We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shania Thomas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shania below.

Shania, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

My hero is my dad. When I sit back and think about everything that was meant to break him and keep him back, he always had a mind to be better than his situations and environments. My strength, my determination, my creativity, my entrepreneurial spirit all comes from my dad. Gui’Shani was my dad’s vision and what he started when I was a little girl. He always had a dream to have this brand with my brother and I name. It’s so catchy lol. But he always wanted a legacy. He dropped Gui’Shani in 98 with hats and shirts. 2021 we rebirthed Gui’Shani and I am now the creative director. We are running this business together. My dad grew up dirt poor, people counted him out, people always said he wouldn’t be anything. But God has him now the head and not the tail. He is the story of turning nothing to something. He’s a pastor, a high school teacher, and business owner. My dad keeps me encouraged to keep pushing no matter what comes my way to stop me. Never give up and always trust God. That’s the key. So my hero will always be my Dad. Overseer Guy Jones Sr

Shania, 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?

My name is Shania Thomas. I am a 35 year old wife and mother of 4 from a small town in Maryland. My dad created Gui’Shani back in 1999 and I always wanted to bring it back and take it to a level that my dad would be proud of. In 2019 we brought Gui’Shani back with our makeup line Sophisticated Beauty. We then decided to release our own purses and travel bags in 2021. Now we are designing our line of apparel and accessories that has been added to our brand. We plan to have a whole line like Gucci, Chanel, and Prada but be the black owned version. Our mission is to provide our customers with luxury, high quality products at affordable and attainable prices. We believe that everyone should be able to experience luxury no matter their financial situation. High prices doesn’t mean quality.
We are a family owned brand that believes in unity and love. All packages are packed with love and have personal notes. We always want to make our customers feel like they are apart of the Gui’Shani Family.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Our bags are manufactured. When I first got into business a lot of women weren’t helpers. I would reach out to other woman about possibly helping me find reliable vendors to produce my bags and designs. A lot of them wouldn’t respond or would say they couldn’t help without me paying thousands of dollars for info that I found for free. SMH. So I vowed that I would do the opposite and help any women in business or entrepreneurs that need information or help. I prayed and prayed and God led me to a site. After communicating and getting samples made. I was able to find my forever vendors for all of my bag designs or ideas. One of my biggest mistakes with my manufacturing journey was mass producing before doing a sample. I received a whole order of bags that was not up to my standards so I wasted a lot of money. Always Always get samples made.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

So my business was strictly funded by my money and my parents investments. I would use my paychecks to fund and buy everything I needed to produce my visions for the business. My parents believe in my vision and always invest and give money towards whatever I need for Gui’Shani. I am so grateful for my parents support and investments. My husband is another great supporter and investor in the business. I didn’t want to be in debt starting a business so I’m blessed to have been able to fund it from my personal and from my parents. Be grateful for support.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.guishani.com
• Instagram: @guishani_llc
• Facebook: Gui’Shani Luxury