Get To Know Amelia & Hannah, of Amēnah Designs
Introduce yourself to our audience. How did Amēnah come to life?
In 2017, we worked together as corporate buyers in the downtown LA fashion district and quickly realized that we share a similar appreciation for fashion and textiles. We spent our days off sitting in coffee shops and dreaming up what would later become AMĒNAH.
We come from different backgrounds and felt that our combined talent and aesthetic would create a solid foundation for our brand. Amelia graduated with a B.S. in Business Marketing and later graduated from FIDM in Fashion Design, after which she worked as a stylist and designer. Hannah graduated with a B.A. in Foreign Language and studied Fashion Design at FIDM, and later worked in theater costume design. After about nine months of preparation, we quit our jobs and opened AMĒNAH on Laguna Beach.
We heard you both are BFF’s. How long have you been best friends? Where did you meet? How did the friendship turn into a business partnership?
We met through work and didn't know each other previously; it was a stroke of luck that we liked each other, worked well together, and had the same dream of owning our own business! The journey that we shared in starting our own brand - as well as the trials and struggles that we have faced - led to a friendship based off of respect and understanding. We have come to love and appreciate the other so much; we are so thankful for the friendship we have grown.
What is Amēnah’s target audience? What are your key brand values?
As a brand, we value depth. When you purchase a product from our collection, it tells a story. Our candles are hand-poured by refugee women in the US. Our apothecary products, cutting boards, coffee, 14k gold filled jewelry, and pottery are all sourced within Southern California. We develop and value relationships with all of our artists.
We are currently designing a sustainability-conscious clothing line that will be made in Bali. We have envisioned this project from day one and we are thrilled to be at this point! The values we connect with our products have allowed us to develop a sense of trust with our customers. They know that there has been careful time and thought put into each product.
How would you define success? Name some key career milestones so far.
Success is multifaceted...it's a reflection of all that we value in life. To us, having a work-life balance is at the heart of our company. We support each other, which leads to the growth of our business, our passion, and our creativity. Each item is thought-out, from its creation to its fabrication to its impact on the environment and how it helps our community.
Since the establishment of our Laguna Beach location four years ago, we have grown our network of local artisans and are able to share their stories with our customers. Our collection truly means the world to us.
Name some roadblocks that you faced while starting your business and how you overcame them. What advice would you give to women interested in starting fashion-related companies?
As young, first-time, female business owners, we have had to fight to create our vision. Starting a small business is very challenging. You are constantly required to wear different hats and pick things up quickly. One of the biggest challenges was learning to trust ourselves, our knowledge, and our intuition above everything else. When starting our business, we quickly realized that others were not going to understand or trust our ideas like we did. Luckily, we had each other to get over the hurdles and obstacles.
For any who women wish to start their own business, we would say to trust your vision. Take advice from people who are in places that you want to go. Be prepared for the inevitable ups and downs; continue to innovate and think ahead to the future. □
Article Credits
Instagram: @amenahdesigns
Facebook: @amenahdesigns
Pinterest: @amenahdesigns
Website: amenahdesigns.com