Woman Behind the Brand: Ilse Langius (29)
Entrepreneurship was literally bottle-fed to Ilse, as her father started his own business when Ilse was just born. Dreaming big while keeping your feet in the clay, the whole spectrum of being a successful entrepreneur is broad and Ilse has it all.
Of course, there are many clothing brands, lots of them. When did you think, “And yet there is a need for Accentil?”
“Since childhood, I have been analysing other clothing brands; what do they do, how do they do it, why do they do it? But above all: why exactly do they not do a lot of important things? I soon realised that I had a very personal view of fashion, made different combinations, which is why I always scored the highest in sales for the brands I worked for. I myself was missing a beautifully dressed, but modern brand with good Dutch fits, very good qualities and the right price ratio. I personally love details; something extra. With Accentil I put emphasis on details, good fit and quality. This has resulted in a modern translation of office wear that you can also wear or combine in your leisure time. Because say it yourself: nothing is better than to really empower women with your own designs. They don't call it a power suit for nothing.”
I literally started Amayzine in an attic room in my husband's company. Pioneering, trying, falling, sticking plasters, sighing and moving on again. Being successful is not a path paved and sprinkled with rose petals. For no one. What was your path like?
‘So I really like hearing this, because I'm always very down-to-earth about this as well; just enjoying myself at home in the evenings and weekends when I had ‘’time to spare’’ in addition to my full-time job in my father's company - I worked on my plan to establish Accentil. My philosophy: if you really want something, it doesn't matter what time it is or what day it is. That feeling comes from your toes and can't stop you. Fun fact, though: I really can't draw at all. I think my first designer must have secretly laughed when she saw my first sketches, but she understood me. I told her my plan and story, which I had prepared down to the last detail, with a smile and, above all, a huge load of enthusiasm. Apparently that's contagious, because she's still there, haha.’
Was it a logical step for you? Is this typically a case of: “As a little girl, I knew I was going to do this?”
‘I studied law, so for a long time I thought I wanted to be a lawyer with my own business until I realised that I am too much of a people person to sustain that. Besides, I missed the commerce, sales, marketing, enthusiasm and especially the smile on my own face that disappeared in the legal profession.”
Personally, I feel, in my career at least, that everything eventually came together, including things I could not have imagined at the time that would contribute to what I would later become. Is that recognisable or is it a case of a straight line to your ultimate goal with you?
‘I always had dreams, but of course most of them don't always come true. You have to be able to be realistic in what is achievable and, in addition, a bit more experienced in, for example, setbacks and how to deal with them. Getting a so-called ‘’thicker skin’’. I always felt myself far too inexperienced and'too young, which made me think: who will take me seriously? I didn't dare to start for a long time because of this. Also not because I am a huge perfectionist and thought: I can only do this right once. So when is the right time? I also never expected to work in my father's company, but I ended up working here for eight years. By the way, with great pleasure and love, but I knew from the start that this was not my ultimate goal. Nevertheless, those 8 years really made me become a mature woman, with a huge bucket of experience and someone who knew exactly what she wanted and how she was going to get it done.’
Tell us about Accentil: what is the dna of your brand, what makes it unique?
‘The collection is characterised by a completely unique handwriting and a tonal colour palette. I work with four drops per collection supplemented by an additional capsule collection. The colours and fabrics are tailored to the season. The designs exude femininity, are always stylish with a touch of glamour. Every design combines well with each other and can be worn to the office or on a night out. Our USP is our great fit because that really puts a woman in her power. We also go for the best quality and have a focus on detail. I design for the woman who fulfils multiple roles in her life. With Accentil, we try to upgrade her day and look through our designs. We try to be accessible to everyone by offering good value for money and are available in several boutiques throughout the Netherlands.’
What is your dream Accentil woman? What does she look like, how does she move in life, what drives her?
‘At Accentil, our aim is precisely not to exclude anyone. Accentil is for every woman who dares to compliment herself through our designs, making her stronger for that one important meeting at the office, for example, but also when having dinner with her partner or friends. As I describe myself, we have ‘head-turning items’. The clothes automatically make you shine, even on days when you're not feeling it. We empower women, from young to more mature. And I describe it exactly that way, because ‘old’ is a feeling, not a given.’
I'm very curious to know what an average, to the extent you can speak of one, working day looks like for you. Do you start early, do you exercise first, are you a walking-meeting person, how do you keep track?
‘I start extremely early so that I am in time for online meetings with the far east. After that, for me, the ‘real’ working day only starts. I am often in the office or in/to meetings. I go through design with the design team, marketing and sales and then ‘poof’ the day is already over and I still have to start working on my e-mails in the evening. When I think about it, I often interfere too much in everything, but I also really enjoy everything! I'm getting to the point now where I know that we have really good staff in all departments at Accentil, so I'm now going to get a bit of space again to start taking better care of myself; like exercising more again, because I used to do that every morning, 5 days a week, at 06.00.’
What training did you take?
‘I studied law and later converted to multimedia design. This created a nice foundation, but I can honestly confess to you: during my full-time job, I learnt the most that I could never have learnt in any study.’
What is an important lesson you would like to pass on to other entrepreneurs?
‘Sometimes, unfortunately, you have to make business choices, that's part of it, but keep thinking about why you started and why you thought; I can do this differently. By the way; do only start with a realistic plan and not haphazardly without knowing what you are getting into. Entrepreneurship is a Champions League. It sounds a lot, but you often hear few people about the downside of what entrepreneurship also means. You go through all the stages of uncertainty, get to know yourself in 80 new ways and can completely lose yourself if you don't handle it right. So it's always important: stay close to yourself and keep following your gut.’
Who do you admire?
‘My father! By far number one. I learnt everything I do or know from him. For instance, as owner, he was always the first to arrive and was the last one to lock the door that evening. I notice I have those traits myself and regularly hear from my staff that they have to laugh at the times I still email back.’
I have never interviewed anyone who said they are a star at separating work from home. Are you the first, or does everything get mixed up for you too?
‘I have heard this before, just not from people with their own businesses. I cannot say; I am now at home so this is where the work ends. Accentil is intertwined with me, it is a big part of my existence. I do it with all the love and passion I have, so it would be crazy if I could let go of that at the front door of my house, while I started working on my dream in that same house.’
How do you manage that, to juggle all those balls?
‘Maybe not the best advice; but just keep going. If you do what you enjoy, few days feel like ‘work’, so that's why you can stick with it and like it. I have rarely had ‘working days’ so far. New crazy habits do develop. For instance, these days I find it extremely difficult to give myself things. With everything, I feel that I haven't earned it yet and I enter a kind of competition with myself in which I set targets for myself, haha.’
Your brand is ultra-feminine, sexy and also approachable and comfortable at the same time. Do I sum it up that well? How do you guard those parameters within each collection?
‘What a nice compliment! And this is absolutely right. Feminime-energy-boost clothing, power-suiting, comfort, unique designs, trendy and commercial fashion. Our designers now breathe Accentil, so with every garment they go back to the question: ‘Does this fit within our core values?’ if that's a no, it really doesn't come through. I sometimes get our sr. designer / trend analyst Simone to come to me with fun questions to challenge me and see where the stretch is or is not. Fun fact: so I never actually wear trousers myself (really rarely), but because of her we get all kinds of nice jeans now! Simone is queen demin I always say, so here I am 300% confident, but on a Accentil way.’
What do you wear on a workday? And do you have a go-to outfit that, even when you lack inspiration, always makes you feel nice and strong?
‘I wear a dress or skirt 9 times out of 10, so I'm pretty distinctive about that. I get confident and comfortable at the same time when I dress myself up and feminine. It puts me in my power, I feel confident, nice heels underneath, everything styled from A to Z. I like doing this most through clothes where you don't need hugely bright colours to stand out, but that people see that you are radiant because the items you have on give you all the comfort you need.
My girlfriends always laugh because even on Sundays or when I'm doing odd jobs, I still wear this kind of outfit haha’.’
Personally, I always find it very difficult to give answers to the question: ‘Where will you be in five years?’ But you probably have something nice to say about what you will be doing with Accentil next year.
‘Oh that's going to be a world of difference! We have hired (fresh off the press) 4 extra full-time sales people and also a Sales Manager. One of the salespeople will also be working in Belgium and will make a great follow-up there. We have new events in the pipeline, we are planning to move our entire HQ, showroom and warehouse to a building ten times as big within the next six months, we will have our own showroom around Amsterdam and... We will have a new product line and it will soon be announced under the name: ACCENTLESS® - We will have a small preview at the Modefabriek on 18/19 January 2026 where we will have many more surprises. I am looking forward to it immensely.’
