger self, if she could whisper back to 1986:
"I'm proud of you. And the person you've become."
This year's International Women's Day theme, Give to Gain, has Julie thinking about reciprocity.
For 40 years, she's given her time, knowledge, and care to this work and to the women who've trusted her. And what has she gained?
Everything.
A life full of meaning. Relationships that sustain her. The privilege of watching women step into their power. The joy of creating something beautiful that lasts.
Generosity isn't purely selfless. When you give genuinely, everyone gains. The giver included.
To every woman who's supported Tengdahl over 40 years – whether you bought one piece or built your entire wardrobe with us, whether you worked here for a season or a decade, whether you believed in what we were doing when it was just starting out:
Thank you.
You made this journey possible. You taught Julie what matters. You showed her that when women support women, we all rise.
This isn't just her business. It's ours. Built together. Sustained by mutual care, respect, and the powerful act of listening to each other.
Here's to 40 more years of giving, gaining, and showing up for each other.
Happy International Women's Day from all of us at Tengdahl. You've made this journey possible. We're honoured to be part of yours.
This International Women's Day, we'd love to hear: Who gave to you? How do you give back?
