Two of Media Isle of Man’s Gef 30 Under-30 winners will speak at this week’s Young Adult and Graduate Fair.

Josh Moore and Lottie Owen will be taking part in the annual Zurich Isle of Man-sponsored event’s ‘Mini Success Stories’ panel.

Josh is the owner and founder of ‘Renegade: Cuts & Clobber’, a unique fusion of vintage fashion and barbering. He won his Gef award last year in the entrepreneurship category.

Renegade was born in May 2021. Josh had originally planned a creative career, possibly in acting, but lockdown forced him to reimagine his future.

‘Throughout my life, even while studying, I worked across retail and hospitality. Those years gave me deep insights into the workings of local independent businesses,’ he says.

Starting small with only four rails of vintage clothes at a car boot sale in Onchan, he sold out completely. By July 2021, Josh opened the first Renegade shop on Castle Street in Douglas.

For two years, it operated purely as a vintage boutique, sourcing bold, sustainable clothing from the UK, USA, and Europe.

In 2023, Josh took a bold leap and introduced barbering to the Renegade shop. He trained at the London School of Barbering in Manchester, completing NVQ Levels 2 and 3, and winning the Fade Competition along the way. ‘Barbering wasn’t just an add-on. It was a natural evolution,’ he explains. ‘Bringing it to the Isle of Man felt not just bold, but necessary.’

In 2024, the business moved to a larger, more vibrant space on Bucks Road.

Josh encourages other young people to take the leap into entrepreneurship too. ‘If you truly believe in your idea and what you’re working towards, you’re already on the winning path.

‘You deserve to be recognised for the passion and drive you’re putting into your journey. So take that step and put yourself out there.’

Lottie was also a winner last year in the awards’ ‘Disrupter’ category.

She is founder of ‘Invision by Lottie’, a social media marketing firm with a client list that includes more than 50 brands around the globe.

Lottie says: ‘I wanted to prove to myself that I didn’t need to relocate to work with the brands I dreamed of.

‘And I also wanted to prove that others could do it too.

‘I have made so many incredible connections. There is such an amazing community on island and I really feel like I have found them recently.’

The panel featuring Josh and Lottie is part of Wednesday’s busy programme at the Villa Marina that also includes other speakers, workshops on things like CV writing and networking, plus the chance to meet more than 50 island employers.

There will also be a session dedicated to sixth-form students who are keen to understand more about roles available and how to take that first step into the working world.

The event, which is organised by government agency Locate Isle of Man, kicks off at 11am and runs until 4pm.