WORDS: AMY SESSIONS
Luce Minimale - Black Dhs695 FEMME; Luce Minimale in Coco Python Dhs695 FEMME
Fierce Feet
What do your first 30 mins of the day look like, your morning routine? I am totally not the earliest riser as I work really late into the night with my factories that are overseas, and I oversee all design and production aspects of the business at night and the business aspects during the day. My phone has my attention for the first 30 minutes of the day. Two of my children are in college and the baby of the family is a teen so is off to school very early every morning, so my mornings are pretty much work related. Checking emails, social media for press and confirming my schedule for the day. What is the DNA of the brand, its core values? Our core values are our brand mission. To create footwear that is sustainable, vegan and ethically produced. To create something that can be worn in Hollywood on red carpets yet be accessible and reasonably priced for everyone to access. Most people can’t afford a designer heel that cost $500+. I wanted to create something for everyone. The brand is handmade to order – why did you choose to scale the business in this way? With fashion being the second largest global polluter through mass production, we only wanted to produce what is ordered. With Covid and delays associated with closures
64 emirateswoman.com
EW_102021_P64-65_Femme La.indd 64
and restrictions, we are now going to stock some of our best sellers in order to meet consumer demand and keep up with these unprecedented times. You’re conscious of sustainability as a brand, tell us how you manage to incorporate this as a young brand? Since our inception I aimed for vegan, sustainable and ethical production. The future is sustainable production. As I mentioned, fashion is the second largest global polluter, climate change is a serious problem and I feel we all must do our part to lessen our participation in factors that directly harm our home “our planet”. It’s a never-ending learning process but it’s the only way. How did you know it was the right time to launch FEMME and what formed the idea for the initial designs? FEMME started off with clothing in 2014. I was already in e-commerce running a multi-brand store selling other designers. I decided to create a clothing collection for fun. I did not think I would make a career of it. FEMME was successful early on with influencers and celebrity placement. Sales increased, so I began to take it more seriously, my team grew immensely, it was no longer a hobby. I put everything I had into the business. Despite all of this with fast fashion peaking in its success I could not
compete. Sales diminished and we could not stay afloat, and I had to shrink my team to juts two people, my assistant and myself. We literally handled everything: shipping, customer care, production, every aspect of the brand. I was close to depleting my savings at this point, so I brainstormed and went back to the drawing board. I found a gap in the market for vegan women’s designer footwear. I always wanted to design and produce footwear. I love heels. I went to work, researched, tested out materials, factories and this is how FEMME footwear was born. I went straight to work learning everything I could. I phased clothing out and went full force ahead with footwear. I teamed up with my PR firm Lux Life and together we grew FEMME back up from scratch. You’re based in LA – how was the brand discovered by the likes of Hailey Bieber that have grown visibility of the brand? “If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” - Bill Gates Late 2018, when FEMME clothing was at its lowest point, this quote kept appearing. I do believe in timing and signs and I believe I was meant to see that quote, repeatedly. It would literally stalk me on social media and across the internet. I began analyzing and re-
IMAGES: SUPPLIED
FEMME was founded by CEO & Head of Design Janis Tello. A single mother of three, in her mid 30s with no formal design training she tells us how “hard work, dedication, and persistence” allowed her to make her dream a reality
FAS H I O N
9/30/21 12:44 PM
