How a punch in the face helped launch my brand

New Yorker Leah McSweeney used $75,000 compensation from the NYPD to help launch her Married to the MOB clothing brand.

Leah McSweeney didn't enjoy "getting punched in the face by a cop", but she admits it was "good for my business". In 2004 the New Yorker was celebrating a friend's birthday when they were challenged by the police. McSweeney lost two front teeth in the ensuing fight, but was eventually awarded $75,000 compensation from the NYPD. The cash "helped lift my brand to the next level".

McSweeney started her 'Married to the MOB' (Most Official Bitches) fashion line in 2003. "I spent years doing internships for fashion magazines trying to get my break." In 2002 she eventually found paid employment as an assistant to stylists who prepare models for fashion shoots. "It sucked. The stylists had bigger egos than the models and treated me like rubbish." In 2003 she had the inspiration for her fashion line. "Lots of fashion houses started making clothes for men with strong statements printed over them I thought why can't women have that too?" She began with a few simple designs. "I started with T-shirts because they were the cheapest items to get off the ground."

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James McKeigue

James graduated from Keele University with a BA (Hons) in English literature and history, and has a certificate in journalism from the NCTJ. James has worked as a freelance journalist in various Latin American countries.He also had a spell at ITV, as welll as wring for Television Business International and covering the European equity markets for the Forbes.com London bureau. James has travelled extensively in emerging markets, reporting for international energy magazines such as Oil and Gas Investor, and institutional publications such as the Commonwealth Business Environment Report. He is currently the managing editor of LatAm INVESTOR, the UK's only Latin American finance magazine.