Today we’d like to introduce you to Shatava Lindsey.
Shatava, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Originally from Chattanooga, TN, I developed a love for fashion at an early age but it was not until college at Tennessee State University that I truly realized I needed to step into fashion to solve problems associated with curvy women feeling empowered, and confident in finding quality clothing to fit. Before I started my custom brand, OURGLASS, I would spend hours trying to find clothes to fit me because of my figure.
After growing completely frustrated, I sought to create a fashion brand where women of all sizes could purchase clothing items and feel confident about their purchase. The vision of OURGLASS came about because I wanted to create my own unique brand, utilizing quality fabrics that would fit a woman like no other. The name OURGLASS came from the concept of looking at every woman’s figure like their “Glass” so in essence, My Glass (referring to my figure), Your Glass (referring to another woman’s figure), OURGLASS – referring to the Figures of all Curvy women.
Since creating OURGLASS, I have graced the stages of numerous NYFW shows as well as other large cities to showcase this empowering brand. In recent years, I opened two boutique locations – Runway Boutique (Nashville, TN, and Atlanta, GA), because of my love for putting on Runway Shows.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Growing a business is never easy. It requires so much time and focus. I work on a part of my business everyday which allows me to move ahead because I put in the work. There’s no easy way to do it. You must put in the work. There will always be struggles in business. The main struggle I see is marketing and support. In owning a custom design brand, people have to truly believe in your brand. The struggle is reaching the people to get them to believe. Marketing is such an important aspect of business and this is why I spend so much time on it. Closed mouths don’t get fed so you must tell everyone. There’s always someone who will take a liking in what you are doing. So find your target customers and continue to provide items that they truly love.
I tell girls that are getting into this industry to work hard to let the world know about your brand and the services that you provide. No one will support and shop with you if they don’t know who you are. You have to look at every person with your elevator pitch in mind. If you have a few seconds to tell someone about your brand, what do you say? Master that! Because that is going to get you a long way with building your brand.
OurGlass – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
OURGLASS is a clothing brand aimed at celebrating the sexy and unique make-up of a woman. The brand is geared towards shapely women, from small to plus size. As a brand, I aim to supply women with clothing that fit to perfection. Not only does the company lavish the everyday woman with nice and quality clothing, we pride ourselves in creating a brand aimed at making a woman feel confident in her unique figure.
OURGLASS is unique because of our custom fitting clothing designs. We provide custom fit jeans made in the US with exceptional denim fabric. Each jean style was created to flatter the curves of the OURGLASS customer. Along with the jean styles, we also provide custom bodysuits, dresses, and tops that truly accentuate a woman’s curves.
What makes me so proud about owning this company is that I know I am filling a void. Women struggle to find quality clothing to fit them and this is solving that issue. As women, we have a variety of body types and it’s important to find clothing items that are best for our body type. In creating custom clothing, we take your measurements, you choose your color, and we can sew up the design.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is creating goals and accomplishing those goals. This is so important. We have to strive to want to be and do more. I have a journal that I write in constantly. At the start of the year, I write down yearly goals that I want to accomplish and I think big. I like to wow myself even when I am writing the goals down. I look at them all as a challenge. From there, Every week on Sunday, I write down my goals for the coming week. I work the entire week to get those goals accomplished and believe me, I push myself so there are quite a lot.
And I do this week after week. Some people think you have to see huge levels of progress in order to feel like you are accomplishing your goals, however, I believe that the small things add up. It’s truly about building that foundation to create a flourishing business and those small things that you do weekly add so much value. In order to truly create a successful brand, you must learn everything there is about your business and taking the time to work on those small and tedious tasks will prepare you for the larger tasks that are the key to your success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.
shopourglass.com - Phone: 615-933-8580
- Email: shopourglass@gmail.
com - Instagram: @shopourglass, @iamshatava (personal)
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopourglass
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shopourgl
ass
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