Persistence and Passion Brew Success.

After leaving her native country of Russia, Natalia Luke, Founder of Narcissism Is Not A Sin, is writing her own American Dream. As an emerging designer, Natalia has presented for the first time at Seattle Fashion Week and graciously offers her insights into starting a fashion business.

How did moving to the US inspire you to leave your previous career and start a fashion brand?
My husband and I traveled to America and enjoyed the culture and decided to relocate; it felt right. I was a network engineer in Moscow, but felt like I  had followed that career path as far as I could and needed a new challenge and a means for expressing myself creatively. I always enjoyed sewing, knitting, and crocheting so I talked to my husband about enrolling in an apparel design program and he was supportive. I felt like for the first time in my life I was in the right place doing the right things.

What do you feel is your greatest achievement to-date for your brand?

When a bespoke customer gets something they like, and wears it, and posts pictures of it, and loves it and wants to come back to do more that’s the ultimate! It’s a different challenge. It doesn’t have to be my idea. People have really interesting ideas. Seriously!

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced in starting your business?

People buy brands from department stores because of the brand recognition, so if people don’t know you it’s more of a challenge to communicate your value. The challenge is that when you sell wholesale to a department store the margin is very low. For example, Nordstrom doesn’t want to pay $500 for a coat, they may pay $100, but in order to make a profit selling a coat for $100 I would need to order high quantities overseas instead of producing here in Seattle. It’s very expensive. Everything I earn goes back into the business. Finding the right people to guide you, and meeting the right store owners to see your lookbook and samples is important now. Another designer who sells in Seattle says that you can’t be disappointed because it can take five years before you start to turn a profit. Networking is number one.

How do you personally stay motivated?

It took me five months to produce my FW17 collection to show at Seattle Fashion Week, but I love it! You have to have the passion. When I finally saw my entire collection, all at once—on real people not hangers—it’s totally different; it’s so cool! In Seattle I think it’s also important to teach people that just because it’s rainy doesn’t mean you have to wear a raincoat all year round. I’d love to see if I can impact the local fashion scene.

How has your creative process evolved over time?

It’s important to sketch. I take lots of time to just sketch. No fabrics. No sewing. I look at my sketches and pick the pieces that I just can’t look at anymore and that becomes the collection. There’s some magic behind it. If you love a sketch you start wondering how you could change it; the design process is not done. But if you have a strong feeling like you can’t look at it anymore, you know you have to sew it; the design process is finished. I really love them afterwards.

How do you balance the need to sell with your own need to be true to your artistic vision?

I’m inspired by strong geometry like origami and I also really like Japanese street fashion. In Seattle I’ve found that the consumers prefer athletic wear so I edit my pieces to be more casual.

How do you plan to scale your business?

For now, the most important part is to find loyal customers here. In bigger markets like California there’s so much competition. You have to make clothes and ship them to bloggers or stylists and hope that they wear it, take a picture of it, and post it. Instead, I go to fashion events here in Seattle. I wear my stuff so when people ask, “What are you wearing?,” I can say that I’m wearing my own line. I try to meet local bloggers and ask them to wear the clothes. If I know they love a piece and will wear it on a regular basis I occasionally gift it to them.

What do you think is missing from Fashion today?

Sportswear is taking over casualwear. I'd love to see more people choosing sophisticated, better quality outfits that are still comfortable.

Natalia’s FW16 collection will be available online and photos from her Seattle Fashion Week show are on instagram. Thank you and I wish you continued success!