Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanjuria Willis.
Hi Tanjuria, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Most people define themselves as some intersection of their personal and professional life: mother, wife, business owner, entrepreneur, etc. It can be very simple and sometimes even comforting to use ready-made labels to define our lives. But I have spent my lifetime refusing to settle for the simple. I wanted more. I love style and I love to share this passion for personal style with others, coaching them to uncover their own personal brand of self-expression through clothing, color, attitude, accessories, and self-acceptance. My motto is: Clothing is Energy; Energy leads to confidence; Confidence promotes productivity and Productivity leads to success.
I spent over three decades doing the unexpected. After pursuing a corporate career in electrical engineering for a nuclear manufacturing plant, she took a leap of faith in herself and accepted a role that saw me traveling the world, deregulating energy companies. Fate put me in the path of my next big adventure, and in 2002 I founded and began publishing Connect Magazine, which ran successfully until 2010, where I took a break to focus on herself and start a family.
In 2014, I returned to the fashion world with a splash, opening my own luxury consignment boutique, eKlozet, in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, GA. The company is focused on helping women embrace their beautiful, both inside and out, while positively impacting the environment with a sustainable story.
Since its inception, I have procured clothing from the set of Own TV’s Greenleaf, produced fashion shows for the French Chamber of Commerce as well as the eKlozet runway show, been a finalist for a Moxie Award, become a member of the Female Founder Collective and became one of fifteen women-owned businesses selected for the 2020 City of Atlanta WEI Cohort, a graduate of the first City of Atlanta Office of International Affairs Women Export University Cohort in 2021 and a graduate of the first GMEN Women’s Cohort in 2022.
I am the founder and creator of Atlanta Sustainable Fashion Week (ATLSFW) created to bridge the gap between consumers and sustainable fashion brands with the goal of building a zero carbon emissions footprint.
I am currently utilizing her technology expertise to develop an app which will make it easier for people to develop, evolve and refine their personal fashion essence utilizing the clothing already in their closets.
I believe: “Your style leadership is a choice in confidence and not about title, tenure or position. Individualism is for everyone, every day. It’s about how you should style your life.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I started eKlozet Designer Consignment with absolutely no retail experience at all. I was simply a lover of clothing and was on a mission to show women the beautiful and unique of previously loved clothing. And having one of a kind pieces. One of my first challenges was not only learning how retail works but add the best or retail consignment. I didn’t have a mentor that I knew in the business so there was a lot of trial and error. Many of the consignment stores in the city specifically the designer ones have been around for a long time. Consignment is about trust and it takes a while for people to trust you with their things especially designer things. We get over that because we make sure our clients receive a personal experience providing wine, beverages and even snacks while adding personal styling services. We also make sure each piece has been 100% authenticated. I wasn’t well known in the fashion industry. I was an engineer. I had a lot of people asking who is this girl but it didn’t stop me. As a small women and black-owned business, funding is more difficult to come by. I have been bootstrapping and self-funding and so I have be more creative with how I market and build the business. I founding Atlanta Sustainable Fashion Week because I want save the planet and eradicate textiles from the landfills one garment at a time. That’s a challenge.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I decided to start a consignment boutique, one of my primary goals were to help people to love their closets. So that’s my focus. When women come to my boutique I want them to relax, so I consult with them for a few minutes, pull items for them. I am known for taking people out of their comfort zones and helping them to see themselves in clothing that they’ve admired but didn’t think they could wear. One of my proudest eKlozet moments was seeing a look I styled at the podium after the client won an EMMY and see Atlanta Sustainable Fashion Week realized with three days of ‘fundutainment’ (my word) featuring sustainable designers, showcasing businesses and discussion panels about fast fashion and sustainable living. What sets me apart is this is not just about money. I actually love what I do and that’s what my clients see. I won’t let a client leave the store if they don’t love the piece. If you hesitate in the store, you will hesitate at home and never wear so why buy it. I care about my clients and the environment. The difference is I marry that to style. That’s what fashion should be about.
How do you define success?
I’ve learned that I am most critical of myself, however when I look at what I’ve done, I must smile. I’ve created a designer consignment business (eklozet.com) from the ground up with no background in the industry. While there have been sustainable summit events or even sustainable fashion shows, I’ve founded and launched the very first Atlanta Sustainable Fashion Week (atlsfw.com), an international multi-day annual event of panelists, vendors, demonstrations and high fashion runway shows featuring experts and designers from all over the world. I have an amazing daughter and husband that supports me through it all. That’s success.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@eklozet.com
- Website: https://eklozet.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/eklozet
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/eklozet
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/eklozet
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIZg96D1BMpLr_d9sJ6-3AQ
- Other: https://atlsfw.com
Image Credits
Peter Sylvester – PS Pictures Todd Barron Photography Greg Willis Phaedra
