We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Staci Inspektor and Nikki Reed. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Staci and Nikki below.
Staci and Nikki, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
Our name speaks to the marriage of both of our backgrounds which is the inspiration behind our company and ethos – fashion + food! “ATELIER” translates to “house of” and is a term often used by fashion brands. “SAUCIER” is a position in a classic French brigade kitchen.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As best friends for over a decade, we feel our story is special, unique and a natural progression of our life experiences. Staci comes from the fashion and design world and Nikki has a background in hospitality and restaurant consulting.
ATELIER SAUCIER’s first project was for a zero-waste restaurant in New York City that was searching for unique and sustainable linens. It was nearly impossible to find something for them at the time, so we decided to make the linens ourselves. This turned into an abundance of custom projects for hospitality brands before we ventured into the consumer arm of our business in early 2020.
Sustainability can be chic! We are obsessed with finding reclaimed textiles and hard-to-find fabrics that wash and wear like a dream. We locally source all our fabrics from the surplus goods from the fashion houses in downtown LA. The best part of our job is working with so many talented craftsmen in the city we live in and love!
Sourcing fabrics the way we do can be challenging, as it adds an extra layer of logistics to our process, but it’s the right thing to do and brings depth to the story of the brand and each linen. Passing on a paper towel is a small step, but can have a big impact in the long run!
How’d you meet your business partner?
Our meet-cute moment was at a mutual friend’s party. We knew from the start that we wanted to build a brand together with our similar taste, eye for design, and shared passion for hosting.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Although ATELIER SAUCIER got its start in the restaurant industry, we had to make a pivot to the consumer industry during the pandemic with our hospitality clients finding hardship during this unfortunate time. While time was tough for businesses, everyone staying at home was heavily shifting their focus into designing and creating intimate gatherings extra special for themselves and loved ones around the dining table.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ateliersaucier.la/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atelier_saucier/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ateliersaucier
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atelier-saucier/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/ateliersaucier/
Image Credits
Yoni Goldberg, @lastyoni