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

Shawnie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I came up with the idea to start a fashion business while I was studying at university and working as a tutor mentor to high school students from the inner city of Houston. I noticed that some of the less fortunate female students didn’t perform well academically because they were teased by their peers for not having the latest fashion. As a result, these girls didn’t apply themselves in class—afraid to draw attention to themselves and risk being bullied.

Once I started donating clothes from my personal wardrobe and serving as their mentor, their confidence increased, and they blossomed almost overnight. They became more social and began to thrive in the classroom. With their new wardrobe, they were no longer targeted. This experience led me to start a 501(c)(3) charity called Tailored Hearts. My friends supported the effort by donating clothes and helping organize clothing drives, allowing us to reach even more students.

By the time I graduated from university, I decided to pursue a career as an entrepreneur. Instead of applying to pharmacy school, I applied to an MBA program and interned at a custom garment shop. A few years later, I opened my own custom garment shop across from the Galleria Mall. My first year as a business owner brought some success and many obstacles. By the time Q4 began, I decided to shift my business model from custom clothing to mass-producing school apparel and selling B2B.

This decision led me to leave behind my family and friends and move to Shenzhen, China, where I lived and worked for three years. I believed this strategy would work because I planned to support myself by working as an ESL instructor, which provided income for housing, transportation, and food—and most importantly, a work visa. I taught during the day and, after school, worked side by side with manufacturers to learn the business of production manufacturing and global distribution.

Eventually, I began solving a problem that no one else was addressing when I received an offer to teach students attending a summer program at New York University (NYU) Shanghai. I was asked to teach them how to start and manufacture a fashion brand. At the time, most fashion students were learning design, pattern-making, and sewing but not how to source manufacturers to mass-produce their collections.

I accepted the contract and developed my curriculum, Fashion Beyond Borders: Exploring the Global Fashion Industry, which has since been taught in Shanghai, China; Houston, Texas; and Oujda, Morocco. In 2024, the workshop was held in Accra, Ghana, and an experienced tailor at Fata Quality Apparel Limited is currently teaching the curriculum at two schools in Kogi State, Nigeria.

This year, 2025, Fashion Beyond Borders: Exploring the Global Fashion Industry workshop will be taught in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

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 Shawnie Grant, a native Houstonian who found her way into the global education industry through work as a tutor, mentor, and teacher. At the time, I considered these roles “side hustles” to support myself while building my apparel brand, never realizing they would evolve into a career that would take me around the world. That journey has since led to publishing books and online courses, developing and selling business fashion curriculums, and teaching internationally.

The core problem I’m working to solve is equipping fashion students with the tools to enter entrepreneurship and successfully sell their brands in the global market.

One of the things I’m most proud of is playing a part in economic development across multiple countries, helping reduce poverty by empowering individuals through education and entrepreneurship. I’m a firm believer in the idea that “if you can’t find a job, create one.”

I’m also proud and excited to be working with cinematographer Malex Praise to document my journey moving forward. Our mission is to highlight the beauty of different cultures, art, fashion, history, philanthropy, product manufacturing, and classroom teaching.

My company, Explore Global Manufacturing, is an educational platform that provides vital information about global manufacturing. We offer Fashion Beyond Borders: Exploring the Global Fashion Industry (first and second editions), Threads of Imagination: A Fashion Sketch Pad, and the Fashion Beyond Borders virtual course, which is also available on Udemy.

Looking ahead, I plan to publish additional books as I continue to explore global manufacturing, expanding beyond fashion into product manufacturing across other industries.

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

During the 2020 global pandemic, like most small businesses, mine suffered greatly due to schools being closed for months—which eventually turned into over a year. I was unable to sell school apparel because it wasn’t safe for staff and students to attend school in person, and as a result, school uniforms were no longer a necessity. For months, I went without any income.

In Q4 of 2019, I attended a procurement breakfast that provided information to business owners about government contracts, including the services and products needed to fulfill them. I decided to launch a second business venture selling personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals, construction companies, and oil and gas companies.

Because I had lived in China for three years, I had already built strong connections with a wide range of manufacturers—not just in apparel. I had the experience and capability to mass-produce and globally distribute various products. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., I was already certified to do business with the federal government. I immediately placed orders for PPE with manufacturers in China and successfully imported the products into the United States.

While my apparel business came to a complete halt, my PPE company became a massive success almost overnight.

The message I’d like to share is: always remain open-minded and adaptable. You may think your harvest will come from one business venture, but in reality, it may come from something you least expect. Sometimes our greatest blessings comes in the form of misfortune.

You can read the article published about this success story by searching “PPE Company Becomes Overnight Success Due to COVID-19.”

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

During my first year in business, my neighbor mentioned the show Great Day Houston and suggested I apply to have my company showcased. Soon after, I researched the show and discovered it was a morning program aired on local news station KHOU, Channel 11. I reviewed the requirements and submitted an application but never received a response.

Not long after, I revisited the website and learned that anyone could apply to be a guest in the studio audience. I saw this as an opportunity to get my foot in the door and possibly meet the producers and host, with hopes of introducing my company.

I intentionally wore a pair of custom-made trousers designed by my boutique to subtly market my products and services. After the live show ended, one of the producers noticed my pants and complimented them. I immediately delivered my marketing pitch and handed her my business card.

Before I left the studio, I was invited to co-host a segment with Deborah Duncan within two weeks, to promote my company to the city of Houston.

The message I’d like to highlight is this: sometimes messages are sent to you through other people. Be present enough to recognize them, and then take inspired action. Had I not done a little research about the show my neighbor mentioned, I most likely would have missed that opportunity.

That one chance to co-host led to me being a guest on the show from 2013 to 2017—totaling six episodes of free television marketing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.exploreglobalmanufacturing.com
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ExploreGlobalManufacturing
• Other: Fashion Beyond Borders:Exploring The Global Fashion Industry – Udemy Course

  https://www.udemy.com/course/fashion-beyond-borders/?referralCode=B151CC7E71090581FEC4