Soul sisters for over a decade – our Belgian founder-girls Jill Shaw and Roxanne Sabbe formed a partnership in early 2023 to take COLORUSH to the next level.
Get to know them (and C~RUSH) a little better…
FIRST THINGS, FIRST – HOW DID YOU TWO MEET?
ROX: During a warm summer day at a water ski club near our home towns. Both passionate about wakeboarding and enjoying life, we matched right there right then. 3 weeks later we left for Costa Rica and here we are, 10 years later, still best friends and running a company together!
JILLY: You know when just a few times in life those rare kinds cross your path and your energy is an instant match? Yep that’s us!
JILLY, WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?
I grew up around a very creative mom who is a passionate architect, and a business driven dad who first started his own surf label traveling from beach to beach around the world, then later started a successful company with his good friend & complementary ‘other- half’, representing all the coolest surf brands. You could say Rox and I are the mini Bart & Toni haha.
Before C~RUSH I combined life as a musician with modeling and collaborated with a few cool labels where I had the opportunity to design some capsule collections. I worked in sales for 6 years where I represented a few strong knitwear brands. Sharing a mutual passion for fashion with my mom, my role model (who taught me many things but definitely quality over quantity since the day I was born) resulted in a baby brand of our own. Creating, running and selling this brand mostly by myself, is how I got a taste of every single role within a (fashion) business.
HOW DID THE IDEA FOR C~RUSH COME ABOUT? AND WHY START WITH CASHMERE?
The time I spent in art school and on stage is when my fashion sense really got awakened. It started with an obsession for thrift shopping where I’d arrive home from school with all these bits that I had recycled and transformed into crazy new styles. My mom showed me the beauty of passing on items from generation to generation and I loved breathing life into old trends. The more time I spent in fashion, the more my respect for quality grew, and the longevity of a product really fascinated me. Born in a generation where we sprint from one thing to another, doesn’t really resonate with that spirit.
Don’t get me wrong, new trends excite me and I’ll always enjoy adding fresh pieces to my closet. So what if you could fuse quality, longevity, on trend shapes, a rainbow of colors and accessibility into a collection of knock-out garments? Quality doesn’t have to come with an unaffordable price tag or conservative shapes & colors. Apart from the fact that I learned everything about what an amazing natural fabric cashmere is during my days in a knitwear showroom, the fact that nothing feels so soft on your skin was a must for me when I started imagining the C~RUSH product & our brand DNA. If you’re looking for disruptive, fun, quality cashmere, you want C~RUSH.
ENTER ROX: WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER BACKGROUND?
My career took off at Procter & Gamble, where I was climbing the corporate ladder during the first 5 years of my career. I was trained in various roles during these years, from key account roles responsible for the negotiations with the biggest food retailers in Europe to shopper psychology roles, understanding consumer patterns and behaviour and rebuilding go to market strategies, to developing the road to a zero waste supply chain. I look back at these years being the best training i could have wished for, surrounded by inspiring managers and colleagues, preparing me for what was to come.
After P&G, I was enrolled in a programme called ‘Prins Albert Fund’, where 20 candidates get selected by a jury panel to support belgian start-ups with their international expansion. I moved to New York for this programme, where I helped a tech company expand to the North American market. This was my first entrepreneurial experience, where I was able to witness the struggles of a young company finding its way in the competitive market. The pandemic brought me back to Belgium which seemed unfortunate at the time but you know what they say… when one door closes, another one opens. And there was C~RUSH.
AND, PART 2 - WHAT LED YOU TO JOINING AS C~RUSH CO-FOUNDER?
The combination of several factors led me to joining C~RUSH as Co-Founder. The very appealing and unique designs and colors of Jill’s first collections seemed to be a rare USP and the compatibility and strong foundation of our friendship made me believe this was a chance I couldn’t let pass by. Whilst we are very different in many ways, we are even more similar in others. We have the same values and principles in life and work ethic and share a very passionate ‘go getters’ mentality. You don’t need much more if you ask me to have a concrete business foundation.
WHAT DO YOU BOTH LOVE ABOUT EACH OTHER?
ROXANNE: There’s a long list of things I love about Jill but if I need to name one, it would be her kind and warm heart. She has a passionate and unconditional way of caring for people (and animals) she loves. I call myself lucky to be one of those people and can only wish for everyone to have a Jill in their life.
JILLY: I love how my friends inspire me in so many different ways. You connect through passions, values and dreams, and they all add so much color to your life - all in unique ways.
Rox and I are complimentary in various areas, but at the same time I think there’s not one friend like her who I feel so connected to on an endless amount of levels. Apart from all her talent, this connection is the main reason why I wanted to share this adventure with her.
Her hunger for adventuring, down-to-earth attitude, dedication + drive when she puts her mind to something inspires me everyday. You’re one lucky girl if one day a blonde sister, friend & business partner crosses your path!
WHAT DO YOU BOTH LOVE ABOUT C~RUSH?
ROX: I love what C~RUSH stands for. We’re not just a brand selling beautiful cashmere. We’re a family that cares, has fun and wants to disrupt the cashmere industry by being the best version of ourselves and by caring about everyone that crosses our journey. We want to be the best in what we do but only if we can do it in the right way by caring about our people, our community and the environment.
JILLY: Exactly that! It’s so much more than just creating and running a brand.. C~RUSH is a lifestyle and we can only hope people are inspired and want to live it with us. I pinch and check in with myself often and i’ll be like.. wow what a wild ride - but it’s such a damn good one. From goat to garment & all the way to our end customer. Our common thread will always be softness, sharing values & having the best time. We only get one life to live - with C~RUSH it feels right and true to who Rox and I were raised to be.
WHAT ARE YOU PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? With C~RUSH, each other & Beyond, baby!
ROX: It sounds cliché but the sky is really the limit. If you believe in something, you can achieve it. That’s how we look at the future and each other. This is only the beginning, we’re here to break boundaries and raise the bar. Watch this space…
JILLY: Dream big baby! I’m here for the biggest ride of my life. I can only wish this journey will surprise us in so many great ways and will take us on the most unexpected adventures.
One giant goal: Our C~RUSH colors will be spread all over the world. I love riding this wave with Rox and our golden team and am grateful for the crazy every single day!
Jill Shaw Roxanne Sabbe