Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erin Ray. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Erin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.
The first dollar my buisness ever earned was $10. The summer of 2019, I started creating $10 bodycon dresses. My summer promotion included $10 dresses for any style, size or color. I started promoting my work on instagram which soon grew to other platforms such as: Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
My first client reached out to me through instagram after seeing me post multiple garments I created. She was very impressed with my work and wanted something custom made for her vacation trip. She was taking a trip to the beach and wanted something comfortable yet stylish and cute that gave beach vibes. I was nervous yet excited for this opportunity because this was my first paid service and I wanted to execute the garment correctly. Even though I was nervous I didn’t let that discourage me. After my nervousness passed my excitement took over and my client was beyond pleased!
From then on $10 bodycon dresses turned into $20 bonnets, face masks, various custom fits for children/women and other garments such as bucket hats, swim-swear and even crochet purses.
After executing the garment of my first client my confidence grew even more and gave me the drive and push to continue my brand!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For people who may not know, my name is Erin Ray a local upcoming fashion designer from Raleigh, NC. I created my brand back in 2019 which is named after myself: Designs By Eray. My brand consists of handmade garments that I created out of unique things such as: over-sized t-shirts, over-sized pants, crochet yarn and much more. My brand focuses on creating garments with materials other than regular fabric. I’m very proud of all my work because every garment I’ve created has turned into a masterpiece and also shows my growth as a self-taught, educated black designer.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing your clientele is by constantly posting/showing off your work. By continually showcasing your product, customers will be updated on any new merchandise that is available to purchase. In this day and age social media is very popular and is used on a daily basis. Therefore, I think that is a major key in effectively growing your clientele. Social media will allow you to gain a range of diversity within your clientele. Having a huge amount of followers on social media is a major key in allowing your business to expand.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
A time during my journey where I had to illustrate resilience was during December, 2021. This year tested not only my resilience, but also tested my faith. I had to concentrate on graduating on time from college, while finishing garments for class, while having to say my goodbyes to my grandmother who lost her battle with leukemia. Even though I was dealing with all of this, I still found a way to take clients for my business and grow as a person.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designsbyeray?igsh=NnJ3cmJxYnhqaTFu&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/erin-ray-245996172
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@designsbyeray?si=-CbnwhBQwimExww5