We caught up with the brilliant and insightful De’Shena Drummond a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
De’Shena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
I am the owner/designer of brands PaperBag x shedeshena & shedeshenaxshades.
shedeshenaxshades was created back in 2018. Laying in bed one night, I got the idea “you should sell your own shades.” I owned so many pairs of shades & I always got compliments on them. The next day I grabbed a journal and came up with the names and frame designs for my shades. The original name for the brand was “sheshades” because my nickname was Shena and it was just a cute name. But i had to change it because other company was using that. So i then came up with shedeshenaxshades- shedeshena was already my IG name so i added the x shades and that’s it. I began selling shades off my Snapchat and FB like crazy! I was literally selling shades out the back of my trunk LOL. Then I started getting invited to do pop up shops and it just took off from there. 5 years later wearing my shedeshenaxshades I still get compliments, but this time I can say “these are mine, I sell them”
When I first announced the name of my clothing brand back in 2020, so many people wanted to know where & how did I come up with the name. The name came to me back in 2019, I had created my first vision board with a group of my best friends. On that vision board I had a picture of a clothing store and a picture of late the Virgil the former creative designer for Louis Vuitton. With that vision board I told my girls I wanted to create my own brand at that time I still didn’t have a name. Well fast forward a month or so later I’m in my room looking at same that vision board and the word “Paper bag” came to me almost like a whisper but it was loud. (If that makes sense). In my head I’m like “God PaperBag? really PaperBag?” “what does that mean?” I know it was God that told it to me, so I was like okay I will write this in my journal and come back to it. The next day I’m in my room again and cleaning up and out of nowhere I see a piece of paper bag in my room. Right then I said “okay God I see you.” From that day I came up with PaperBag x shedeshena. The meaning “paper bag” for me is coming from the craftiness and creative mind that I have. I had a co-worker that used to tell me “You can literally wear a paper bag and make it look good.” I absolutely love fashion so I always considered myself fashion forward and always thinking out the box when it comes to fashion and styling. My style is stylishly comfortable and brand is just that.
My vision: PaperBag x shedeshena- the idea of making something out of nothing, and making it YOUR OWN. My first collection was launched in Nov 2020 and I sold out. I was shocked by the amount of support and was beyond thankful. In 2021 I expanded my brand with hoodies and sweatshirts, I also created handmade denim jewelry & canvas tote bags. So from that ONE word I was able to create so much more, more than I ever imagined. In 2024 I will be creating more and expanding my collection. The possibilities are endless!
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.
My name is De’Shena. I am a 32 year old business owner from Eastern Shore VA. Before the clothing brand, in 2018 I became the “shades girl” I started my own collection of sunglasses for women and men- called, shedeshenaxshades. My sunglasses are designer inspired, but at an affordable price. I love how a pair of shades can elevate any look. I owned so many shades I decided why not come up with my own collection? And after that shedeshenaxshades had blossomed.
In 2020 I created my clothing brand called PaperBag x shedeshena. My brand is unisex and the aesthetic is style & comfort. PaperBag x shedeshena has had a collection of t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts, tote bags, bucket hats, and handmade jewelry.
My favorite motto is, “It’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it.” Along with being a designer I am also a fashion stylist. I have had a passion for fashion since high school and I absolutely love revamping someone’s wardrobe.
StyleHeelsEverything- “when you look good you feel good” my goal is explore and come up with a style aesthetic for my clients. Show them how different clothing items can be worn several different ways. It may just be a sweatshirt but we can make it so much more. Elevate their style while staying true themselves is my goal.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Having a business is not for the weak. I made the biggest jump in my career in 2020. YES, during the pandemic. Crazy as it sounds I wasn’t scared I had so much confidence that I could do it and I did it. I left my job of 7 years to become a full time entrepreneur and created my clothing brand. I sold out my first collection, but after that I got discouraged about what to do next. Second guessing myself, wondering if I will get support like I did on my first collection.
2021 the sales really began to slow down, like really slow down. I ended up getting a part time job to help with bills. I went months without any sales. So one day I decided I will be transparent and share what’s been going on. I basically made a post that I wanted to reach a goal in sales by the end of the day. God showed me that day you ask and you shall receive! I reached my goal thanks to my supportive friends and customers. I made a post of my sales before and how much I did in that one day, and ir was unbelievable I really did it. That moment gave me so much inspiration to keep going.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
Yes, I use a manufacturer for my sunglasses collection. I found this particular manufacturer from a lot of Google and YouTube research. Everything was self taught. My first manufacturer was great but the styles I needed they could no longer provide and I know what my customers like. When deciding my manufacturer I have my ideal customer in my mind. I know their aesthetic, style, where they would wear my sunglasses. I literally think of it all! This helps me come up with the best collection for my customers. Big lesson I learned is I can’t create my collection based on my style alone, always think of my customers and what’s trending before the trends starts. You have to be ahead of the game!
Contact Info:
- Website: shedeshena.com
- Instagram: shedeshenadotcom
- Facebook: shedeshenadotcom
- Other: my style page on Instagram: @styleheelseverything