Full name?: Kendra Elise Valton
Position / Job title?: Owner and Designer of Elise by Elise
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? When I was very little, I wanted to be a Veterinarian because I loved animals so much. By the age of 9 or 10, I definitely wanted to be a clothing designer.
2. Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position? I worked in fashion retail in New York City for 10 years, but I never stopped creating my own collections. I would work full time for whatever employer I was with, and then I would go home and work on Elise by Elise. I really created this position of being a designer out of the love I have for fashion and art.
3. Did you have to take on internships to get there? How important in general, do you think, are internships? I never was an intern, so I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I have heard some not so great things from friends that have been interns in the fashion industry. I feel like I learned so much from working “paying” jobs, that being an intern would be the same thing just without a check! I think it depends on what you are striving for, and also what your strengths and weaknesses are. Starting out as an independent designer, I needed help in money management, so I had various jobs working alongside buyers and merchants. This helped me learn how manage my finances, even with a limited budget. Maybe if you are not so great in fabric sourcing, working at a fabric store would be ideal!
4. Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts? A typical day for me starts with my regular nine to five outside of Elise by Elise. I work as a Merchandise Assistant with an international lingerie company. Then I go home to do my work as a designer for Elise by Elise. A day for me consists of emailing or calling my seamstress, fabric sourcing, balancing my budget sketching and imagining what the next collection will be.
5. What is the biggest career mistake you’ve ever made? I don’t look at anything I have ever done as a mistake. In developing your own career, independent of already established companies, there will be mistakes. These learning curves should be your guides to success and you should without a doubt learn from them.
6. What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to other career-minded women? Don’t ever give up! Even when you are the only person who believes in you, never give up.
7. Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important? Quality of life is extremely important to me because I’m a mom. I want to tuck my two little ones in and see them when they wake up. I never obligate myself to something that will take me away from that. As my career progresses, I’m sure there will times when I will have to sacrifice. I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
8. On that note, do you think women can have it all? Both the baller career, and the happy family? I absolutely think a woman can have it all. The mistake some women make is thinking it will all settle together at the same time. I had to put a collection on hold because of the birth of my son and daughter, but months later I got back to work!
9. If you could look into a crystal ball and see 20 years into your future, what would you want to see? Wow 20 years is a long time! I would want to see my children happy and healthy, an international Elise by Elise house of couture and me and my husband vacationing in the Caribbean.
10. Do you have any career role models? Who are they? Too many to name! So many women have paved the way for us to reach for our dreams. Not only in the fashion industry but in Law, protest, medicine, biology and so much more.
11. What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received – career-related or otherwise? People have given advice in every area of my life and I take it all in stride. I can’t say that anyone has given me that “golden nugget” advice that I cherish to this day.
12. Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world…” When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality? I didn’t make any assumptions on how I thought the “real world” was. All I knew was that I wanted to make my dreams come true and I would let nothing stand in my way. I also knew I wanted to look fabulous while doing it 🙂
13. Should you work for the money, or do what you love? Both.
14. How important is money to you when considering a job? Very.
15. What is the single most important factor of a job? It depends on the person and what they are looking to achieve. For me, I have to know that I will learn something that will benefit me in the long run.
16. If you married a millionaire husband and didn’t have to work, would you? (Be honest.) Being completely honest, yes! I would never give up my desire to be a designer because my husband had lots of money. Independence is priceless.
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