We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alishia Lee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alishia below.

Alishia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

I started my business after I quit my full-time job of 8 years. I was the head of my department and preparing for the next level of my career and felt completely unfulfilled. I had the opportunity to leave and It was terrifying. My job was embedded as a part of my identity. I knew I wanted to work for myself and take fashion seriously, but I had no idea where to start or how to start. After I quit my job, I dove head first into teaching myself how to sew more effectively and how to run a business. I am glad I started when I did, however, I wish that I would have taken more time in the preparation instead of diving in head first. Had I taken a moment to really translate what I was thinking I wanted my business to be vs -starting scared and hoping for the best, I may have seen successs sooner.

Alishia, 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?

I have to thank my mother for my entire fashion career. As a kid, I would scribble on the walls, as most kids do- instead of being scolded, my mother Annette, would tape paper on the walls and let me have at it. My childhood was filled with artistic expression, and she encouraged me to paint, tell stories, play, and daydream. This encouragement did not end at paper and paint, she also let me experiment with my clothes and fabric. She taught me how to sew by hand with needle and thread, and crochet, and soon I began experimenting with tearing the sleeves off of old shirts and sewing material on them or painting directly on the clothes.

I didn’t know I was learning how to upcycle or that I was developing my own personal style.

Earlier in my professional career, I had several experiences at this job, where I’d have an outfit picked out from the mall or popular website and other girls in the office would also be wearing something similar or the very same dress. After a few unfortunate twinning experiences, I decided to make my own outfits for upcoming events and really showcase my personal style.

Fast Forward to 2018, In a job that was draining me, making clothes for myself and my family for special events and holiday parties, I had the opportunity to leave and I did. Taking a leap of faith and opening up Me By Lee- Starting with a small batch of one-pieces and t-shirts with my new logo on them.

I was acting at the same time and performing spoken word, so I had the opportunity to dress myself and other cast members with my designs and items that I sourced or had already on hand.

The whole idea for Me By Lee was formed from my understanding that fashion is personal. It’s a reflection of how you feel about yourself and how you want to be presented to the world. I wanted to give my customers the option to purchase small-batch designs or one-of-a-kind pieces that would elevate their styles and give them the opportunity to have a designer look without breaking the bank.

What makes me different from other clothiers is my artistic background. I am not afraid to use a bold pattern or color and add some embellishments to it or rip off a sleeve and see what happens if I let the customer in on the process of their custom piece to really make it their own. It feels like we’re making art together.

I am most proud of my sold-out show – A Slay for all Seasons. It was my coming out party — I showed a 4 season collection and curated food and beverages with the seasons. It was a labor of love and the largest event I threw. It sold out and we even had people trying to sneak into the show. It launched my brand being invited to several other shows across the globe including Paris Fashion Week.

I want my customers to know that I am just heating up. I need to get the word showcase what I can do on a wider scale so I can bring my designs to the masses.

I also give back to the community by hosting sip-and-sew events to help new “Sew Friends” fall in love with creating their own pieces.

Another thing people should know about me is that I love theatrical designs. I will tell a whole story with theatrical makeup and costumes as a creative outlet for myself.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

You can’t please everyone and everyone is not your customer. I was feeling pressure from some of the clients I’d have or potential customers that would inbox or email me asking me to recreate designs from other brands, or ask me if I had popular items from fast fashion brands. I refused to duplicate or copy other designers and it cost me, potential customers. I bought wholesale inventory from some of the popular wholesale sites and tried to sell off the boutique items – it wasn’t what I wanted to do, and I didn’t sell many of the boutique items. I wasted money and time trying to please everyone, Now – I still offer boutique items, making sure that they are reflective of my brand identity.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My models! I do not think I would have been nearly as successful if I didn’t have such an amazing group of models to work with. I do my best to treat them really well and give them the opportunity to shine in all of the projects that I am a part of. It brings more models to me that are excited not only about the brand and the clothes, but of how they feel on set, at shows, and more importantly, how the experience with Me By Lee makes them feel inside.

Contact Info:

• Website: Mebylee.com
• Instagram: @me_By_Lee
• Facebook: Me By Lee Custom Designs
• Linkedin: Me By Lee Custom Designs
• Youtube: Me By Lee

Image Credits
Imagination Drive Shalon Rogers Litre Vision