Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Terese Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Terese, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

When I interned at Goldman Sachs & Co., I remember admiring our Managing Director.She was always dressed like a boss and to me it was so bad ass– I wanted to be like her. I remember speaking to her one day and she told me that I didn’t dress like the other interns, I dressed really nicely and she loved that about me. With that, she shared this gem with me:

“Don’t dress for where you are currently stationed in life, dress for the woman you want to become.”

This was something that my director’s mentor originally told her and now I implement this lesson in my business daily by using my designs to inspire women to face their insecurities, and challenge themselves by dressing like the women that they want to become. This means stepping out of their comfort zones, highlighting their talents, and even adding a pop of color to stand out.

Terese, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Jamaican-born, New York-bred designer, 2022 alumna of the Workshop at Macy’s, 2014 alumna of the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy’s, hold a dual degree in Economics & Business and Studio Art from Lafayette College, and a Fashion Design degree from The Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.).

My vibrant Jamaican culture, love for Japanese art, and architecture is evident in every collection. My parents instilled a strong work ethic and love for our community. Along with my grandmother’s teachings and experiences working on both the corporate and creative sides of the fashion industry, I set myself apart with my knowledge of fit, construction, prints and mixing fabrications. I thoroughly understand the human condition of the customer as well as the buyer’s point of view. These experiences served as the catalyst for my namesake label and lifestyle brand, Terese Sydonna. While working in the corporate world, I recognized the importance of creating a safe space for women to be more of themselves. Through my Terese Sydonna designs I empower more women to tap into their inner superhero to then show up their authentic selves and do good in their communities.

I am especially passionate about helping women entrepreneurs. With over a decade of self-starter experience designing collections for big box retailers, I have advised and guided the building of fashion brands from start-up design to growth stages. I am also a mentor at my alma mater, Lafayette College and sit on several advisory boards centered around entrepreneurship.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2018, I made the difficult decision to walk away from my business partnership. I already had an established wholesale business selling to stores in the US, Canada, and Jamaica, so walking away meant that I now needed to start over on my own. How terrifying!I took a two year hiatus to regroup, reposition, and rebrand. In this space and time of rebirth I was able to gain clarity around my brand’s mission and what I wanted to advocate for whenever I sold a piece from one of my collections– women to be bold and overcome their insecurities.

Starting over was really scary because I was doing it on my own and I couldn’t afford too many mistakes. Too much was on the line. However, despite all the trials and tribulations, I was thankful to still be in business and the line ended up being well received in 2020. It made me so proud to see all the women that I was rooting for were also rooting for me.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

My aunt is a member of the Atlanta Jamaican Association, Inc. (AJA). This past August, AJA hosted its Jamaica 60th Independence Ball in Atlanta where Lisa Hanna, one of the most progressive political voices in the Caribbean, was the keynote speaker. I wanted to meet her, gift her items from my collection, and let her know just how much she has inspired me over the years. I made arrangements to travel from New York to Atlanta, and boy were the odds stacked against me that entire trip!

On my way to the airport there was so much traffic due to so many accidents. Once I got to the airport, the security luggage conveyor belt was not working so by time they sorted through that, I ended up missing my flight by five minutes.When I attempted to catch the next flight out, I learned that that one was full, so I was redirected to take a flight to Charlotte where I would catch a connecting flight into Atlanta. My new flight to Charlotte was then delayed two hours, so I missed the connecting flight to Atlanta. This caused me to miss the first event of the ball and an unexpected overnight stay in Charlotte.

I finally got to Atlanta the next day with only two hours of rest before the second event. When that event wrapped and it came time to meet Lisa, there were so many people waiting to meet her that by the time I got my chance to introduce myself she had already left for the night. I was extremely disheartened and was ready to accept that I wasn’t meant to meet one of my idols.This is when my aunt, the AJA board and Consulate General, Oliver Mair brainstormed a way for me to meet Lisa.

Finally, on the third and last day of this crazy trip, I was able to finally meet Lisa while she was in the lobby of the hotel. We chatted about her inspiring work, I gifted her items from my collection and she loved them. I ended up being invited to a private lunch where I got to spend more time with her and all I could think was, “Look at God.Never stop dreaming big and chasing your dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.teresesydonna.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teresesydonna
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Terese.Sydonna
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresebrown85/

Image Credits
Courtesy of Terese Sydonna