BCBusiness

BcBUsiness.ca april 2016 BCBusiness 45 THE STORY: Partyskirts started with Mariel Armstrong and her older sister, Lauren, huddled around their mother's sewing machine as she stitched a high- waisted, full-bodied garment of 100 per cent silk taffeta. Mariel had recently gradu- ated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing in Los Angeles, and Lauren had studied marketing at Parsons School of Design. They wanted to start a business together; their late father, Bev Armstrong, an entrepreneur who co-founded the Rocky Mountaineer with his brother Peter, had always encour- aged them to follow their dreams. The skirt provoked rave reactions from friends and strangers, and they knew it was their product. In 2013, they started selling a short- length skirt in vibrant colours and landed a collaboration with Teen Vogue in which they designed six skirts that were featured in the magazine and sold on their website. Soon after, they designed a custom print for Keds shoes, with skirts to match; they have since added a "lady-length" version, which was worn by talk show host Kelly Ripa. Producing their skirts in a small factory in Vancouver gives them the ability to act quickly on a trend and make small runs to meet demand on their site. They have cau- tiously branched out, making Partytops and a more casual silhou- ette for spring, but they remain committed to their original idea. Says Mariel: "Partyskirts is a lifestyle; it has an energy behind it." MARKERS OF SUCCESS: In addi- tion to collaborations with Teen Vogue and Keds, Partyskirts has received endorse- ments from influential Vancouver bloggers Jillian Harris and Monika Hibbs, and a sale-spiking seal of approval from U.S. style queen Blair Eadie. Sales are almost exclusively online; only a handful of stores in Vancouver and Toronto carry the garments. In 2015, Partyskirt revenues grew to $300,000. –Marcie Good patrick crawford co-founder and ceo, spire robotics inc. age: 24 THE STORY: Patrick Crawford knew from childhood he wanted to be an entrepreneur, but it was a near-death experi- ence on a climbing trip to Nepal in 2010 that gave him renewed perspective and resolve. Struck down by potentially fatal alti- tude sickness, he bought a don- key to rescue him when weather made a helicopter evacuation impossible. Now, when Spire Robotics—the drone and data- analytics company he started in 2014 with partner Mike Wilcox while studying engineering at UBC—runs into challenges, Crawford says he looks back and thinks, "As long as my heart is beating and my brain is intact, everything is OK." Spire is focused on helping large for- estry companies achieve greater e¢ciency, and while revenues have quickly soared, Crawford says his primary goal is to build great relationships and to advance technologically. MARKERS OF SUCCESS: Spire Robotics was cash-¤ow positive in its rst year, and its revenues grew 2,600 per cent in its second year. The company has added eight team members to join its two founders and has grown its client base from one to eight. —D.H. What's your biggest fear? "my biggest fears don't really relate to business. my largest fear is getting trapped in a bubble of life and not having that capability to pop out of that bubble and evaluate what i'm doing" Worst advice that you've received? "Early on in our business we were often advised to bring on people to help us with things such as direction for our branding and concepts. We quickly learned that we were the best people to make these creative decisions" 30 under 30 mariel armstrong co-founder, partyskirts age: 27 continued from page 43

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