Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in clothing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lea Enderlin, Co-Founder of La Femme Apéro, located in New York, NY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

La Femme Apéro is an ethical RTW clothing brand that launched in 2021 in NYC. The brand is the culmination of our many years of friendship and adventures in the fashion industry, both in Paris and NYC. The brand focuses on timeless yet trend-right silhouettes with an ethical mindset, from fabric sourcing to capsule collection drops. We work around the idea of a wardrobe, designing easy and chic styles that will be relevant for a long time. Our customers are city-center millennial women that are looking for a curated wardrobe of timeless, high-quality, and versatile looks for any event and season. We encourage them to feel happy, confident, and in love with themselves!

Tell us about yourself

My co-founder Sarah and I have been friends for years, we moved to the US from France for our careers around the same time, and we have worked in fashion for about a decade. We had the idea for La Femme Apéro because we had difficulty shopping for clothes as the late 20s/early 30s independent women with spending power. We wanted a contemporary brand that worked with our dual fashion sense: the Parisian’s outfit repeating, versatile chic from day to night, and wearability, but also NYC’s freedom, boldness, and sexy way of dressing. We struggled to find a brand that not only filled those needs but also satisfied our ethical standards, and we realized that was a struggle for a lot of other women in our demographic. We want to share our vision with an audience that is longing for authenticity and style guidance. That is what motivates us every day; We think fashion should be more intentional and clothes should be about feeling good about yourself, first and foremost.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Having built a great business partnership on top of our friendship and being able to pivot. Your business will always evolve, and you need to have a vision of where you want to go; however, sometimes, the business will take you in a direction you did not expect, and it’s important to learn how to go with it! For example, we had a super successful first wholesale season, which was a big accomplishment at the time, but we realized this distribution model was not sustainable for us, so we switched gears and are now taking another route. We love the constant need to adapt and change.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Uncertainty and the lack of control - we can do the best we can and work our hardest, but sometimes it’s not enough, or things do not happen as quickly as we would like, and it’s hard not to take it personally. Some days will bring success, and some will bring a lot of challenges. The most important thing is to trust your vision and learn how to detach the business from yourself - you’re in this for the long run, so you can’t let the ups and downs rule your emotions!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Make sure you surround yourself with people that are in a similar situation as you are, entrepreneurs and business owners that can understand what you are going through. Community is very important to keep moving forward. Even people who are in a completely different field than you can be a great support and bring a good perspective and knowledge on the areas where you might be lacking.
  2. Figure out what are the areas where you cannot compromise on cost for your business and make sure to spend the necessary amount on those; we’ve learned that sometimes trying to go with the cheaper options will result in more spending to fix things! For us, it was our website and the choice of our first atelier; we made a mistake for both and had to pay more for it at the end!
  3. The most important is to trust your vision and to learn how to detach the business from yourself - you’re in this for the long run, so you can’t let the ups and downs rule your emotions!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://lafemmeapero.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaFemmeApero/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lafemmeapero/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/la-femme-apéro/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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