Despite the awful rain in San Francisco the day I met Jena Wang and Lindsay McConnon for this interview, they were still looking as fabulous as ever. In fact, they were the most fashionable people in the building.
Lindsay McConnon and Jena Wang of Velvet Brigade.
As retirees of the retail corporate world, Wang and McConnon channeled their love for fashion and an entrepreneurial spirit into Velvet Brigade, a website where budding designers can submit their fashion sketches for a chance to get their design produced. (They submit, we vote — think American Idol meets Project Runway.)
The main purpose of Velvet Brigade is to create the opportunity for anyone who loves clothes to have a voice in the fashion industry. “We feel that trends are totally different in certain parts of the country,” says McConnon. “What may be in style in California may be completely different from the style in Texas.”
The first group of winning designs that Velvet Brigade has produced.
And it’s not just American style. For Wang, she’s inspired by the fashion in her native Taiwan, where she travels every year. “I love the fashion out there,” she says. “I like to take home with me a few fashion pieces, and see when it plays in the U.S.” McConnon looks to different decades, especially after she inherited a trunk full of vintage clothing. “My dad kept a whole trunk of his clothing from the ’60s and ’70s, and I loved all the pieces I would see,” she says.
Submit your design at Velvet Brigade.
Wang and McConnon met while working as buyers for Macy’s. Where they were once predicting trends for consumers, the duo is now giving consumers a chance to have a say in what trends they want to see. Go to www.velvetbrigade.com to submit your own design!
Related Articles
That’s right! Audrey Magazine is looking to fill the following positions: 1. One (1) Writer/Assistant Editor (Part-time) 2. Two (2) Editorial Interns (Part-time) Be a part of a dynamic, fast-paced and friendly team here at Audrey Magazine. We’re a small company so you’ll be getting lots of hands-on experience! We require a minimum of 20 [...]
I love fast fashion — I’m too much of a chameleon and suffer from fashion-ADD, so I need my fast fashion fix as often as I need coffee. But one spring trend featured in Audrey Magazine’s Spring issue – bold florals — I can’t get enough of. In both bright prints (Liberty of London’s collection [...]
I’ll admit it. There was a time — a long, long time ago, mind you — when I would’ve killed to wear Vera Wang down the aisle. I mean, a Vera Wang gown on your wedding day was the ultimate in “You’ve Made It” prestige. Anyone who was anyone got married in Vera Wang. Alas, [...]
When it comes to my wedding (which will probably be many years later), I would say I’m pretty traditional and would most likely stick to wearing a white wedding dress on that very special day. When I see any gowns of different color I just don’t think wedding – let alone black. Vera Wang, one [...]
Wanna see your photo in print? This is your last chance to show us what “winter” or “the holidays” mean to you! Maybe snow angels? Maybe partying it up on New Year’s? Maybe all the resolutions you failed to keep in 2010? Regardless, we want to see it! We want to see what “winter” (specifically, [...]
[...] Join the Velvet Brigade | Audrey Magazine ISSUE: Spring 2011 DEPT: DestinAsian STORY: Anna M. Park Plaid Doctrine Suzanne Park appreciates a sturdy travel bag — she's logged + miles herself as a former corporate exec. super-weak sake drink. Who knew Japan is considered one of the “big five” whisky producing countries, along with Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the U.S. And with whisky cocktails all the rage right now, it's a good time to expand your bar menu repertoire beyond fruity, [. ] [...]