Rajuta Sheth is the founder and CEO of her namesake fashion brand. In this episode, she shares her journey from growing up in India to establishing a sustainable fashion label in New York. She discusses her early influences, education at FIT, and the challenges she faced in the fashion industry. Rajuta emphasizes the importance of sustainability and ethical practices in her brand, as well as the impact of the pandemic on her business. She offers valuable insights for aspiring creatives, encouraging them to embrace imperfection and seek mentorship.

Takeaways:

• Rajuta's early exposure to textiles shaped her career path.
• Studying at FIT provided a diverse and intense education.
• Early career experiences highlighted the challenges of the fashion industry.
• Traveling in India inspired Rajuta to create a brand focused on slow fashion.
• The first collection was a learning experience with valuable feedback.
• Building a business requires asking for help and mentorship.
• Sustainability is central to Rajuta's brand philosophy.
• The pandemic forced a pivot to online sales, revealing new opportunities.
• Future goals include scaling responsibly and employing more artisans.
• Embracing imperfection is key for aspiring creatives.

Follow Along with Rujuta:

Website: https://rujutasheth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rujutashethny

Jacklene Creekmore is the founder and CEO of Modafleur, a Nashville based lifestyle brand. Modafleur focuses on empowering women to express their individuality through bold fashion, statement jewelry and colorful tabletop linens. Collections are heavily influenced by florals, vibrant colors, and joyful, expressive design, incorporating Jacklene’s lifelong love for patterns and creative dressing. 

Stephanie Lilley is the founder of The Lilley Line, a collection of handwoven bags and accessories that blend chic style, utility and sustainability.

Founded in 2019, the brand was inspired by traditional Central American basket weaving. The comapny's bags are designed in the United States and handcrafted by local women artisans in El Salvador. 

Stephanie tells us how she has built this company from the ground up. From selling her bags in farmers markets to building an e-commerce destination to ultimately gaining national attention after being featured in Oprah's List of favorite things.  

Natalie Simkins is the creator of Simkinstyle: a fashion-focused inspiration platform where she shares style inspiration combining both high and low price points to create timeless looks. 

Originally from South Carolina, Natalie blends her coastal roots with a modern edge, creating a signature style that is uniquely her own. 

In just a couple of years, Natalie has a garnered a flourishing community of over 92K highly engaged followers. Her influence has led to collaborations with top brands like Saks, Mytheresa, Shopbop, Dillards and more. 

Now based in New York City, she continues to inspire her audience with fresh fashion content set against the backdrop of her new home.

Celina Villarreal is the founder and creator of Margarita Mercantile, a collection of Mexican-inspired clothing and accessories. Each of her garments are made by multi-generational, artisans in Mexico, carrying on a tradition that has been in her culture for hundreds of years. She created her business in 2017 to keep Mexican traditions alive through timeless, handcrafted fashion.

Celina tells us about her childhood in Mexico and the desire she had from a very young age to follow in her father's business footsteps. We hear about her various phases of life,  transitioning from lawyer to stay-at-home-mom and eventually to entrepreneur. 

Lauren Sharkey is a Chicago-based stylist and wardrobe consultant. She began her business, Styled by Lauren Sharkey, in an effort to educate and empower women to curate a closet that authentically resonates and grows with them. Lauren has an active social media presence where she shares daily outfit ideas, seasonal forecasts, trend reports and more. Prior to starting her own styling business, Lauren worked at a business consulting firm.  

We chat about her career growth in the past year, what it has been like transitioning from the corporate world to the creative world and how she has defined her own unique approach to styling. 

Renata Gasparian Lima is the owner and co-founder of RENATA by Renata Gasparian, a women’s ready-to-wear collection based in Charlotte, NC. Renata draws inspiration for her brand from her native country of Brazil and the vibrant culture of India. All of her pieces are handmade and boast beautiful colors, patterns and textures. 

Renata gives us a glimpse into her life growing up in Brazil and eventually landing her dream job at Daslu, a luxury department store in Sao Paulo. At the time, Daslu was considered by many as the mecca of fashion. 

Renata ultimately moved to the U.S. with her husband where she had to, in many ways, rebuild her life. She stayed in touch with her Brazilian connections and began selling their clothing lines in the states. Ultimately, it was her husband who urged her to start her own line of clothes. In 2020, she launched her clothing label and has continued to grow it over the past four plus years.  

Isobel Mills Prescott is a textile designer and fiber artist.  In 2018 she opened her eponymous business ISOBEL and launched her first collection of luxury interior fabrics, which she sells to the trade in showrooms across the country. Fusing her love of shape, scale and surface design, she creates fabrics and wallpapers with both visual and physical texture. Her brand is known for being playful yet sophisticated. 

We hear about Isobel's lifelong passion for creativity and the arts. She speaks candidly about the challenges she faced in the workforce early on,  feeling as if she didn't have a purpose and the long journey to finally believing in herself. We learn the importance of a few key people along the way who noticed her talent and inspired her to never settle. 

McNeely Purcell is the founder and head designer of the eponymous label she established in 2018. Neely’s line of accessories features leather and feather goods including vests, belts, hats, collars, cuffs and more. Neely’s vibrant style shines through in all of her products, making for unique, statement pieces that add flare to any outfit. We talk about the importance of finding creative outlets (especially as a mother), pursuing what brings you joy and never losing sight of your business' end goal. 

Ann Trammell Bakhaus is the owner and buyer at Embellish Collection, a designer clothing boutique in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ann Trammell graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. She started her career in New York where she worked with designers like Diane Von Furstenberg, Oscar De La Renta, and Vince Camuto, to name a few. Most recently,  Ann Trammell ran her own styling business , A.T. Style. We chat about her deep-rooted love for fashion, what it was like navigating the ups and downs of her career early on and the importance of seizing an opportunity when it falls in your lap.