Sometimes inspiration—and more importantly, know-how—can come in uncomfortable places. Sarah Cunningham was miserable in her first real job after college. But she was learning the ropes of fashion and getting one step closer to her dream: opening her very own store. And A Lovely Universe is the realization of that dream; a lifestyle shop in…
Leading Ladies
Rachel Olsen
When Rachel Olsen started asking entrepreneur friends for advice, her aim was to avoid missteps when she eventually pursued her own business venture. With product ideas filling her mind Rachel began interviewing – and videotaping – momprenuers (a mom/entrepreneur hybrid) to educate herself. As her library of interviews grew right along with her knowledge, Rachel…
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Leading Ladies
Andrea Schroder
Andrea Schroder started making candles at her California farmhouse to give as a keepsake gift for friends and family who visited. What started as a small project in her kitchen has now become a luxury company. Andrea is a lifestyle personality, designer and creator of “The Poetry of Fragrance” line of luxury candles. Each candle is…
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Leading Ladies
Samantha Litvak
Samantha Litvak advises, “Follow your heart but use your brain.” And her heart has always been firmly planted in a pair of dance shoes. Majoring in sociology, Samantha decided during her junior year of college that she owed it to herself to try and turn her passion into a profession. Seventy tries (yes, seven-zero) later,…
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Leading Ladies
Kendall Herbst
When Kendall Herbst switched from working as a Conde Nast fashion editor to getting her MBA at MIT, she found she had a lot less time to think about what she was going to wear (a feeling we know all too well!). But Kendall still wanted to feel fashionable. So, Kendall combined her fashion and…
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Leading Ladies
Yulia Laricheva
For Yulia Laricheva, it all began with a pencil, some wallpaper graffiti and (we’re guessing) one not-so-happy mother. Yulia did, however, put her anti-establishment beginnings to good use, combining her love for art, textiles, storytelling and fashion into Loup Kids. And now Yulia is creating her vision one piece at a time, building her budding…
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Leading Ladies
Hattie Collins Moll
Hattie Collins is a big believer in life décor—the sum of outfitting yourself, your home and your life. With her total approach to personal style, Hattie established her very own boutique and lifestyle brand in 2012, and now Hattie Sparks New Orleans is a one-stop shop for filling your closet, adorning your walls or finding…
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Leading Ladies
Jessie Becker
Jessie Becker has always had an eye for fashion, but what she had less of an eye for was putting her ideas into action. She often found that the procrastinator in her was a little too proficient at putting things off. “My passion for fashion design was always there; I had just always underestimated time.”…
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Leading Ladies
Brittany Carinci
Just one short year ago, Brittany Carinci spent a large chunk of her downtime scanning and scrutinizing pages of fashion blogs with sorority sisters; dreaming of accessorizing her self-proclaimed “girl crushes” in baubles. She decided it was time to realize that dream when, at age 21, she became the co-founder of Armed & Readi, a…
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Leading Ladies
Kyra Williams
The realization that she was unhappy with how she felt in her body led Kyra Williams to trade her quintessential collegiate existence of beer, ramen and late nights for one of whole foods and dumbbells. While it wasn’t an easy transformation, it was one that had a pretty dramatic effect: thirty pounds lighter and in…