Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenée White. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jenée , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The inception of my company is entirely rooted in a very hands on, grassroots humble beginnings. From the beginning I was working in corporate as a marketing specialist by day and self taught fashion designer by night. My evenings and weekends were spent at model castings, fittings and fashion shows from LA Fashion Week as an emerging designer to becoming an Atlanta local recognized designer brand. I have always struggled to finance my passion for fashion. I continued to work hard to create a nationally recognizable brand. During my last runway show in 2019 at New York Fashion Week, I decided to make a change. I realized that without investors or loans it was seemingly impossible to generate enough money to achieve my goal. Instead I decided to become the me that I needed as a fashion designer. In 2020 I opened up TFG Garment Factory, an apparel manufacturing company. As small minimum order manufacturer I am able to help designers get their designs produced and to market at an affordable price without high order quantity requirements. I renovated space in my home to serve as my manufacturing facility and have been a part of the growth of countless brands. During these past 4 years I have been to sole labor force contracting out help when I was temporarily able to afford the costs. I have since garnered the attention of larger established designers and have been able to hire, as I am currently seeking a facility to produce the larger orders. The main challenge in profitability that I have experienced is that most designers or companies are seeking the lowest price possible, which can be easily obtained overseas. America certainly has a higher cost of living, which is a reason why I could not afford to hire help, and still keep costs down. Besides producing American made apparel for designers and companies, I have found lowering the order quantities is more attractive to my market, as well as the peace of mind of the protection of their intellectual property and designs. Also the access to the production of apparel projects is attractive to the American market as the perception of doing business stateside is less of a gamble in receiving products and easier to navigate necessary changes. As I am growing I have fears that with the new overhead and staff I will lose some of my customer base because the realistic costs to producing products stateside is a more expensive option than overseas. So my biggest profitability challenge is essentially staying afloat with operational costs and still providing a fair price for production. This is not an easy balance when as an employer I am responsible for getting the business through the door so that people who depend on the paychecks may continue to do so without fear. The overall goal is to continue to produce stellar end results while working with our designers and companies to see their projects through from concept to reality!

Jenée , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into the business of fashion by happenstance. I was raising my 3 children on my single income and decided that as a family we needed a creative outlet. I was always crafty kid growing up so I taught my 3 elementary aged children to handcraft jewelry. We would vend at different craft fair in and outside of Atlanta, as they always felt so much joy when someone purchased an item they made. Unfortunately January 29, 2012 my youngest daughter at 7 years old passed away of a severe asthma attack. The traumatic experience ended our family homemade jewelry business. My oldest daughter was becoming interested in fashion and I wanted to support her need for a creative outlet that soon became therapeutic for us both. My son became very involved in basketball. We were left with such a big hole after the loss of my daughter DaVae, but the goal became to be triumphant through tragedy. My son through himself into his sport and has achieved many milestones as a Division 1 athlete. My oldest daughter ultimately went on to become an RN. In those years I dove deeper into fashion as a self taught designer who sews, makes patterns and now mass produces. I have participated in many runway shows from LAFW, Orlando Fashion Week, NYFW and many more in Philadelphia, DC and of course in Atlanta where I live. It is because of my experiences as as fashion designer that I decided to become an apparel manufacturer. I wanted to be the me I needed when I was a fashion designer. I understood as an entrepreneur that as an artist we want to create, and in the world of fashion one way to showcase your fashion is through runway. But the hustle and bustle of creating a collection and showcasing it from city to city leaves very little time to reproduce your product to sell to those who find appreciation for your designs. This is where I wanted to help, as this was the missing component for me as a designer. My goal has been to be the affordable option to get designers beyond just samples to inventory to sell to become profitable without taking the huge financial risk of mass production, as I am small minimum order apparel manufacturer. I am most proud that I have been a part of the growth of many brands. Seeing a brand grow and creating jobs in a field I love is more than rewarding its a dream.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

The saying everything happens for a reason can seem cliche, but often it’s true. While working in marketing the talks of me being a fashion designer became a buzz within the company. Ultimately I was fired and was completely on my own to figure it. With 3 children to care for on my single income I knew I had my work cut out for me. The reality was because of my responsibilities as a mother I would have never quit my job regardless of the endless stress I was under. So being fired was the best thing that could have happened to me. Working in corporate America in a position that required years of experience and my college degree for $30k a year would have kept me stagnant and feeling trapped. I was under immense pressure to succeed at making a living completely on my own so I resorted to using my skills to sew custom looks people, while still producing my collections as a fashion designer. I have had the opportunity to produce custom clothing for a magazine shoot with singer Marsha Ambrosia, as well as singer Kelly Price’s daughter Nia. I have been contracted to produce runway shows for Atlanta’s Orchestra Noir. I not only had my gowns showcased in the Grammy nominated Migos video Deadz music video, as well as placed models one of which was my daughter who had a nice cameo in the video. I have filmed was an original beloved cast member of Real Housewives of Atlanta, Dwight Eubanks in a fashion segment and also worked as a costume designer in wardrobe for the film industry. My drive and talent made room for me to have many experiences that I hold near and dear to my heart that had allowed me to supplement my income and thrive in order to support my family.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I have been really lucky in the 4 years since I opened TFG Garment Factory. Oddly enough I had just started studying to receive my Master’s degree in 2020 and I just so happened to be at the fabric store one weekend and I overheard a conversation. The young man who was in line ahead of me, was asking the cashier if she knew of any manufacturers. Normally I am very shy, but this was my moment so I tapped him on the shoulder and we began to talk about his needs. It feels like from that moment I had instantly built a clientele list that I have maintained 4 years later. Due to covid my courses were online and I recall suddenly becoming slammed with orders and having to mute my microphone so I could listen to my professor as I sewed for my clients. The beauty of being a perfectionist about what I produced had allotted me referral after referral. The clients who were with me from the beginning are still here 4 years later continuing to grow their brand and its truly been a beautiful experience! Being consistent and delivering a well constructed garment that exceeds the designer’s expectations has been instrumental in growing my clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tfg-garmentfactory.com