Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Shalant.

Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I always knew I would be a fashion designer. There is a photo of me at about 3 years old with big sunglasses pushing a red shopping cart. It’s the kind of photo from the 70s that was printed on a square with rounded edges and yellowed with age. I am wearing a little dress that I likely own a bigger version of today and huge sunglasses. I love this photo! If you were to catch me on the street pushing a shopping cart today I bet the photo would be similar. I am amused by this photo b/c it has the EMILY SHALANT stamp on it. In terms of design and aesthetics, I still have that same vision and my new Fall 24 collection shows the most EMILY SHALANT of Emily Shalant collections I have probably ever made. Animal print, pussy bow blouses and black cocktail dresses with pearl encrusted necklines.

I can tell you a few things about how I got started or how I found my path. I have very specific preferences about shapes and colors. I like clean lines but can create them out of tons of tiny details amalgamated together; like my tshirt made out of a million tiny pearls for example. Or my simple mock necks adorned with beaded flower petals for a crunchy flower look.

I worked in corporate fashion for many years (over 20!) and my specialty has always been the ability to identify what is working and then make it special and different from everything else out there. If you work for a smaller brand, the product needs to be special and considered to make people notice it, as the name won’t carry it. The last corporate job I had I started designing these very simple shapes but in wild colored, patterned and textured soutaches. All made in India where handwork is prevalent. People loved it and it wasn’t so easy to copy, so I was able to stay ahead of the pack and go go go! Up close the details were wild. But if you step back, the shapes were simple and elegant. Like all things should be (according to me!).

The story of how I got started in the business is a funny one. I was hired as the assistant to the merchandising designer at Anne Klein, back when Anne Klein was a big deal. This job was mostly making photo copies and organizing the sample room. Organization is not my thing and that is an intersting barrier to entry for aspiring designers. Most of us are not stars in organizational skills.
So, I was doing a very terrible job and my boss was getting a bit exhausted with me and she gave me an opportunity to redeem myself after a good talking to. She asked me to write an essay and detail how I intended to fix this situation over the holiday break, and then turn it in when the company reopened (the garment industry used to shut down from Xmas to New Years). When I came back to work with my essay, I saw everyone in the design room holding cardboard boxes and packing up their desks. They would get a call (from HR) and come back with a box, pack it up and leave crying. I waited for my call. It never came! I was the only one left. I think they just forgot about me! I went to work for a week or so in an empty design studio wondering what on earth was going to happen. Then one day these super handsome men (who I soon discovered were poached from Emanuel Ungaro to be the new creative directors there) walked in wearing beautiful monochrome suits. One of them said to me ‘who are you?’
I said ‘I’m emily. The assistant designer’
And that was how I got my first promotion.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Today I own my own brand (EMILY SHALANT). We are known for our versatile and elegant way of addressing occasion wear. I came up with the concept while sitting around on my sofa during Covid in leggings and T-shirts. I thought i will never want to put on an ‘evening gown’ again and I bet I am not alone in that. We developed these stretch tees and tanks that are made into rely out of tiny pearls and glass beads. They are incredible and comfortable and so elegant. We got the patent on the design, which is pretty cool. You can wear them with a ballgown skirt (with pockets!) on our line, or throw on with your favorite jeans and go out to dinner. I wear mine all the time. We also make these luxe jersey tees with hand beading that have been a real hit. The princess of Denmark wore one with our taffeta tea length skirts to the queen’s 50th jubilee and we got so much press off that. I hope she was able to wear with a pair of white jeans another day and take her kids out for brunch. That’s my real hope; that our customer buys our collection and cherishes it and keeps it in their closet forever because each piece is beautiful, but also useful! And of course now we have the full offerings of dresses and pants etc as well. It’s been fun and interesting to develop the line and make new and unusual things, but to keep it clean and special, even as we add more product categories that push us outside of the initial concept.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I don’t know if I ever had a mentor, per-say. I find that wherever have worked, I find the most interesting people there and learn as much as I can from them. In fact, my business partner, Evelyn Anastos, in EMILY SHALANT was the president of Theia at my last corporate job. I LOVED her energy and I thought YES! That is what it takes to make things happen. THAT kind of energy,.

Contact Info:

• Website: Emilyshalant.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyshalant?igsh=MXVpMjZmN2N1bnViMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Horia Stan