Today we’d like to introduce you to Drina Guillet.
Drina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Hi, I’m Drina, the founder and fashionista behind Coutures Boutique. I was born and raised in Haiti and moved to the states with my mother back in 2001. As a little girl, my favorite TV show was America’s Next Top Model. I dreamed of being a runway model or a print model; either way, I just had to be in the fashion industry. I did do print modeling for a while and that was cut short after I was blessed with two beautiful children.
Fast forward 2018, the idea of Coutures Boutique came to light. Where did I get the name? Couture means specific fashionable clothes to a clients requirements and Boutique is a small store with very few selections of fashionable clothing and/or accessories. I chose to be in the fashion industry because the idea of being my own boss will forever be top tier, and also the idea of seeing women embracing themselves through their style of wardrobe from MY BOUTIQUE.
Coutures Boutique was barely talked about to the public, just among close friends and family. Fear of failure and lack of consistency put my dreams on hold up until now. I cannot tell you exactly what overcame my spirit but March 2020, to be exact, I was fueled up. Within two months, my entire vision was ready for the world and it was my time to launch on May 22nd, 2020 (my birthday). It has been a great experience so far and like any entrepreneur, I’ve had bad days and I’ve had good days, but each day I keep working. As we are growing and building, Coutures Boutique will adjust our shop selection based on product popularity and your suggestion.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been easy at all; my first day of launching in May, I made over $1000 in sales, which of course, excites me. In June, my sales were up and down. Then came July; I did almost three weeks of no sales, I wanted to cry lol but I could not give up, after all, I’ve only been open for about 60 days. I was most proud that I was making sales and being recognized. Other struggles was targeting my plus-size audience, most plus size women are very skeptical in ordering online from new stores but I somehow was able to gain their trust through marketing reposting other plus size women in my clothing.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Coutures Boutique – what should we know?
Coutures Boutique is a small store with very few selections of fashionable clothing and accessories. We want every woman to feel confident!! Although we’re small right now, We will be growing, the plan is to extend the store with more options. It’s a lot that I have planned, you’ll just have to stay tuned.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Quality that I feel most important to my success is that I took my time to study the trends as well as taking my time to research things like marketing and finding the right vendors who offer fast shipping for my inventories as well as quality clothing . Before I launched, I used to post A and B pics in my stories and ask my followers ‘this or that’, that gave me an idea of what my female followers found attractive in clothing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.coutures-boutique.com
- Phone: 678-890-7366
- Email: drina@couturesboutique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coutures.boutique/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CouturesBoutiq/
Image Credit:
Photographer: Tosin Fashina
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