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

Kellsie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

When I started my clothing business in 2018, The Lavish Couture Collection, its mission was to promote a positive self-identity by offering affordable, trendy fashion for teenagers. However, since customers order clothing virtually through The Lavish Couture Collection website or Instagram account, I feared that the empowerment portion of my mission statement was not exemplified. In the summer of 2020, I began hosting monthly pop-up shops to offer an in-person opportunity for shoppers to purchase Lavish Couture clothing. From May to September, the silencing nature of the summer winds fine-tunes the beautiful chaos of preparing for a pop-up shop: hand-sewing skirts, creating graphic designs, and working with wholesalers to produce inventory in bulk. I also invite local Black-owned businesses to sell products or provide services. The wind clinks the hangers and shifts clothing racks, as the vendors get lost in conversation with other business owners. My interactions at these pop-up shops with fellow entrepreneurs, fashion enthusiasts, journalists, and supportive locals landed me segments in magazines and branded photoshoots from local photographers. Most importantly, these connections became the embodiment of my business’ mission statement.
I beam with joy when greeted by the sun and warm smiles from satisfied customers, as they light up while trying on statement pieces. Although I am trivial in the magnitude of nature, the invincible zeal of the wind is a constant reminder that I am surrounded by something greater than myself: a community.

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

I’m Kellsie Lewis, an 18-year-old student, athlete, activist, and entrepreneur. Fashion embodies my innermost desires: liberation, agency, and confidence. Growing up, I’ve always loved having artistic freedom in choosing what I wear, from hair bows and suspenders in elementary school to currently experimenting with color contrast. When I started The Lavish Couture Collection in 2018, I was unaware of how to maintain a profitable business model that was also affordable and appealing to diverse groups. However, after taking Entrepreneurship 101 during a summer program at the University of Pennsylvania, I better understood my target market, economic strategies, and eco-friendly production, while staying true to myself with the clothes that I produce. The Lavish Couture Collection is a clothing brand specializing in avant-garde apparel and custom jewelry to promote a positive self-identity and artistic freedom. The Lavish Couture Collection’s target audience is everyone by hosting customers and models from diverse socioeconomic, gender, and ethnic backgrounds. Representation matters. Also, The Lavish Couture Collection uplifts other minority-owned businesses by hosting monthly pop-up shops and inviting local businesses to join. Supporting Black-owned businesses fuels economic prosperity in underserved communities. Also, Black-owned businesses are more likely to hire Black workers, so these disparities ripple effects that impact broader community wealth and bridge opportunity gaps between white and minority communities. I hope to inspire other young Black girls to overcome barriers associated with age, race, stereotypes, and circumstantial or mental limitations by never losing sight of their dreams and becoming the change that they seek.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am a one-woman show: content creator, financial advisor, social media analyst, model, entrepreneur, and the list is to be continued. As a social media enthusiast, creating content for the Lavish Couture Instagram page is one of my favorite aspects of owning a business. I prematurely had my first Instagram account in elementary school, mostly full of American Doll Pinterest posts and Zendaya stan content. Therefore, I was very familiar with the platform and aesthetic page layouts. I advise choosing a platform that’s popular amongst your target audience and looking to other business accounts for inspiration about how to create an aesthetically pleasing page. For example, as a teenager, Instagram and TikTok are popular amongst people my age. Having Lavish Couture Instagram and TikTok accounts helps promote my clothing business to my most frequent customers. Also, promoting business via word of mouth can be very powerful, as well as going “old-school” and passing out business cards. Some of the most loyal customers are those who I’ve met spontaneously while out in public and they maintained communication via browsing through my business accounts and using the resources provided on my business cards. Also, having a strong presence on my personal Instagram account and asking friends or family to promote Lavish Couture on their social medias has been extremely helpful.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

My clients are my biggest supporters, source of revenue, and inspiration. Therefore, maintaining meaningful connections with my clients is my greatest priority. In 2018 when my business was just getting off of its feet, I didn’t have a website. Customers would purchase via direct message on my Instagram account and I’d do personal drop-offs. Seeing customers face to face in those beginning stages of Lavish Couture has definitely helped build a foundation so that a face is associated with my brand. Sometimes “customers won’t buy the brand, but they’ll buy you,” in the sense that customers are more willing to support brands with a personable business owner who they admire, have a connection with, and are rooting for. Also, I usually place personally-typed notes in packages to give gratitude to customers because by supporting my business, they’re supporting my vision and for that, I am forever appreciative. I value customers beyond a one-purchase interaction by requesting reviews to make their experiences most memorable, posting polls on The Lavish Couture Collection Instagram story to receive feedback prior to dropping a new seasonal collection and maintaining social interactions. I also give discount codes to frequent buyers to show that I appreciate their business and hope that they shop again soon. When looking for brand ambassadors or models, I usually select clients who have continuously supported me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lavishcouturecollection.bigcartel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavishcouturecollection/?hl=en
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kellsie-lewis-6026b9210