We recently connected with Sean Puryear and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Sean thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)? Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style.
I got my first experience assisting and working in a boutique owned by my cousin. I would work two days out of the week and helped her with any task needed like tagging clothes, fulfilling orders, and greeting customers. It was also my first experience being left alone when she would leave to run errands therefore leaving me in charge, now this location was small like a showroom but I remember being so nervous that there would be questions I didn’t have the answer to or I would somehow mix the orders up (which I did). After gaining that experience of being left alone at those times being in charge it gave me the confidence that I needed to handle business on my own and the level of customer service I needed to be in a position to manage a retail business rather just a store associate.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello everyone! I am a person who wears many hats. I model, bartend, as well as manage a boutique named Official Haute Mess which not only has a storefront but online commerce as well. Official Haute Mess specializes in women’s clothes with a lot of unique one of one reworked and reconstructed pieces. I’ve gotten into retail with my first job being a regular sales associate at urban outfitters, I’ve always been into fashion and clothes. My first experiences modeling started at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in a modeling troupe called Bazaar Models Entertainment, where I learned how to walk and did my first fashion shows. I’ve then walked in shows and did photoshoots for an array of different brands and photographers across the US. One of the things I’m most proud of is recently starring in my first visual for one of my favorite designers that just started in the hit Netflix show Next In Fashion for the brand Hoodlvm.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best source of new clientele has definitely been social media. The power of some platforms such as instagram has literally turned followers into dollars. It’s a broad way of keeping in contact with fans and customers while being an easier outlet for mass communication for things such as new arrivals, sales, or events. I’ve used social media to push my modeling career as well. I got the opportunity for my first fashion show in Atlanta by being scouted by popular stylist Zoe Dupree for his annual Zoechella fashion show through Instagram .
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
During the height of the pandemic the owner of Official Haute Mess who I worked under and part time for asked me to come on and join the team full time despite the uncertainty of everything during that time. This was my opportunity to run the store fronts day to day operations while she handled a lot of the backend business. During this time I actually quit my job at hospital while everyone around me started work from home or gotten laid off. I took a leap of faith by quitting my for sure job at the John Hopkins Hospital to work for a small business where my boss would be my cosuin at that. But throughout that time surprisingly business was booming while a lot of small businesses struggled and subsequently closed. It taught me to always follow my gut as I was much happier working in that setting opposed to the safe hospital job..
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.officialhautemess.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanpj_/
Image Credits
Kenn Hall Japhet C.