We caught up with the brilliant and insightful GLADYS BOWIE-YOUNG a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

GLADYS, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

MY STORY

I became fascinated with needles and thread before I was in first grade. My mother was a quilter, her maternal aunt was a dressmaker and my daddy’s youngest sister was a milliner (hat designer for ladies). At the age of eight I learned how to embroider at Vacation Bible School. Home economics was required in high school, and that is where I began to learn the techniques of sewing and creating my own wardrobe.

Even after earning a degree in Government/Pre-law and History I did not want to be a classroom teacher. I was still fascinated with “needle and thread”,so I attended a fashion career day at the Dallas Apparel Mart. It was there that I accidentally found my niche. After attending the large group panel presentation, I wanted to learn more about becoming a retail fashion buyer. There were small groups where different fashion careers were discussed. All of the locations where in-depth information about retail fashion buyers was to be discussed were filled to capacity when I reached the location. Finally I found a small group that was discussing fashion design. The more information that I heard, the more excited I became. This is where I decided what I would do with my love of sewing and creating garments. That summer I went to my alma mater–North Texas State University, now University of North Texas–and had my degree plan prepared. Because I was a classroom teacher, I attended classes nights and summers for seven (7) years and earned a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Clothing and Textiles with a minor in Art.

Because I graduated at the end of the fall semester, I continued teaching until the end of the school year and then I resigned and opened Fashion Image specializing in one-of-a-kind attire for social occasions. Fashion Image was later named Miss Jane Originals. Fashion Image became the fashion consulting branch of the business and Miss Jane Originals became the creative apparel branch of the business. My first client told her friends about me, and my clientele began to increase. I was introduced to a Fort Worth Newspaper columnist who introduced me through several of her fashion articles. As a result, I designed and created garments for several Fort Worth boutiques. Additionally, I have designed for community theater groups, professional athletes, first ladies of mega churches, founders and owners of cosmetic companies and members of the DFW Airport Board.

I was elected to Notable Women of Texas, 1984-1985 and Who’s Who of Women Executives, 1989. I have also served as a freelance fashion columnist of several newspapers and magazines, adjunct instructor at a local fashion college, freelance instructor of “Pattern and Garment Alterations”, “Wardrobe Planning and Management”, custom sewing, speaker, fashion show coordinator and seminar presenter. I served on the Dallas International Apparel Mart Retail Advisory Board (1998-2000)The Nominating Committees of the Dallas Fashion Awards and the R.O.S.E. Awards (1999-2001) and also served as Special Events Coordinator of the Dallas Design Initiative (1999-2001) and was founding president of Fashion Designers Guild. I served on the Fashion Design Advisory Board at the Art Institute of Dallas (2000-2002). Additionally, My garments have been displayed in museums at University of North Texas and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,Texas. I was a top ten finalist in Texas’ Best Top Designer Contest (2011 & 2013) respectively.

Why did I believe that I could succeed? First of all, I believe in myself, my gift, and my education. I grew up between two small towns and it was very easy to discover that I had either a “twin sister” or I was a “sister of multiple siblings born together.” In other words, it was easy to see someone else wearing a garment just like mine and I hated that ( and I still do). I believed that I was not the only person that hated seeing someone else wearing a garment like their garment. Additionally, many women enjoy having a wardrobe that is not a duplicate of what other women wear and thus they become known as fashion leaders. Additionally, I was very hard to fit and very few ready-to-wear garments fitted me unless they were altered.

Finally, I believe that clothing design does not have to be drastic nor dramatic to be original. There is beauty in simplicity and clothes should accentuate rather than decorate. Everyone is one-of-a-kind. Miss Jane Originals’ motto is “our clients reap what we sew because we custom make for you.

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.

ABOUT US

Located in the heart of Texas, Miss Jane Originals specializes in one-of-a-kind custom and ready-to-wear clothing for social occasions, therefore, you will have a difficult time encountering someone else wearing a duplicate garment. We create quality gowns and dresses and an assortment of beautiful accessories that will make you feel confident and stylish for your special occasion. Let us help you find what suits you best in our store or let us create your very own one-of-a-kind bridal gown, formal gown or cocktail dress.

Owner designer, “Miss Jane”, believes that the three most important considerations in creating a garment are the personality of the wearer, the wearer’s proportions, and the formality or informality of the occasion. Choosing a made-to-order dress/gown allows you to have exactly what you desire for your special occasion. Every creative step, from sketching to the finished product is done at Miss Jane Originals. The client has the opportunity to be involved in choosing the fabric, color, and style with guidance from the designer. These custom gowns/dresses can have added touches such as lace trim and ribbons, sequins and beads, appliques, and embroidery. They can be completely beaded or covered with sequins, or they can be made of flowing chiffon, rustling taffeta, rich luxurious satin, or timeless lace. A couture or custom garment dictates superior fabric quality either in natural or synthetic fibers.

Additionally, other services offered include hand beading, heirlooming (gown preservation), and restyling. Miss Jane Originals also creates gowns and dresses for bridal attendants and mothers’-of-the-bride/groom, proms, quinceaneras, and debutantes. Not only can you have gowns and dresses created for you by Miss Jane Originals, but you can also purchase one-of-a-kind ready-to wear gowns, dresses, scarves, stoles, shawls, evening bags, headpieces, and hair accessories, jewelry, evening jackets, tops and camisoles and gloves of different lengths from our online store. All personal services –custom attire and consultations–are by appointment only.

The pricing of garments depends upon the garment details and fabric. Other factors included in the pricing of the garment include consultations, taking measurements, telephone calls, sketching and/or design planning and charges, sketch selection, patternmaking, pattern preparation, muslin preparation, layout and cutting, sewing, fitting, alterations, pattern final adjustment, fashion fabric preparation, cutting out garment, sewing, final fitting/alteration, finishing, pressing, delivery and billing collection.

Why custom and/or one-of-a-kind?

+ Choice in Design
+ Choice of fabric
+ Individual fit
+ One-of-a-kind
+ Fit is built into garment.
+ Personal satisfaction
+ Peace of mind
+ Enjoyment in wearing without meeting someone else in a duplicate garment
+ Personal pride
+ Self-worth
+ Memories associated with the occasion of wearing the garment

What sets Miss Jane Originals apart from other fashion designers? Miss Jane Originals provides personal service because the designer is mobile. No merchandise is contracted to a factory to be manufactured. This prevents delays in merchandise completion and saves money.

I am most proud that I built Miss Jane Originals based on the fascination that I had with needle and thread before I was old enough to go to elementary school. I pursued information and training until I found the niche (designing clothes) that equaled my desire. I am not just a fashion designer. I know clothes inside and outside. I can feel fabric and know its content(s). I know what fabric is appropriate for the garment that is to be made, etc. Just because a fabric is beautiful does not mean that it is appropriate for any type of garment or any person’s physique. I am also proud that my business was self-financed. Creating clothes and accessories make me very happy.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

FUNDING MY BUSINESS

Because I had been fascinated with needles and thread since I was a young child, I owned a sewing machine long before I decided to pursue a career in fashion. Along with the sewing machine, also owned basic sewing instruments. When I began my business, I was employed as a classroom teacher. When I moved my business to a brick and mortar store, the Small Business Administration (SBA) was encouraging individuals to become small business owners and to apply for working capital from SBA. This was an era when it was almost impossible for a woman to own a business except beauty shops and cafes, and it was also almost impossible for a woman to be granted a bank loan.

Because the SBA was encouraging people to become business owners, there were numbers of loan consultants that were anxious to write financial plans for new businesses seeking funds. Some of them “padded” the amount of funds needed to create or to expand the business which resulted in denial by the SBA. Others were scammers that “talked a great story”, took down payments for their services, and did $0.00 of work. I was a victim of this scam. Since I did not receive any funds from any source, I financed my business with my Teacher’s retirement funds and added clothing alterations as one of my services to increase income. I have never had a partner.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

BEST SOURCE OF NEW CLIENTS

The best source of new clients is satisfied existing clients. What do you have to do to capture your first client? The client sees your sign and needs the type of services that you offer. When that person seeks you out for your expertise, you must demonstrate your best skills. When that client is very pleased, she will share that information with her friends, usually while playing bridge. Eventually all of the first client’s friends will become my clients. The better the workmanship , the more clients will seek you and your expertise.

Contact Info:

• Website: missjaneoriginals.com or https://missjaneoriginals.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/missjaneoriginals
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/missjaneoriginals
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gladys-bowie-young-paralegal-b0797a77
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/janemjo882003
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/chanel/channel-ID
• Other: E-mail: [email protected]