Breaking Boundaries

BY JAMI-LYN FEHR HALL

While countless business owners struggled to keep established companies alive during the pandemic's uncertain times, millions of people are bravely launching new concepts within the United States. In fact, across the country, over 3.2 million applications for employer ID numbers have been submitted to date, which is staggering compared to the 2.3 million filed this time last year, according to the US Census Bureau. As for Nashville, the quiet time allotted by quarantine allowed many creatives in our city to flesh out plans for dream businesses, myself included. Through checking in with friends over the past few months, I discovered I wasn't alone in the business development process and grew more inspired with each conversation I had. Here's what to expect from a few of Nashville's newest courageously hopeful endeavors: MODISTE, Nadar, 270 Media & Co., and Saint Maide.

MODISTE

Remember when the year 2020 sounded like it would be monumental due to its resounding futuristic tone? I think it's safe to say it hasn't panned out remotely (no pun intended) how we thought it would. When quarantine began in March, some found inspiration to work out and eat healthier or to focus on home improvement projects. For some unbeknownst reason, amidst the tragic and insurmountable business closures, I felt called to explore starting a business of my own—MODISTE: An upscale destination for emerging and established womenswear designers not found anywhere else in Nashville. The process is (present tense, as it is still very much a work in progress) exhilarating and nervewracking. However, waves of self-doubt are somewhat subdued by Zoom calls with enthusiastic fashion brand representatives and designers—many any of those who I would never have expected to be open to working with a 24-year-old with a vision for elevating Nashville's fashion scene.

I discovered that the entire fashion industry has shifted in many ways in an attempt to roll with COVID-19's punches, starting at the manufacturing level—causing a chain reaction ending with retailers attempting to sell to the consumer. The in-person shopping experience has changed to accommodate cautionary measures that come with a pandemic. Unfortunately, this has led to numerous boutiques either closing or shifting to selling wares exclusively online. For MODISTE, this meant temporarily shelving my original idea of opening a brick and mortar flagship location. This change of plans forced me to focus on unique brand curation (By Far, Bevza, Dion Lee, Les Coyotes de Paris, and Dorothee Schumacher, to name a few) and offer exceptional services in order to entice a Nashville clientele despite being exclusively online.

Being forced to only view collections and fashion shows on a computer screen rather than in person leaves a lot to the imagination. Details such as the fabric texture, weight or the drape of garments shown aren't always easy to determine online, which isn’t to the designers' benefit. Last February, I was attending New York Fashion Week on an editorial assignment. Last month I had five digital showroom appointments as a retailer. Attempting to successfully fulfill the buyer's role without touching or even seeing the clothes first-hand adds another level of concern to an already tricky learning curve. Lastly, making matters slightly more complicated, many Pre-Fall collections shifted to function as the Fall collections, and in turn, forcing Fall collections to become Pre-Spring and so on. Given that MODISTE is set to launch online this season, I have no choice but to ride the waves from this domino-effect mentioned above, which means accepting that a delayed launch is inevitable due to lack of inventory.

Despite the hurdles that have presented themselves over the past few months, I remained determined to bring MODISTE to life. Having moved to Music City several years ago, I've found that while Nashville has an abundance of fashionable women, many are still lacking places to shop specializing in offering new labels that genuinely resonate. Many of these locals often elect to shop in Miami, New York, Atlanta or even Los Angeles. While my desire for an upscale shopping experience inspired MODISTE's creation, I believe that many women in this area will echo my passion and excitement for a welledited collection of unique and exquisitely designed pieces.

GRACE PENIX and NADAR

While it’s no surprise that professional model Grace Penix thrives in front of the camera donning the latest fashions, behind closed doors during quarantine she grew determined to become Nashville’s purveyor of top-notch swim and loungewear.

In early 2020 while Grace was working in the Big Apple, she was struck with what she described as an "a-ha moment": creating swimwear that actually fits. While Grace had toyed with the idea of launching a brand, it wasn't until that point in New York City that she realized what she needed to create. In the middle of a restaurant on a work trip to Chicago, she began conceptualizing and sketching out designs. The world shut down her plans with quarantines starting a few days later, which put an abrupt stop to her modeling assignments. The silver lining from her modeling opportunities being put on hold was the free time to push her Nadar concept forward. Because Grace has chosen to have her pieces manufactured in Los Angeles, her sampling process has

proceeded without the significant delays that come with manufacturing overseas. That doesn't exclude her from having fears or doubts in both herself and her developing brand. Determining the "why" for Nadar is an essential component of what keeps Grace moving forward. This, coupled with friends that keep her accountable and support from those who she's shared her thoughts with: "Whenever I have those days of contemplating why I ever got myself into this whole thing, I remember the people who believe in this."

Swimwear fit has been a personal pain point for Grace, and many of the women she's spoken to about Nadar have been in agreement. In addition to the fact, Nashville is landlocked; this specific design struggle is forcing Grace to push the typical swimwear design boundaries. She's aiming "to create something beyond the pool and beach—pieces that aren't just going to sit in your closet 90% of the time but can be integrated into your wardrobe weekly." Nadar is situated to launch Spring 2021 with a handful of pieces crafted from unique fabrics in even more unique silhouettes designed specifically with individual women's bodies in mind.

JORDON PETTY and 270 MEDIA & CO.

In February of 2020, Jordon Petty quit her agency job, where she served as the Director of Digital Marketing and Strategy with a plan to "dive into artist management fulltime to see where it would lead." Then, the pandemic hit. Like most industries, the music business was impacted deeply. With artists no longer able to tour or perform, the need for social media, content and press of any kind felt futile. Jordon knew she needed to pivot in her pursuit of this endeavor but wasn't exactly sure what that looked like. "Candidly," she said, "I kept shutting down the idea of owning my own media company out of fear, and I give credit to my family and friends who constantly encouraged me to take a leap of faith." As far as pushing forward, Jordon didn't have a choice. Despite any fears she had, she didn't "have a plan B to fall back on" and didn't focus on the negative. Jordon explains, "it would have been easy to focus on the fact that I am a woman on her own, and unemployed in a global pandemic without a clue on how to start a business. However, that wouldn't get me very far."

Now that she's on her feet, Jordon has found her happiness lies in choosing who she works with. She only chases projects and clients that she's truly passionate about, including The Dry House, Music City Baseball, Ray Fulcher and Tyler and Hayley Hubbard among others. The music world is where Jordon's heart lies, and she can't imagine a career in any other industry. She loves the hustle and the rollercoaster of emotions entertainment includes, and flourishes while helping friends that are "chasing that neon rainbow" alongside her by bringing their visions to life. She moved to Nashville immediately after graduating from the University of Kentucky to pursue this path and "has never looked back." Well, except for the fact that her business name nods at her beloved hometown. After toying with what felt like over 100 names, she settled on '270', the area code where she grew up. According to Jordon, "putting that in the forefront of what I do each day forces me never to forget where I came from."

TENNESSEE JANE and SAINT MAIDE

The pandemic has put many people out of work and requires a fair amount of ingenuity to keep busy. This statement certainly rings true for Tennessee Jane. After she lost her job amidst COVID-19 cutbacks, she found herself on a plane from San Francisco to Nashville, which she now calls home. She was looking to work in a creative field after years of experience from positions in fashion, makeup artistry, and marketing in New York City. One late evening during quarantine, Tennessee (Tenny for short) found herself struck with inspiration, and the idea for Saint Maide was born. She set the goal of starting her own business early on in life but didn't expect

it to happen until some time in the future. She has astutely dubbed 2020 as "the great accelerator"— noting that this venture "took shape far sooner than [she] thought it would." Ready or not, Tenny decided to launch Saint Maide into the world market.

During a time where everything seems fleeting to all of us, Tenny looks to dried floral arrangements, both elaborate and simple, as a source of perpetual beauty with a touch of nostalgia. In creating Saint Maide, she aims to inspire the joy of being reminded of a floral arrangement you'd find at your parents' or grandparents' homes as a child. She's now selling her dried botanical concept in arranged form from her Nashville base, shipping across the country. Saint Maide may be a new business but working with flowers isn't new for Tenny. While working and living in NYC, she began to dabble in a floral design side hustle as a means of staying creative in her downtime. She knew from the start that she didn't want to dive into the traditional floral route of only designing for grand events. Instead, she was attracted to dried bouquets' unique nature and the (quite literally) lasting impression they have.

The story of Saint Perpetua had always inspired Tenny, so she wasn't surprised when the name Saint Maide popped into her mind late one evening during quarantine. She describes the name as "both divinely inspired and feminine, which speaks to both the inspiration and intention behind the brand." With each arrangement, she gives extended life to the flowers and botanicals that she incorporates into various styles, which is also entirely sustainable for the environment compared to fresh florals. Tenny could not have been more spot-on in describing one word that defines Saint Maide—reincarnation. Her airy, natural creations are the perfect addition to any home (or office), adding timeless appeal, color, and texture to any space.