We recently connected with Dovile Riebschlager and have shared our conversation below.

Dovile , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

When l was let go from Corporate America and was totally lost, somewhere in that gloom l remembered my roots in fine art. I began painting and it was successful so l named all that enterprise DoviArt. It had to be art and it had to be personal. There were some other names and I put them for a vote on social media and DoviArt won. When l restarted my fashion business l didn’t want to change much, because again I already had a following on social media so l just added Fashion to it. My company’s name reminds me tgat no matter what I am doing ART comes first.

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 came to Chicago 26 years ago with $300 in my pocket and small suitcase. Now I am NYFW and LAFW designer, featured on major networks and published internationally. Originally from Lithuania currently residing near Chicago. I honestly cannot trace the time when l was not mesmerized by the fashion. When l am asked the question why l became a fashion designer, l don’t have another answer as l was born this way, l was born into family with rich custom made clothing traditions and was raised on fashion magazines from different times and cultures. For me in early nineties to open for the first time Vogue Italia and Vogue France pages was almost a religious experience. I started sewing when I was thirteen. I got tired to wait when my mom will finish my clothes and asked her to show me how the sewing machine works. That was magic, I still remember the first dress I made for myself. l have several degrees in Textiles – engineering and art. Fabric is the medium fashion designers create with and I know it at the molecular level. I can not only chose the right material on the spot, but also manipulate it to fit my artistic vision.
My designs are junction of art and science, they are fully functional pieces of art created for people with personalities who want to extend that personality to outside image.
My latest collection was just shown at NYFW show at Sony Hall, LA Fashion Week, Hawaii Fashion Week and Miami Swim.
I have this vision, a desire to expand my business and create ready to wear line. To create little capsule wardrobe collections made of quality fabrics made with the least damage to the environment and made locally. I believe every woman is beautiful in their own way and l want to create collections based on the body type not the size alone and no more separating and boring plus size sections. Stylish and fashionable should not stop at size 10. To achieve this l have to invest in a very good pattern maker and production team. It is time for slow fashion comeback.
You can find me at
www.doviart.fashion https://.instagram.com/doviart.fashion

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

When l decided to return seriously to the fashion and show the world my first collection, l didn’t have money even for the fabrics. I paid for half of it, put rest on hold and begged my estranged husband to help me. The collection was successful on the runway, people were asking if l am selling, but l had no idea how to price it. My first client came to me almost 6 months later. The beginning was excruciatingly slow, but l kept creating, participating in the runway shows, competitions, did photoshoots and was posting on social media. I cannot quite pinpoint the exact moment when l became known in the industry and more and more people wanted to wear what l create. I pride myself on quality, my first client referred to me 3 more clients and that keeps to be a trend. In 2020 when l read that there’s a protective gear shortage l started producing masks, l was working 16 hours to keep with the demand. That laid the financial foundation for some extravagant projects that helped to spread the word about my brand. Key milestones were the photoshoot in abandoned Joliet prison and subsequent first publication in 2018, followed by invitation to LOLC foundation fashion show, that led to invitation to Chicago Fashion Week and TV competition Battle of the Salons, followed by invitation to NYFW, billboards in Times Square, followed by invitation to LAFW and so on. I am very serious about what l am doing, with no compromises to my artistic vision and opportunities just present themselves.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My whole journey so far is one big story of resilience. One story does stand out – my first NYFW show at Bryant Park Hotel. I drove overnight to New York, through horrible storm in Appalachia mountains, rest few hours, book parking and off to the venue. I looked up my parking was just a few blocks away. So l put all my clothes on the rack and off we go. Easy, right? Wrong. My gps just stopped working and l began rolling in circles and it wasn’t an easy roll. Finally l reached the corner where l felt completely defeated, tears were running down my cheeks, l was about to turn around, if l only knew where exactly that is and asked first person strolling by where that damn hotel is. Well it was almost in front of me. As soon as l began rolling, one of the wheels got caught in the pothole and everything started slowly falling down into the mud. My whole collection! Thankfully someone rushed to my rescue and l ended up in the venue. The press release from that show was featured in ABC, NBC, FOX and other major channels. I was a moment of giving up on that.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Dovilė – DoviArt Fashion
• Twitter: dovile_doviler
• Youtube: Doviart – fashion designer’s life
• Other: IG @doviart.fashion

Image Credits
Models Vilma Biliene Andrea Paulson Essence Lin Katherine Fox Photogtaphy Chuck Coleman Getty Images Jeff Linet MUA Beautique by Liraz