We were lucky to catch up with Meghan Fabulous recently and have shared our conversation below.

Meghan , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

Is design dead? In the fashion industry, the combination of corporate focus on low-cost goods and expense control combined with the increasing centralization of retail in massive, leviathan companies creates a nearly insurmountable obstacle for small, creative businesses. “I want it cheap, and I want it delivered tomorrow” seems to be a sign of the times. In such a world, can art and creativity still thrive?

Our little clothing brand and Meghan’s design aesthetic have always been different, fresh, irreverent and extravagant. Our customers LOVE it and take a deep personal interest in the brand. The experience of buying from Meghan Fabulous provides very high quality goods extraordinary design talent. Our website is loaded with glowing reviews from new and old customers alike, and they just adore everything Meghan makes.

But in a world of t-shirts, sweats and jeans, is that enough? Is it possible to create a customer base large enough, who truly appreciate design and artistry – and are willing to pay for it?

One quick glance around the fashion and apparel industry, and it’s easy to see the outlook is bleak. The average new brand is out of business in two years. Major retailers are failing. Long storied names in fashion and retail have disappeared, or have become an online-only shadow of their former self. And a quick glance at people on the street shows that most folks are perfectly content with an uber-casual look.

Call us sentimental, but we miss the days when more people took pride in looking put-together. And we lament that our big-box culture has combined with heavy-handed regulation to create an aggressively negative environment for small creative businesses.

Meghan , 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?

Meghan learned to sew from her mother when she was four years old. She knew she wanted to be a designer from a very young age and she “married” the fashion industry. She’s been putting her artistic vision out into the world for 25 years now. Her designs have been seen on some of the biggest celebrities, including her original Grateful Dead-themed dress, which was worn by Paris Hilton in 2004.

Steve came up through the financial industry and was part of several successful M&A transactions along the way. When they met in 2018, it seemed like an obvious match. The romantic relationship soon enough was expanded to business, with Meghan leading design and marketing and Steve running business and financial matters.

The company is 10 times bigger today than it was when they first started. They’ve been successful selling directly online through their own website, online merchants like Wolf & Badger and various department stores. It’s been an adventure and they’ve had a lot of fun along the way.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When we first got serious about growing our direct-to-consumer (DTC) business, we went through numerous marketing agencies. The digital marketing world is a snake-pit, filled with charlatans offering promises of riches, high sales, and big ROAS (Return on Ad Spend).

We churned through four different agencies before we found one in 2022 that convinced us they were the “big leagues” and their magic would bring massive DTC sales growth and domination. They dazzled us with impressive reports and analysis. They created “personas” and presented detailed PowerPoint presentations (lots and lots of PowerPoint) to explain just how they were going to build us a fashion empire.

After an incredibly disappointing Holiday selling season that year, we spoke to their executive management about the lofty promises they had made, their total failure to deliver, and the insanely large amount of our money they had spent on advertising. To our shock and horror, they completely refused to stand behind their work or their record. They declined reasonable requests to give us some relief on their large monthly retainer, and to link their compensation to performance. Nothing. It was clear to us they just didn’t care.

So, within a couple months we left with our tail between our legs. They had absolutely destroyed over half-a-million-dollars in working capital, buying advertising that did not perform. They charged us exorbitant monthly fees. And when the results never materialized, they simply shrugged their shoulders and told us we could terminate the contract if we weren’t happy.

That is both our #1 warning to anyone trying to build a DTC business, and the most expensive tuition we ever paid. Today, we are much more savvy with digital marketing and we refuse to spend a single dollar on advertising that doesn’t produce immediate, profitable results. But back then, we fell for the pitch that they could “spend our way to success” and it cost us dearly. They were the experts and we trusted them. Don’t make that mistake. You must learn every discipline yourself and manage every single decision like your life depends on it – because it does.

How’d you meet your business partner?

The story of how we met is funny. Steve had sold his last company and was attending “pitch meetings” where entrepreneuers pitched their ideas. He was seeking a company to buy or invest in and grow. After the pitch meeting at a hotel in Santa Monica, he walked into the Water Grill to grab a late lunch.

It was 3pm, so the place was empty. But there was a beautiful blond woman sitting at the bar, so he sat just one barstool away. Beause, well, duh!

Turns out, Meghan had been to a networking event at the same hotel that day, and was similarly grabbing a late lunch. Her martini was nearly empty, so Steve politely asked if he might buy her another. He was NOT ready for the response!

“Dude…. I’m just here to eat my lunch, OK?”

Steve smiled and went back to staring at his phone while ordering a crabcake sandwich. But he didn’t give up. Maybe 20 minutes later, her drink was empty again and he saw his chance.

“So, I notice your drink is gone. And last time I asked, it didn’t really sound like a HARD ‘no’.”

Meghan laughed. Steve smiled. And he bought her that drink. Six years later, they live together, own a business together, and plan to circumnavigate the globe via sail next year!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meghanfabulous.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghan_fabulous/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghanfabulousofficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/meghaninc/
• Twitter: https://x.com/meghanfabulous