We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Glenda Maddox and Reneé Brunson, co-owners of We Style, a personal styling company based in Austin, TX, a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Glenda and Reneé, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?
We have both always wanted to be business owners, and when we found ourselves with some time off work, we decided to take advantage and explore that idea. Working in film, tv, and commercial productions throughout our careers, we already have the expertise and knowledge of styling, therefore creating a business for personal styling made sense. Also, this is a business that is service-based and didn’t require much initial capitol, so that made it very appealing to us as well. Over the next several months we began to research other similar companies, on-line and through mutual acquaintances, to determine how we wanted to structure our wardrobe styling business. Next we determined our business name, WE STYLE. When brainstorming names, we really wanted one that clearly reflected the services we would provide, and was also modern and memorable. We worked on designing our website, and creating our custom styling questionnaire. The questions are very important in helping us discover the essence and lifestyle of our clients, as well as what their goals are in working with us. Then came the hard part, how do we get clients? Our first client was a friend in need of styling assistance for her work and everyday life. Since she is a friend, it was a great way for us to determine our process and what worked and didn’t work. As time went on, we have been successful at acquiring clients mostly through referrals. Between clients we are also building a social media presence. On our account we love to highlight fashion that inspires us, and create style boards to inspire our followers.
Glenda and Reneé, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Glenda’s Backstory: When I was a young girl, I would sketch out clothing designs and try to create the next new trend. I was always interested in fashion and the ever-changing styles that would come and go, and how these were forever captured in movies and television. This love of fashion and production eventually brought me to the Theatre and Dance program at The University of Texas in Austin. Shortly after graduating, I packed up my small red Mini Cooper, “Candy Cane,” with as much as I could fit and headed to Hollywood. I lived in Los Angles for 18 years, working on various Film, Television, and Commercial productions. It was quite the adventure going from low-budget projects, eating buttered noodles and drinking Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck, to winning five Emmy awards for outstanding costume design on the international television show The Bold and the Beautiful. We filmed in such locations as Monte Carlo, Amsterdam, Paris, and Australia. My family and I decided to return to my roots in Austin and I love that I can bring my talents and knowledge of fashion, styling, and costumes to my hometown.
Renee’s Backstory: Growing up I always loved clothing and fashion. My first experience with costume design was in high school. I acted in a play that was set in the 1940’s, and we got the opportunity to help design our character’s costume. I loved the whole process: from research, to design, to fitting and wearing the final look! It was so much fun! After studying costume design in college at the University of North Texas, I moved to New York City. My first job was as an intern at The Juilliard School in the wardrobe department. It was a dream to work at Lincoln Center every day, and the connections I made there led me to the rest of my job opportunities over the next 7 years. While navigating all of life’s challenges in New York (blizzards, blackouts, and transit strikes), I supervised various Off-Broadway shows, was a principal dresser on Broadway, and worked on the iconic soap opera The Guiding Light. My husband and I decided to relocate to Los Angeles to pursue more television and film opportunities. While in LA, I had the opportunity to design, assist designers, style talent, and friends, but the highlight was working with Glenda on The Bold and the Beautiful. It was an honor to take home Emmys for all of our hard work! After 13 years we moved our family back to our home state of Texas to live closer to our families.
WE STYLE has all of your personal styling needs in one place! We can help you find a flawless look for a special event, refresh your current style, or come in for a complete closet overhaul. We would love to be your wedding style consultants, help you find the perfect looks for your next vacation, or even dress you for a fun-themed party! We take local clients in Austin, and have virtual clients as well! We believe that our costume design experience sets us apart from other stylists. We worked for many years on a television show that required at least 25 styled looks per week, and countless weddings, spanning over 2,000+ episodes! We styled and fit many different body types and character styles throughout our time working on productions. One of our main philosophies (that we learned from our incredible mentor, David Zyla) is that fit is everything. If your clothing fits you how it’s supposed to, it makes all the difference. You can take an outfit from a “fast fashion” store like Zara, alter it to your body, and it can look like an expensive designer piece.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Our main goal is a pretty common one for new business owners: we would like to build We Style into a thriving business that it is our sole source of income. The idea that we can be our own boss and in control of our schedule is very appealing. We really love what we do, and the personal relationships we create with our clients, so being able to work with clients full time would be amazing. It especially excites us to work with a new client. We love getting to know them, and helping them start their personal style journey. Many of our clients tell us that they can’t get dressed every day without referencing the photos we take in our styling sessions, and we are happy to be there for them on a daily basis. We really hope that our business branches out and grows organically, we plan to stay open to any new opportunities that come our way.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
We have mainly been successful through word of mouth and referrals. We have also become affiliates with the designer clothing company Alice + Olivia. Through that, we are able to offer our clients discounts and have fun VIP events at the store. We are also working to create relationships with the local clothing boutiques, and other small business owners in Austin. We have found that taking the time to build relationships within the community helps our business grow. By hosting events and attending mixers, we are able to meet new people who may refer us, and we are able to talk about our business and passion in person.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.westyleatx.com
- Instagram: @westyleatx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westyleatx