All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
WHEN the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, Natalie Reynolds and Lexi Panayi were rightfully anxious.
The sisters had only launched their fashion brand Style Cheat back in May 2019 and just unveiled their collaboration with Luisa Zissman when the country went into lockdown.
Like many business owners, Natalie and Lexi had to think on their feet - and with dress sales dwindling, they decided to start producing fashion face masks instead.
As face coverings have become compulsory to wear in shops and public transport, Style Cheat is now selling 2,000 masks per day and making an impressive £600k a month.
What's more, the company has donated 90,000 to frontline NHS workers and people in need.
Natalie and Lexi spoke exclusively to Fabulous Digital for our #BOSSINGIT series about ordinary women who have launched incredible businesses.
When Style Cheat launched last spring, the company was an instant success - and counted Love Island's Amy Hart, Olivia Buckland and Tiffany Watson among their celebrity fans.
In their first week and a half of business, Style Cheat sold a staggering £28k worth of stock and are also featured on Silk Fred's website too.
Mum-of-two Natalie, from Rickmansworth, said: "We got off to a great start. We had loads of celebrity and blogger interest so we were really excited for this summer.
"And then lockdown happened..."
Almost overnight, the brand went from selling an average of 100 items a day to virtually nothing - and the sisters knew they needed to do something drastic to save their young business.
"We'd gone from having our biggest month ever with our Luisa collaboration to then absolutely nothing," Natalie - who appeared on The Apprentice in 2013 - said. "It was like someone flipped a switch."
To begin with, the sisters decided to cut back on advertising - as weddings, holidays and special occasions were all cancelled - before considering what they could do to help.
"We repurposed our factories to create PPE straight away," Natalie said. "And then we just had a feeling that face masks were going to be become a big thing."
Lexi added: "But we knew we'd only feel comfortable selling them if there was a charitable element too."
Having stopped all production of their clothes, the sisters repurposed the fabrics they had sitting in their factories in London and Romania to make face masks.
Before the crisis, Style Cheat's factories could produce to 500 dresses a day - but now they're making 25,000 masks a WEEK.
When it came to designing the masks, the sisters were determined to stick to natural fibres, such as cotton and viscose, to keep them breathable.
Unsurprisingly, there's been a huge demand for trendy designs now that face masks are a compulsory part of everyday life and Style Cheat is currently selling 60,000 a month.
Lexi said: "We have the mindset that if we've got to wear one, let's at least make it look good!"
Needless to say, the sisters were delighted to see celebs like Paige Turley and Sam Faiers place orders for their masks.
Lexi said: "It's been amazing and a great way to raise awareness for our Mask Together campaign."
After launching their best-selling animal print face masks on their website, Natalie and Lexi were inundated with messages from customers asking if they were bringing them out for kids over the age of two.
"So we started to put together packs of masks which were accessible for families," Lexi added. "And people have a spare for their mask when the other one is in the wash."
Along with celebrity endorsements, Natalie and Lexi knew they were on to something when shoppers started tagging them in selfies with their masks up to 30 times a day.
As a result of the coronavirus restrictions, Lexi is among countless brides who have had to postpone their 2020 weddings - and this allowed her to throw herself into work even more.
The sisters have continued going into their office (which has social distancing measures in place) in Potter's Bar throughout lockdown and got stuck in shipping their orders.
Natalie added: "We've been in 16 hours a day and took on a lot of the work we never used to do - but you have to get it done!
"We've had to work through the night to get customer's orders out."
Amazingly, the brand has also started shipping internationally to Dubai and the US in lockdown - and the sisters noticed that shoppers are buying masks to match their dresses.
Lexi said: "We want people to feel fashionable and like their face mask is an accessory to go with the dress they've just purchased."
The sisters have started donating to the charity Outreach Moldova - which is a cause close their hearts - and sending masks to food banks.
Based on their current sales, Style Cheat is estimated to have a turnover of £15 million in the next three years.
But naturally, it hasn't all been smooth sailing - as the lack of staff meant the Natalie and Lexi struggled to get their thousands of orders out.
That said, the sisters are proud to have kept their 10 members of staff employed during the crisis and the team are back in the office with social distancing measures in place.
As for the future, Natalie and Lexi are determined to take Style Cheat to the next step.
"Shoppers in Dubai and the US are loving our fashion and buying a lot of clothes from us at the moment," Natalie said. "We're not a boutique, we're a credible company and we want to be a household name."
Face masks are compulsory in:
For more inspiring Bossing It stories, we spoke to Datsa Gaile - who used £1.50 to turn her love of DIY into £480k business and now decorates the BGT dressing rooms & Gemma Collins is a fan.
And Real Housewives of Cheshire star Nicole Sealey opened up about leaving school at 15 and setting up her £10m business.
Plus Amanda Jenner created the world's first leak-proof potty company - despite only leaving school with two GCSEs.
