We were lucky to catch up with Lauren Stewart recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea?

Green Street Designs launched in the summer of 2021. There was a lot to do to make that happen. First, all the legal and tax stuff that comes with starting a company. Yuck. But after that, the fun started! I decided to do made-to-order clothing. This cut costs and time for me starting as a one-woman operation. Next, creating a customer profile is key. You need to have the customer in mind before any designing begins. My ideal customer is someone like myself – a woman who enjoys the quality and price point of brands like Lauren Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic and J. Crew, but is looking for pieces that are a bit trendier. So now that I had a customer in mind, I began sketching designs in Photoshop, creating “tech packs” that include technical garment construction information, and finally selecting the fabric. Fabric selection can be a lengthy process. Because Texas doesn’t have huge fabric warehouses like New York, I have to order samples online. Next comes the construction process. Luckily I already had sewing and serger machines, although I did use this as an excuse to buy a top-of-the-line Bernina 590 (nerding out!). This machine is like piloting Space X after flying the Saturn rockets on the Apollo missions. So anyway, all the collection samples are sewn, patterns are tweaked to perfection, and then the photos are taken. I really enjoy doing my own photography – its another way to exercise the creative mind! After the photoshoots, everything is put up on the website. Collection launched! Although the work isn’t done yet – there is still marketing and, of course, orders to fulfill!

Lauren, 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?

My story begins as a pre-med college student… who ended up studying apparel design because it was way more fun! After graduation, I moved to New York City to work in the fashion industry. After a few months of working for someone I could only describe as the evil twin of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, I landed an awesome job at a large multinational design company. A few years later, a long-distance relationship brought me back to Texas where I continued my career in every industry except fashion.

In early 2021, I decided to dip my toes back into the industry, opening Green Street Designs that summer. Our main product is handmade women’s apparel, although we have the occasional accessory. Green Street’s garments are finely made with carefully selected fabrics that create a luxurious end product. We deliver quality high fashion womenswear at an affordable price.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Every Green Street Designs garment is made in-house. I have been sewing since I was about 12 years old, but gained the majority of my construction knowledge in college. For any good designer, a line is built upon perfected pattern blocks. Blocks are basic pattern pieces that can be manipulated to make any flat pattern design. I decided to purchase graded blocks from an industry professional and tweak them for my needs. This jump starts the design process, giving a solid base to build designs from each season.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth! Good online reviews help, but when people get to see the clothing worn out and about, they always ask where you get it! It’s amazing to me how obvious the good quality, fit and style is in person. These things are hard to portray online but stand out in the real world. It never fails – when I wear a Green Street garment, I always get compliments and inquiries, as do my clients! I’m always sure to carry business cards with me wherever I go because it’s inevitable I get asked for one.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greenstreetdesigns.co
• Instagram: @green_street_designs
• Facebook: @greenstreetdesignsco
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenStreetDesignsCo