The Marie Hunter brand is built upon one philosophy, “Confidence Speaks Volumes”. Confidence by definition is a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities. The Marie Hunter Modern Muse is a woman who is a guiding spirit and source of artistic inspiration in life and business.

Today we’re featuring Alexandra Dow and Grace Wheeler, Founders of Poize Workwear. Poize Workwear is an online, one-stop-marketplace that aims to empower young women as they increasingly enter the corporate workforce. Poize’s macro level vision is to create a community surrounding women’s empowerment within professional industries. Through fashion, Poize highlight’s femininity as an attribute to leadership. “We provide this community with highly curated workwear pieces that are stylish, sophisticated and professional. We want to get rid of boxy, ill-fitting pant suits and replace them with pieces that merge the strength of feminism with the elegance of femininity.” I had the opportunity to ask Alexandra 5 questions and here is what she had to say.

Q+A with MH Modern Muses Alexandra Dow and Grace Wheeler

Q: What was the defining moment that made you want to launch Poize Workwear?

A: Before starting Poize Workwear co-founder, Grace, was pursuing a career in corporate law. After interning as a Commercial Property Intern, she realized she struggled to find appropriate and trendy workwear. She used this struggle as her inspiration to start Poize.

When Grace explained the concept to Alexandra, she was immediately hooked. The problem resonated with her on a personal level and she could see a clear future for the brand and company. Many pivots have happened along the way but the mission -- to empower women within corporate industries by highlighting femininity, through fashion, as an attribute to leadership -- has always remained the same.

Q: How did you conquer fear when building your brand?

A: There is always risk associated with starting a new company but we are so convinced that we are solving a major issue for our customers that we just couldn't ignore it.

We have found that research and talking to people is the best way to conquer any startup related fear! Before even launching our first products, we polled, surveyed and interviewed 532 women in our customer demographic. 100% of these women found shopping for suitable workwear challenging in some way or another. This gave us the answer that every entrepreneur wants to hear, that yes, our company IS solving a problem. Knowing that we are helping women feel comfortable in their femininity, along with supporting them in being confident leaders, is enough to allow us to push all fears aside and move forward with determination.

Q: How do you deal with resistance from those who do not share your vision?

A: People say that once you start receiving criticism, you're beginning to reach a broader audience that goes beyond your supporters, that's when you know you’re making an impact on a larger scale. The most significant resistance we get comes from people not understanding that our vision for Poize goes beyond retail. Retail is a crowded space but companies who focus on a strong social missions are limited. People, especially young women, really resonate with our idea and often have their own anecdotes regarding their workwear and workplace struggles.

Q: What is your personal mantra?

A: Show up & work hard, even if no one applauds you for it -- It always always pays off!

Q: What do you love most about Marie Hunter Beauty?

A: First and foremost we love that Marie Hunter Beauty is a female founded business and we are proud to stand alongside this brand in the Female Founder Collective. We believe our missions align well and we admire MHB’s vision to “Boldy empower women with beauty, confidence and class.”

This all goes without saying that we are totally in love with their fantastically colorful and endlessly creative lip colors and names!

**Alexandra Dow - Co-Founder of Poize Workwear**

**Grace Wheeler - Co-Founder of Poize Workwear**

Alexandra and Grace are redefining the women’s workwear industry and I’m here for it! Their modern approach to curating stylish workwear for the professional woman makes Poize unique and for that Alexandra and Grace are MH Modern Muses. Follow Poize on Instagram @poizeworkwear and Facebook @poize.workwear. You can shop Poize Workwear here and check out their blog and Pinterest @poizeworkwear for more inspiration! Got LinkedIn? Follow their company page to stay up to date with Poize Workwear.