We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Grisham recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittany, thanks for joining us today. What’s one of the most important lessons you learned in school?

In fashion school we learned a lot about the impact of the fashion world has on the environment. In the US alone approximately 11 million tons of clothing are tossed and 92 million tons world wide. This really stuck with me and as someone who loves fashion and clothing and planned to go into that industry I wanted to be mindful of my impact. I don’t claim to be perfect and I do shop fast fashion occasionally ,because it’s affordable and accessible but I also often second hand shop , and up-cycle a lot. As a fashion designer I wanted to make sure that my designs aren’t just creating excess waste, so I tend to create wearable, and timeless pieces that will be a staple in your closet for years to come, I don’t really follow trends. A lot of my influences come from vintage fashion as many styles are still worn or referenced today. Another way I try to be environmentally conscious is by up cycling second hand clothing and textiles such as sheets ,curtains, table clothes etc into new or improved pieces ,giving them new life and saving them from landfills. Which is why sometimes I refer to myself as a ReDesigner. The newest thing I have gotten into is custom fabric, although it is pricier than say a local fabric store such as Joann’s ,its still cheaper than say mood, but what’s important about buying custom fabric is it is made to order, and you get the exact amount you need and there isn’t just warehouses of it sitting around possibly going to waste. I really try to reduce, reuse, and recycle in anyway possible when designing. As for my online boutiques I like to source my products in small batches, by from local vendors to support my country’s economy and drop-ship to get products to consumers directly from the manufacturers so as to not induce an excess of waste in terms of transport. I am glad we learn these thing in school, it helped shape who I am as a designer and business owner. I may be small but I hope to leave a positive impact in anyway possible. I’m looking forwards to the future and as I grow learning new ways to be better.

Brittany, 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?

Hello I am Brittany Grisham, founder of Grisham Manor, but most people call me Lady Grisham. I am a US Navy veteran turned fashion designer, and boutique owner. At Grisham Manor pink, pastels, and all things girly are our passion. As a POC I grew up with a Lot of pressure to support black owned businesses but when it came to fashion there just hasn’t been many if any that interest me. My style has always been elegant, feminine , vintage inspired and since I couldn’t find a black designer who carried my style I decided to become that designer. My hope is to inspire others to break the mold and be their selves. I also just have a hard time finding this style in stores so I was hoping to provide a hub for the girls like me looking for them. After the service I went to the Art institute of Virginia Beach , and got my bachelors degree in fashion marketing and management. There I learned how to build my business and they helped me figure out where I wanted to be and who my target market was. I learned that my target market was myself, and other girls with similar desires. I often get compliments on my outfits and have people asking when something is from so I wanted to create a brand I’d want to shop and represent daily. This has kept me inspired and helped me build my following. Now when I get compliments I give them my business card an now they can shop the look on my sites and get fashion inspo on my socials. Growth is slow but I’m excited for what the future holds.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I sell my products on two different platforms for different reasons. I used my Shopify site Grishammanor.com for my dropshipping products , its easy and seamless and great platform to build on. I’m not super tech savvy but built and mange my site myself easily. For items I make, and small batches I source I use Poshmark, I chose Poshmark over Etsy because they are user friendly, charge less, customer friendly, and for a small business they make doing your taxes easy. I love Poshmark I get way more sells there than my website, it’s easier to drive traffic there. Poshmark is connected to Pinterest, facebook, and instagram so posting on many social media platforms is easy to drive traffic. I am still learning on how to drive traffic to my website..

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started my boutique I got overwhelmed and spent way too much money. I had too much product and carried styles that didn’t reflect my brand or target market. I fell in to the trap of trying to carry something for everyone because i didn’t want to make anyone feel left out. I quickly learned that you can’t please everyone and that it’s ok to be intentional and specific. I had to in away Marie kondo my inventory and create a store that sparked joy and now I am happier , less stressed and still have plenty of customers who appreciate my brand. After I streamlined my store, I even sold out of inventory twice. Definitely a lesson learned.

Contact Info:

• Website: GrishamManor.com
• Instagram: GrishamManor
• Facebook: GrishamManor
• Youtube: @ladygrisham181 or Grisham Manor

Image Credits
Foster beauty fashion show Jc penny photo studio