From Campus Idea to £120k Business: The Rise of Student Fashion Platform Hazaar
Harriet Noy, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Manchester, has transformed a simple university observation into a thriving business generating £120,000 annually. While studying at the University of Birmingham, Harriet noticed her peers constantly purchasing single-use clothing items through fast delivery services, particularly for events like fancy dress parties.
Identifying a Sustainable Gap in the Student Market
'I started Hazaar because I noticed all my friends were Amazon Priming fancy dress costumes every single week,' Harriet explains. 'When you're a student, you have a constant need for new things, and you end up buying items you'll only use once. I saw a significant opportunity to create campus-based marketplaces where there would be no postage costs—students could list items and simply meet outside the library to complete transactions.'
The platform's core mission revolves around making sustainable fashion options both accessible and affordable for students. Harriet emphasizes, 'The key thing for me is making the sustainable option the cheapest, the most affordable, the most desirable, and it just so happens to be better than buying something brand new.'
From Facebook Groups to University Partnerships
Hazaar began modestly with Facebook groups that attracted 20,000 student sign-ups through campus posters. After graduating, recognizing the concept's potential but needing to monetize it, Harriet developed a dedicated app featuring carbon reporting data. She then adopted an innovative partnership model, selling the platform directly to universities.
This strategic move allowed students to access the app without individual membership fees, with universities covering the costs instead. 'I interview students about what they're wearing and why,' Harriet notes, 'and it's often brands like Shein, with price being the primary factor. So, how can we have an impact to make fashion more sustainable?'
Scaling Through Brand Partnerships and Excess Stock
Despite achieving £120,000 in annual turnover, scaling the business presented challenges as universities tightened their budgets. A breakthrough came when fashion brands began approaching Harriet with excess stock they wanted to sell directly to students.
This inspired a business model evolution: maintaining the original student-to-student clothing resales while allowing fashion companies to list selected items at minimal prices. 'The price point will be a lot lower than anywhere else, and students have to verify their status to be able to purchase it,' Harriet explains of this new feature launched last month.
This stock would otherwise likely end up in landfills or recycling centers, making the platform an effective waste-reduction solution. Harriet adds, 'The rise of secondhand is great because there's so much excess stock from brands in the world. I want to bring that to students at secondhand prices and prevent stock from going to waste.'
Entrepreneurial Lessons and Future Vision
As a young business owner, Harriet has learned valuable lessons along her journey. She found that experienced entrepreneurs were often willing to offer guidance when she reached out for advice during Hazaar's 2020 launch. 'People are rooting for you,' she observes, noting that targeted networking proved particularly effective.
Financially, Harriet advises against 'chasing' investments over revenue. 'Investment should only be used when you're trying to scale in a direction that you know works,' she asserts. 'In the early days, I used investment almost as a distraction from figuring out if the business model actually works.' Reflecting on initial small investments, she now wishes she had allocated those funds more strategically.
Looking forward, Harriet envisions Hazaar becoming the go-to platform for brands seeking student engagement while providing students with a reliable, affordable fashion community. As the secondhand market expands, she remains excited about growing awareness of purchasing impacts and promoting more circular consumption choices.
'If students can't afford to shop at higher-end sustainable brands,' Harriet concludes, 'this is one step closer to reducing the need for new fast fashion.' Her journey demonstrates how identifying specific market needs and maintaining adaptability can transform sustainable ideas into profitable ventures.
