Elle Exxe, the formidable and fully fledged electro-clash pop star burst onto the scene with a riotous explosion of her fearsomely unique attitude which she describes as “Dirty Pop”.
The Unsigned Music award winner (Best Female Act) has received rave reviews from the likes of Q Magazine, Classic Pop, PopJustice, and Highsnobeity.
Elle Exxe has graced the stages on some of the worlds largest festivals including V Festival, Isle of Wight, SXSW & Sziget (Currently Europes's largest Festival). In Romania, Elle had was presented with an amazing opportunity to play her first Stadium show. Her live performances have been given praise by Rolling Stone Magazine and The Hindu (India) recently from her Swedish tour. In the UK, she's been championed nationally by BBC Radio 2 and Kiss FM, locally with BBC London & Scotland. Elle has flown high in Music Week Charts and Amazing Radio charts.
Her music has been accepted all over the world, allowing her to perform across three continents (Asia, Europe & North America). In America, Elle has been played across a mass of radio stations, receiving increasing amounts of CMJ destinations.
"I wanted to capture the spirit of celebration surrounding pregnancy and make beautiful belly art something that all mums-to-be could enjoy. The result was Gooseberry Pink...a fabulous range of maternity tops featuring beautiful designs that ‘hug the bump’."
Jacquline Winstanely caught up with Laura Draper to find out what makes her an inspiring and Inclusive Entrepreneur. Laura is a member of the Inclusive Entrepreneur community and is also a Virgin Startup Loan Mentee, being coached and mentored by Jacqueline.
Laura Draper is an ethical entrepreneur and creator of a range of organic maternity and baby clothing. Aware of how damaging the clothing industry can be to the environment, she wanted to do things differently. She chose to make clothing that was kinder to both the world we live in, and the people in it.
Her company Gooseberry Pink has established itself as a provider of quality, well-designed, organic clothing which is produced ethically, sustainably and using eco-friendly processes.
Mum to four grown up children, Laura looks forward to the day when her own family requires the Gooseberry Pink maternity and baby range.
This is her story.
"When I had my babies, we wore big shapeless smocks that did their best to conceal the fact that you were pregnant. We certainly never wore figure hugging clothing or thought to capture this time in our life with a pregnancy photoshoot! I love that expectant mums today embrace pregnancy and honour their beautifully changing shape. Never has there been a time when pregnancy has been more celebrated.
My initial inspiration for the brand was ‘belly art’ – a lovely trend where expectant mums use paints or henna tattoos to decorate their pregnant form. I thought this was an enchanting way for mums to celebrate their growing pregnancy bump, although I guessed that having a painted belly is probably not the most practical thing on a day to day basis!
My pregnancy tops are perfect for anyone looking for gift ideas for the pregnant women in their life, so I wanted to make them extra special. Designed meticulously to fit and flatter at every stage of pregnancy, I use only premium quality fabrics that are luxuriously soft and comfortable to wear.
I am also passionate about ensuring that my clothing is made in a way that will not be damaging to the world we live in, or the people in it. So, all Gooseberry Pink clothing is ethically sourced and manufactured using only 100% certified organic cotton.
Since those early beginnings, I have taken the same ethical and design principles and created a gorgeous range of baby clothing – all made from supersoft, organic cotton. Perfect for baby’s delicate skin, they make beautiful and thoughtful gifts for newborn babies, up to 18 months."
We asked Laura about the impact Jacqueline's mentoring has had on her journey as an entrepreneur.
"Jacqueline’s mentoring over the past year has been an invaluable support to me, as I have been setting out on my entrepreneurial journey. A great listener, Jacqueline is full of great ideas and has shown real enthusiasm for my business. She is very encouraging and has gently pushed me to take action, and step out of my comfort zone, when I have needed to. Always happy to impart her knowledge, share her experience or make an introduction to her own connections. Jacqueline’s passion shines through in everything that she does and she is a real inspiration!"
If you would like to contact Laura, you can email her on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also follow her on social media:
Christine Gong, Founder and Co—Chairman, China Culture and Art International Organization, LLC (CCAIO) & Vice Chairman, International Council for Caring Communities (ICCC).
In October of 2014, Ms. Gong successfully held the first exhibition of the China Culture and Art International Organization, LLC (CCAIO) together with Mr. Steven Rockefeller, Jr. in Germantown, New York. The CCAIO will continuously hold 3-4 global high-end Chinese art exhibitions in different countries every year. Taking Chinese art as a carrier to spread Chinese culture, while also combining the local art from the participatory areas, we would like to make the world’s people have a better knowledge of the Chinese art, and make the Chinese culture and art more comprehensive and inclusive. When people appreciate the art works, they also have harmonious communications as well as dialogues towards good future visions with each other.
Raising The Roof, the international concert supporting The International Council for Caring Communities (ICCC) International Student Design Competition Fellowships, returns to the iconic St George's Hall in Liverpool on November 1, 2018 with a star-studded line-up celebrating accessibility to life’s opportunities.
The day’s events, which also include a ground-breaking and interactive afternoon seminar discussing essential concepts on accessibility to life’s opportunities and opening up the creative space, are being hosted and organised by Universal Inclusion, led by Seminar and Concert Executive Producer Jacqueline Winstanley, Founder and CEO of Universal Inclusion.
Following on from our first successful Raising the Roof concert held in October 2017, we are returning to St George's Hall, Liverpool on Thursday November 1, 2018.
This year we have extended our concept to include a groundbreaking and interactive international seminar bringing together global thought leaders, artists, architects, entrepreneurs and key decision-makers in all things art and culture.
During the afternoon, we will showcase and discuss essential thought-leadership with a call to action, as well as the arts & culture!
This will be followed by a VIP reception and an amazing, fund-raising concert - Raising The Roof - in support of the Council for Caring Communities (ICCC) International Student Design Competition Fellowships.
Music has always been an art that can transcend boundaries and bring people together, and as per our tradition, the performers will represent a spectrum of geographic origins, musical styles, and ages.
Elle Exxe, the formidable and fully fledged electro-clash pop star burst onto the scene with a riotous explosion of her fearsomely unique attitude which she describes as “Dirty Pop”.
Her company Gooseberry Pink has established itself as a provider of quality, well-designed, organic clothing which is produced ethically, sustainably and using eco-friendly processes. 
Christine Gong, Founder and Co—Chairman, China Culture and Art International Organization, LLC (CCAIO) & Vice Chairman, International Council for Caring Communities (ICCC).