It was a full moon as I left Brighton, I had just visited a made in UK corset factory and got to talking about how you measure for a corset. A few years later, a similar conversation happened with a very well known corset maker that was fitting me for a corset and the measuring process was discussed.
I first learnt about True Size Measurement when had a a few days work experience in Rigby Peller and then when I worked at a brand that had a store in Selfridges when brands were ranging from £2,000 pounds to £7,000 pounds a day and the floor on average was making £56,000 a day in lingerie sales on a great day brands ranged from £5000 to £10000 a day and I sold the most expensive set back then for £1300.00
Depending on the brand depended on the way you measured a customer. A few weeks ago I discovered that some brands have what is called “Vanity Sizing” and this was something I observed in Saudi Arabia in 2009 when I first conducted the Bra Measuring Module of the 10 day Training Course on How to Sell Lingerie as up till then only men were selling Lingerie and the brand store I was taken to in their shopping mall in Jeddah only had sizes up to DD, not an E,F,G or H in site.
Very curious as coming from London where it was booming in the plus size cups. This trip required me to measure an entire class and some of their friends and family when I arrived at the house as this service of measuring wasnt available in Saudi at the time. True Size Measurement is Different to Manufacturing Measurement.
As Manufactureres use Vanity Sizing to do this yourself take a tape measure in Inches around the rib cage and then at the highest part of the bra line and subtract the rib from the cup and you have the cup size. If the maker has true size measurement. If the maker has vanity sizing check their site for their cup size often a G or H can be renamed DDD in a vanity size.
This course got media attention around the world, Sweden, NewZealand, Australia, Malaysia and even a Washington Analyst wrote a section of his book about this class Thomas Lippman Saudi Arabia on the Edge. The suprising thing that occured as a result of this course, two years later the King of Saudi Arabia changed the law using his decree to allow women to work.
Braconomics 2022
This course resulted in 500,000 legally now able to work $66,000 USD a year began to appear in the Saudi Arabia economy which for the math boffins equals $33,000,000,000 a year extra to the Saudi Arabia Economy. $33Billion added to the bottom line of the Saudi Arabia Economy year in year out for the last 11 years is $363,000,000,000.00 $363 hundred billion dollars that did not exist in the economy before this course was held
A class that I travelled from Australia to Malaysia, to meet a celebrity chef Nicholas, who passed away in 2020. Took me to a market to buy my first head scarf, in Kuala Lumpur to arrive in the Jeddah airport it was pink with swarovski crystals. After taking the collection to Wimbledon Fashion Week June 2009 and travelling to France to meet a Lingerie & Swim Manufacturer that made our first bikini in just 6 days many years later in 2016 I arrived back to Malaysia on the way back and a couple of newspapers interviewed me on the experience. Harpers Bazaar Malaysia covered one of my catwalks many years later in 2016 from the Caribbean
BAZAAR EXCLUSIVE: Best Styles from International Swim Fashion Week 2016
This class changed the world, it changed Wall St, it changed the London Stock Exchange, bringing increased investment to both markets. So if you think your idea is too small or your too small to make a difference. Think Again, the course I created, delivered in Saudi Arabia contributed and changed the World Economy adding the value of $33Billion year in year out for 11 years $363 hundred billion so far so good.
Braconomics 2009
Harlette Capital Ltd gifted Saudi Arabia a course for 5 days with a value today and a Luxury Wrap to a Princess that was valued £3500 in 2009 is worth with inflation £5002.44.
Heavily discounted the rate from £6000 & £5000 for each week to £1500 as it was a charity event for women to learn how to work I was requested to give another 5 days of my time. How do you value that time contribution in dollar value in 2022. £20,724.41 was gifted from Harlette to Saudi Arabia and this resulted in the country gaining $33billion new revenue year in year out to their economy just from the simple act of changing the law to make it legal for women to work and contribute to society
£1,500 in 2009 is worth £2,143.90
Gifted in Time and Donated to KSA Lingerie Training & Sales & Marketing
£5,000 in 2009 is worth £7,146.35 today
£6,000 in 2009 is worth £8,575.62 today
After this event a piece from the collection was gifted to a Saudi Princess worth Luxury Wrap with Italian Hand Beaded Tulle and Silk Trims
£3,500 in 2009 is worth £5,002.44 today
The trip cost the Harlette Limited corporation
£14,500 in 2009 is worth £20,724.41 today
A success fee for results on £33Billion each year for 11 years at either 1% or 5%
is a value of range $330 hundred Million per year to 1.65 billion per year & that would accumulate to $3.63billion from just a 10 day training course delivered in Saudi Arabia from Harlette
References for this Article
Saudi Arabia | Average Salary Survey 2022
Saudi Arabia: Gender pay gap widens in 2020 | Saudi – Gulf News
Saudi Arabia | Average Salary Survey 2022
Labor force, female (% of total labor force) – Saudi Arabia | Data (worldbank.org)
Saudi Arabia’s female workforce grows by 282% in a year – Arabian Business
Note to the Reader
Average salary in Saudi Arabia is 261,287 SAR per year. The most typical earning is 101,265 SAR. All data are based on 1,311 salary surveys. Salaries are different between men and women. Men receive an average salary of 268,540 SAR. Women receive a salary of 203,655 SAR.