Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Rouse

Hi Emily, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

The first time I ever used a sewing machine was on a Girl Scout field trip as a middle schooler growing up in Wheeling, WV. I was gifted a sewing machine that year for Christmas and the rest is history. That field trip was influential in sparking my passion for sewing and fashion because without it, I never would have known it was a skill I would enjoy and could turn into a career. I was born and raised in Wheeling, West Virginia. I graduated from The Linsly School in 2012 and went on to obtain my BFA in Fashion Design and BS in Business Management from Virginia Commonwealth University. While studying and living in the historic city of Richmond, Virginia, I sewed my craft on both screen and stage in the costume departments of PBS’s MERCY STREET and Firehouse Theatre. Right before moving to New York City, I began my role as Wardrobe Supervisor for the new show LIGHTS, CAMERA, LOCATION!, enjoying the opportunities to film across the country and throughout Europe. Once in NYC, I broadened my horizons and immersed myself in every aspect of the fashion industry, gaining experience in wholesale, retail, design, distribution, manufacturing, and contracting and created my womenswear brand, House of Rouse, LLC. I am now excited to bring my experiences back home to Wheeling to build this industry locally and create opportunities for future professionals in fashion and manufacturing through my second business, Edgington Studio.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

The journey has had ups and downs, but it keeps me on my toes! It was challenging starting and growing two businesses during COVID and for the longest time, that was the only business environment I knew. It’s hard to predict all of the obstacles you’ll face in the day-to-day of running a business, but the most important thing is to adapt. One of our biggest obstacles is recruiting people for sewing. We are told daily that “sewing is a lost art” and it’s not involved in schools the way it used to be. So, we started offering sewing classes at Edgington Studio. It’s not training to be working with us, but it’s a hope that it will spark that same passion of being able to make or mend something yourself. Maybe down the line some of the middle school students will be inspired the way I was and want to join our team one day!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

House of Rouse creates capsule collections of practical and transitional contemporary womenswear, made in the USA, accented with prints designed in-house. You can shop us online and catch us in person at runway shows and our trunk shows. We just presented our new looks at the Johnstown Fashion Week runway show last weekend!

Edgington Studio is a full-service cut-and-sew apparel manufacturer, named after its location on Edgington Lane in Wheeling, West Virginia. We help emerging fashion designers across the United States with collection development and small production runs. We also make custom one-of-a-kind garments and teach classes. We opened in July of 2020 after recognizing the need for American-made products at a time when international supply lines were not always reliable. Edgington Studio strives to close the gap for American manufacturing of cut-and-sew apparel with small batch production through the use of local talent sourcing and partnerships, while inspiring the next generation of garment professionals.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.

I think starting a business, or two, is a huge risk in itself. Of course there is a lot of research that goes into it first, but everything can change in an instant, no matter how many years you have been in operation. It’s a lot of pressure being responsible for overhead, people’s jobs, and client projects, so I think every decision should be weighed with the utmost consideration of what would be affected. Ultimately, I believe in reaching far to go far, and giving yourself some grace if things don’t always work out the way you had planned. There is a lot of smaller trial and error in the day-to-day of my work and it’s expected that we try, fail, and correct as necessary.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.houseofrouse.co
• Instagram: house.of.rouse
• Facebook: houseofrousellc
• Other: www.edgingtonstudio.com; FB and IG: @edgingtonstudio