We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Shalant a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

In 2020 the fashion industry shut down. As creative director of an eveningwear line for a corporate company, I was in a particularly bad position. No one was throwing an event or wedding or party and I designed clothes for those occasions! When the industry started opening back up, the company that I was working for hired my assistant to do my job thinking they could save a few bucks. Meanwhile I had been sitting on my sofa in my Manhattan apartment in leggings and a t-shirt that I had to buy online at Zara because I really didn’t own and ‘comfy clothes’. My lifestyle had been dressing up for a fashion office for so many years! I thought, when all this subsides and the world opens back up, people are going to want to party. But they will have a different way of thinking about their clothes now that they have taken their heels and strapless bras off and put them on a shelf. My specialty as a designer has been developing innovative beadings and embroideries with some of the best manufacturers out there. I thought – what if I made luxurious stretch jersey tops that are comfortable but with fine beading. You can wear it with a ball gown skirt or a tuxedo pant or your favorite jeans and change the look around and make it flexible. Just like our lives were starting to become. I pitched the idea to the most incredible sales powerhouse I knew (and the most lovely human ever) and we were off! We launched at Coterie for New York fashion week and picked up the very best stores in the country at our first show. I knew I was onto something!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been a fashion designer in the industry for over 20 years. I have designed for, and in many cases launched, a good amount of dress labels you see in the department stores. I have a knack for giving brands an identity that sits with their corporate image but is different than what is out there. A lot of this is from developing my own fabrics and materials in addition to designing the clothes. There is nothing like attending a wedding and seeing the guests in my designs. It’s a thrill every time! I always wanted to launch my own label and have made several attempts over the years but was always missing a key necessary factor. Sales. Financial backing. What I learned is having the design is only one part of a bigger puzzle.

2020 pushed me to figure it out and it’s been an amazing journey! The princess of Denmark wore an outfit from my first launched collections to the Queen’s Jubilee and suddenly we had 5000 people on our website at once. She looked absolutely stunning in it and she got an enormous amount of press.

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

In 2017 my husband died and I was left with 2 small children to support and a job in an unstable industry. Aside from the horrendous emotional experience, I also had to rethink my lifestyle and my career. Really my everything. What I learned about myself is that I will go to ANY length to make something happen. Losing my corporate job, even though my collection made the most money for the company, made it even more clear than it already had been that the only person I could count on for my livelihood was me. I was determined in a way I think is an unusual experience for most people. Really there was no choice except to be creative and positive and work like a dog.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

My business partner, Evelyn Anastos, is the most incredible salesperson and business strategist I have known in the industry. She knows EVERYONE and people trust her because she has only delivered high quality beautiful clothing for her entire career. So rolling out a new collection with her as sales made a huge difference. There is no fancy PR house or marketing company – just the two of us. We have grown because she has been able to roll out the line to boutiques all over the world though her connections and seriously sparkling personality. The shows in various fashion weeks – New York Coterie, Paris, Dallas though our amazing rep there Brad Hughes, Atlanta, Chicago… These shows are instrumental to the stores seeing our products. And then after the stores carry our line, their customers start looking us up online and visiting our website and following us on social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: Emilyshalant.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyshalant/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-shalant-b76bb510
• Twitter: Na

Image Credits
Shane LaVancher