We were lucky to catch up with Alena Le Blanc recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Coming from the fashion industry as a Fashion Designer, you see the waste that companies create. You see factories, the working conditions and the materials that are used. I don’t want to create more waste, or shop for women women without understanding them, and what they already own. It’s so important for me to help women create a style that is personal and authentic to them instead of just following trends. By creating a style with intention women in turn buy less, and focus on quality, materials, their lifestyle, and goals, rather than buying items to wear only one time or one season. By helping create intentional wardrobes it truly reduces the waste the industry is creating. If I can help more women create the wardrobes of their dreams they will wear their items longer, play and become more creative with what they own and showcase their best features and personality. I help women utilize items they own and love, and use my creativity to create looks that are flattering and they feel amazing in. On Wednesdays I post Wear What You Own Wednesdays, which is a series I created on Instagram using reels as a way to showcase different ways to wear garments you may already own. It’s meant to inspire women and help them step out of their comfort zone and try something new. I focus on being sustainable in a way that feels light, fun and genuine.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am Alena Le Blanc, I was born and raised in the Bay Area, California. Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of going into the fashion industry. I would play dress up constantly, sketch clothing and make clothes for my dolls out of found materials. I loved the way dressing up would make me feel. I loved watching my Mom dress up for work, seeing my Aunt accessorize, watching as my Grandma picked out her outfits. I saw the importance fashion played on the way women showed up and how they felt. After graduation I got my Associates of Art degree and transferred to the Academy of Art University. There I majored in Womenswear Fashion Design. I went on to work in the fashion tech industry, which was different than a lot of my friends and schoolmates. I was able to see the analytics behind fashion and consumers and how they reacted to one another. It was at Le Tote a Women’s clothing subscription- based rental company I was able to truly learn from customers, and their renting and buying patterns, the importance of fit, and fabrication. I designed for their private label brands and this was all a massive shift in the thought process behind design. What we created was not just based on sell-through, it was based on the customers body measurements, like ratings, and how well the garments held up and wore over time.

After working there for 3 years my thought process around clothing really shifted. I saw the importance of investing in pieces I can wear over and over and purchasing items I truly loved. In 2020, due to the pandemic, our company filed bankruptcy and I really had no clue where I was going to go from there. I knew I wanted to use the skills I had to help women feel confident and enjoy more. I started with friend’s closets, creating moodboards for their style, organizing items, donating pieces that weren’t aligned, redesigning garments, and creating new looks with their loved pieces. At the end of 2020 I knew this was something I could truly help women with.

I created Le Blanc Label at the end of 2020 and focused on styling female creatives. Women who were client facing, who could express themselves in what they wore and were willing to try new ideas. Focusing on their lifestyle, their needs, and bodytype I used items they had to create new looks. I noticed some women didn’t have all the pieces they needed to truly complete their looks and get to their dream styles, so I added intentional shopping, and created looks with their existing pieces and the new ones we shopped for. I had the background in fashion and knew what looked good and how to help them, but I didn’t have the business background. I invested in a Style Coach. She completely transformed my business. I have been able to support clients in packages and have been able to create real transformation in my client’s lives.

I currently work with female entrepreneurs and professionals, supporting them along their journey by creating looks for their lifestyle, events, and travel and photoshoot styling, and digital lookbooks they can simply open an app on their phones to pull together looks they feel confident and powerful in. They have so much going on, style isn’t something they should have to worry about. It’s a constant evolution and a way to show their clients, family, friends and others who they are, to expand their impact.

I am so grateful for the amazing love and support I have from family, friends, my mentor, my stylist community and clients. I get to support incredible women and help them show up, shine and feel confident every day, in every situation. I feel so lucky to use my creativity in a way that has a positive impact on women’s lives, how they see themselves, and on the environment.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

To grow my social media I knew I needed to do it in an organic way. I was resistant to create content at first because I didn’t want to be seen as an “influencer” I wanted to share my expertise and really help women. At first it was uncomfortable because it was so out of the realm of what I was used to posting (I don’t think I ever posted a solo shot on my personal page). I had to shift my mindset, and realize if I am going to help women and give real tips, I HAVE to show up. Once I was able to get over the fear hurdle, I decided that all the content I create needs to feel helpful, inspiring or creative. From there I have been able to make amazing connections, collaborate with incredible women and put myself out there to attract clients I absolutely love. My advice to anyone starting is to focus on adding value. I have an affirmation I say, “My impact is far greater than my fear”. This means, if what I am going to post can help others, then it’s worth it!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been through referrals. Personal styling is just that, it’s PERSONAL. I have to create a safe space for clients, they open up to me about insecurities, their pain points and their dreams. When my clients have great experiences with my services, they love sharing about them with others. I appreciate this so much. When I receive referrals I know they most likely will be great clients like their friends and family members.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leblanclabel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leblanc_label/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leblanclabel/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alena-le-blanc-04269770/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/le-blanc-label-castro-valley-2