We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dani Simone Singerman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dani Simone , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
One of the main goals of my business is to create a training program for BIPOC women and people who have survived great challenges in their lives and need a “Second Act”. I have a heart for adults who’ve aged out of the Foster care system because my youngest brother and sister were both adopted from the foster care system and I saw how so many youth were left with no help or assistance as they navigated their adult lives.
I also have a deep concern for women who have survived domestic violence because I am one. Many women are left with nothing and have to start over from scratch, often with children in tow. I was forced to flee my home in late 2015 with my then 8 and 1-year-old daughters and it was extremely difficult for me, but I still kept pursuing my dreams. I could often be found after chore time sketching and working on client orders for my bridal business. I taught kids in the DV shelter to draw fashion illustrations and several of the women told me how much they wished they had a gift like me and that they wish knew what they could do to restart their lives. I’ve taught illustration classes over the last 17 years of being a bridal designer but nothing affected me like that experience.
Since then, I’ve built up my bridal education products and services and I hope to offer scholarships as well as open a Bridal Design college with free admission for women who – like the many I encountered, just needed someone to see them and care about them.
Dani Simone , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have been designing wedding dresses since 2007 after having a baby and leaving the NY Fashion District where I worked designing activewear, denim and more. Having my own business gives me the flexibility I just didn’t have when I worked in the industry which is filled with long hours, late nights, and demanding bosses but mostly I hated being away from my baby girl.
From the moment I decided to pursue my childhood dream of designing wedding dresses, I KNEW I had to focus on vintage inspiration. I’ve always been obsessed with Old Hollywood and vintage fashion from the Victorian and Edwardian eras but my absolute favorite fashion eras are from the late 1930’s to the early 60’s. I love the drama and femininity of the clothing women wear so much so that I am planning on switching my whole style to be almost exclusively vintage – tho I can’t give up my sneakers and activewear because comfort is key lol!
What makes my brand different is that I focus on construction and fit, most of my brides have never met me in person before and their gowns still fit them flawlessly. I also hear many women say that they love vintage fashion so my upcoming collection for Paris Fashion Week is going to be even more vintage-inspired than what you’ve seen from me before!
Ever since I was just 9 years old, I wanted to be a wedding dress designer because my Mom, Natalie was a wedding and event planner and we often had bridal magazines and gowns in our home. I loved to draw and found myself sketching wedding dresses for hours on end. At 18, I worked for a bridal shop and loved all the dresses so when I had the opportunity in 2007 to focus on my little family I knew wedding dresses would allow me to design on my terms.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I got started selling online wayyy back in 2009. I would post pics of my designs on Facebook and get DMs from people interested in buying. I’ve had many different website hosts including Showit (which is mostly for photographers), WIX and more but my best strategy was selling on Etsy up until the last few years. Etsy allowed me to “meet” shoppers from around the world and as a result, I have sold gowns to brides in Spain, England, France, Australia, and the Middle East. I even lived in Egypt for a few years and Etsy was instrumental in my growth. I don’t currently use the platform because I feel like it’s become saturated with Temu-esque quality or items that can be found on Amazon (usually cheaper!) but I do encourage most product designers (and even service providers as my bread and butter is custom wedding dresses) to use Etsy to get started for a very minimal fee. Creating and setting up a website can be difficult in the beginning but Etsy is easy to use. I’ve operated 2 five star Etsy shops and seen success on the platform so I definitely suggest it.
I currently have a Shopify store for my Bridal Education courses, products, and services and I love it. I did switch my Bridal gown brand to Squarespace because the limitations with Shopify are that they don’t have the same kind of website functionality or options as Squarespace. I need a lot of HUGE images and unique page layouts and Shopify just doesn’t have it but if you don’t make products like I do, it’s a great choice. Just buy a nice template off of Etsy and you’re good to go!
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
Yes! I not only work with high-end dress manufacturers (I have a high taste level and very in-depth knowledge of garment construction so I am very picky about who I work with), I also TEACH bridal designers and special occasion dressmakers how to work with and find manufacturers for their business. When I worked in the industry as a designer I didn’t have to sew, instead, I directed the sewers, sample makers, pattern makers, and hand embellishers on how to make the garments. I have a few free resources for designers who are looking to work with manufacturers that can be downloaded on my website: bydanisimonestudio.com and I have a free micro-course for those who want to learn what manufacturers can do for your brand and how to find and work with them. I even launched an intimate group program for designers and I provide 1-to-1 services as well, but here are a couple of tips for working with manufacturers:
1. Understand that unless you work with VETTED manufacturing partners, you may lose money. I’ve lost thousands of dollars, lost customers, and wasted time because I didn’t know what I was doing or what to look for.
2. You may not be ready to work with manufacturers. Working with manufacturing partners can be pricey and you need to know what you’ll need to produce your products. The manufacturers I give to my students are all vetted but when you just contact one out of the blue, you may find they need things you don’t yet have like patterns, fabric, etc. My manufacturing partners provide full service which means they create the patterns for you, can sketch for you, and more to make it an easier transition that is more cost-effective for your business.
Contact Info:
- Website: danisimonecouture.com
- Instagram: @danisimonecouture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danisimonesingerman/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ByDaniSimone
- Other: my bridal brand education website is www.bydanisimonestudio.com
Image Credits
Photographer Rebecca Castonguay