We recently connected with DeSean Lewis and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, DeSean thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.
The world of fashion design is constantly evolving with all the new trends & emerging designers entering the space. It becomes a ongoing mission to make sure that what you’re creating is fresh and new but still relevant to todays society as well as the fashion world as a whole. In this case for me, that would be the wooden handbag. No one and I do mean NO ONE had created a luxury designed handbag out of wood before my first release of the design back in October of 2019. The design itself was innovative in making sure that functionality and sustainability were at the forefront while also ensuring that the bag was confortable and stylish. When coming up with the name for the bag, (formerly known as FRIENDS: Wooden Bags) I wanted something easy to pronounce. You know, something that just rolls off the tongue. Thanks to Jan, WOODWORKS was born and now is the future of handbags. People may not be hip to it now, but give it a couple months. I’m sure you’ll hear it in the lyric if somebody’s song lol.
DeSean, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Honestly, SEAN ANTONIE has been through so many changes and I think now, I just want the brand to be known and recogninzed as a creative entity. Of course, fashion design will always be the main focus but we’re also starting to tap into other areas of design including interior and graphic. Since I was a kid, I’ve always been different and I want to make sure that when you see my brand, you see me. You see that differential aspect of creativity anytime I put something out and that alone sets me apart from those around me. People are always telling me, “Your creations are so unique and unoriginal and that you should be so proud of yourself” and I’m so greatful for that. However, at the end of the day, I’m most proud of my ability to adapt and evolve with the constant change of fashion. I say this because I never want to repeat myself or a creation of mine. That’s boring. I want to continue to unravel all of the undiscovered ideas in my brain and let them flow to the world with ease. Now that sounds intriguing right?
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social Media is the biggest Marketing platform besides TV. Instagram has now turned into a online shopping center with Twitter being its promoting factor of how to wear, style, cook and eat whatever it is you bought from Instagram. Even tik-tok has its own algorithm for making people famous and creating new trends. Just look at how Beyonce’s “Cuff It” has even elderly people up an moving. I hate to say it but, without social media, you don’t have a business. It’s impossible. Its the fastest yet hardest way to build an audience but the key to social media success is consistency. If you post about your business 3 times a day, 7 days a week, across all social media platforms you can gain at least 300 followers every week. 300 x 52 = 15,600. Do that for 3 years straight and you’re almost at 50K followers. That’s enough to get your presence noticed and establish yourself to put you in rooms where not only are you being talked about but also praised for your creativity.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
Most of my clientele started when I was in college at the Unsinkable Albany State University. I made my presence known there first by getting involved in all of the organizations. Then, once I was established as one of the more fashionable students, I released my first collection of t-shirts which sold out within the first hour. After that, I left ASU, transferred and did the same thing at the University of West Georgia when I released my first collection of Wooden Bags. However, I still had a deep connection with ASU so for homecoming, that’s where I sold my bags for the first time and from then to now I have had support from both institutions including meeting some of the greatest people on my team. Building that loyalty from those schools wasn’t straetegy though. It just kind of happened. People were attached to my creativity and outgoing spirit so in a sense, I seduced them to be stuck with me, lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: seanantonie.com
- Instagram: @sean.antonie
- Twitter: @SEANANTONIE