New Orleans Fashion Week and Fashion Week NOLA may be over, but when is fashion ever an irrelevant topic? I’ll answer that question – it isn’t. Fashion is always in style. I don’t know about you, but New Orleans fashion in particular has been prevalent in my thoughts ever since I attended my first local fashion week and realized how much talent we have here in the South. I just can’t say it enough, y’all. Not only is it inspiring and empowering, but it also means I have the chance to display these fine clothes in my closet and brag about the fact that they were made in my city whenever I wear them.
One brand that I find is particularly proud of being designed and manufactured in the South is Jolie and Elizabeth. I’ve been a fan of this line ever since I laid eyes upon it. It’s classic, practical and beautiful – three words I often attribute to myself (hah!). When I saw their Fall 2012 collection on the runway this year I was blown away. It looked to me to be their best line yet, and I can hardly wait to get every piece of it on my body this fall. Inspired by it, I knew I had to interview the dynamic duo behind the self-titled line so I tracked them down. Here’s what Jolie Bensen and Sarah Elizabeth Dewey had to say about the design process, whether or not they wear their own clothes, and how working as a team led them to success.
Jolie Bensen and Sarah Elizabeth Dewey, the masterminds behind Jolie and Elizabeth.
Where are you from?
We were both born in New Orleans, LA. Jolie was raised in New Orleans and Sarah Elizabeth was raised in Dallas, TX.
When did you begin designing and what was/were your first project(s)?
We started Jolie and Elizabeth together in September 2009. It was both of our first projects as far as designing goes; however, we both had extensive training in merchandising, design, market experience and business before we founded our company.
Where did you study fashion/art? Ever study or consider studying other subjects?
We both studied Fashion Merchandising, Design and business at Louisiana State University. Jolie interned at Betsey Johnson offices in NYC before taking a full time position at BCBG corporate offices. We met while Sarah Elizabeth was doing an internship at BCBG in NYC.
What are some advantages and opportunities you feel the city of New Orleans offers to those in the fashion industry? Any disadvantages?
The City of New Orleans takes pride in anything created in New Orleans. We have received so much support and love from our local and regional communities because we make our product here from start to finish. It’s easy for us to be inspired here in New Orleans because of the events that take place here, the locals and the overall atmosphere in general – nobody really judges others here, it’s easy to be yourself. A few disadvantages would be that it is difficult for the city to understand what we do because we are the first company to wholesale and manufacture in New Orleans. Some individuals mistake our company for a small shop when we are much more complicated than that – we wholesale, sell direct to customer and ship all from our factory and our showroom here in New Orleans – this is a completely new concept for the city which can be difficult to understand.
Does New Orleans influence your work at all? What about the other cities you’ve lived in? Any other notable influences?
There are so many events that take here – it is easy for us to design dresses that cater to each of these. The weather and culture influence us often – we want to make comfortable dresses for the heat that are also appropriate for work, festivals, and outdoor events. This is one of the reasons we use seersucker every spring/summer season. It is also a fabric rooted in the South. We are constantly inspired by southern women and take notes on what styles make them feel comfortable and beautiful. Our time in New York did teach us trend forecasting and merchandising skills, but we do not pay excessive attention to trends that come and go. Just because a magazine or runway show says chain metal is in doesn’t mean that look will translate to modern day life.
As a duo, how does the design process work? Do you come up with ideas separately, as a team, or both? Do you find that designing with a partner is helpful? Are there ever any conflicts?
We always say, “we could never have done this alone”. Our partnership is key to our growth and success as a company. We usually have a few weeks just for the designing “process”. Designing with a partner is extremely helpful – we both have different styles and body types therefore we bring our own personalities to each style we design. We spend several days merchandising each collection and picking fabrications and colors. We are almost like a machine during this time – frequently having conversations that we swear only makes sense to us… “where was that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday?” and the other one of us automatically knows.
What are the most important factors you consider when creating a garment/outfit?
The most important factors we consider are fit and end use. As far as fit goes we make sure the garment will be flattering on most women and is comfortable yet functional (adding elastic, where to put a zipper etc.)
“End Use” simply means – where can this garment be worn? If it is a work style we make sure it is appropriate for work but still stylist. If it is a cocktail dress we make sure we offer appropriate lengths and colors while also thinking of specific examples where each garment can be worn. We are both very big on having well merchandised collections – a few dresses for every occasion.
Jolie at work.
What are your favorite materials to work with when making clothing?
We are very big on quality fabrics and tend to steer away from polyester and rayon. We use cotton (seersucker and pique) every spring and summer. We also use silk crepe de chine and silk chiffon on several of our day and cocktail dresses. We have used wool, gabardine, and silk blends in previous collections as well.
Do you wear the clothes you design? Any favorite brands?
We LOVE wearing our own designs. One of the best parts of our brand is that we are the customer we design for – yes, we do have customers significantly older and younger than us; however, we design dresses what we ourselves will wear all year round.
What do you hope that your brand achieves? Do you have an ideal goal for Jolie and Elizabeth – local or national recognition, raising awareness of the importance of American made products, world domination, etc?
We could write a book on all of the goals we have for our company! But I will touch on a few.
We are very committed to spreading awareness of the importance of local manufacturing. It is one of the aspects of our company we take the most pride in. We are very active in our community – speaking at local and regional high schools and colleges spreading awareness not only about our company but also American manufacturing. We would love to have a flagship Jolie and Elizabeth showroom here in New Orleans where we can hopefully employee local men and women in the future. Also, we’d like to be sold in every state across the country – spreading awareness of our brand; a quality product made in America. After that – world domination it is!
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Brooke Larsen is a performer, photographer, and writer from New Orleans, LA. She has a Bachelors degree in History from the University of New Orleans where she now works full-time. Brooke loves comedy – she is in an improv troupe – and fashion – she has a fashion blog and attempts to dress well daily. Her goals are to excel as an artist and to one day work in historic preservation. For more intrigue, visit hellobrookelarsen.com or her blog.
Photos via Jolie and Elzabeth’s Facebook.
