I met the two entreprenerus at their midtown office in the middle of the fashion district in New York. Once I arrived inside I headed straight for the elevator and up to the 9th floor. I remember becoming more and more excited as the floor numbers in the elevator got higher and higher, I felt like I was getting ready to discover something new and BIG! As I entered their office I immediately caught eyes with two sewers who seemed to be working diligently, they both smiled at me and returned to their duties. As I stepped in further, I came to a full scene of machinery, manequins, drapping fabrics, and two huge windows that looked onto a New York fashion business block. I was then greeted by a woman named Connie who I would later find out was the pattern maker for the business. Once I gave her my name and the reason for my arrival she then directed me into the office of Bree Chambers and Pam Elden. I had previously met Pam at the gym that I work at (Equinox) where she was doing a trunk show. Once she and I were re-acquainted she introduced me to her business partner Bree...and then the session began. Bree and Pam met in their yoga instructor training class they both had been attending. They were on their way to becoming two of the best yoga teachers that New York had to offer. There was only one problem, why didn't they feel like they were on their way to being so great? Something about getting up everyday and going to class in what seemed to almost be pajamas was killing their confidence. It wasnt't that their job title wasn't rewarding to them, it was the build up that lead to that point that seemed like it should have been a little more encouraging. They had been in class most of the day and didn't have the time to go home and change out of their yoga attire in order to deal with their personal lives. Once they got dressed for class that was the outfit of the day, the entire day! I could only assume that this had to be a bit of a struggle for the pair, here were two beautiful educated women taking action on further educating themselves and trying to look good while doing it, the problem was they weren't neccessarily able to. Of course they weren't looking for a full on stylist with hair and make-up at their beck and call, but they did want to look and feel good in their everday schedules. Bree and Pam both decided why not create a clothing line of active-wear that was not only functionable and comfortable, but also something you felt you looked presentable and fashionable in. From these two very thoughts and inspiration from the deity Ganesha muraled on their classroom wall came the perfect solution, they would call it Nesh (shortened from Ganesha). It was here when Bree knew that this is where her Parson's school of design degree and her 12 years in the fashion industry would be put to perfect use. For Pam, she was finally able to feed that passion for fashion she had and put her years of business experience to great use, and the two decided to embark on this journey together!
Nesh is not a company one would neccessarily put into a specific classification in terms of style. In fact, one could say that this line targets many different groups of individuals and their styles. Part of the foundation of this company is the idea to tend to the likes of both the high-end individual as well as the low-end or everyday indivdual. The owners here find the mentality for both groups of people to be the same, that is why they do their best not to do what they call "design by numbers." To them the fashion industry, much like everything else in the world, is focused on designing or creating not to only stay relevent or on top but to keep the cost of producing it as low as possible, even if that means totally re-designing the piece. A design could easily start off looking the way the designer intended for it to look but when the cost to create the piece is determined several alterations take place just to keep that number low instead of staying true to it's original form of great design. This trend has easily made it's way throughout fashion houses all over the world causing creativity to be affected due to price, the result...lack of design. However for Nesh, they do aim to save money and lower cost expense for themselves, but their focus is more on the individual who buys their clothing and what it does for them. They ensure that the designs they decide to put out is of nothing but quality. The quality that the college student is looking for to wear throughout her day of classes or the quality that gives that stay-at-home mother a little more confidence while out with her children running errands. Of course we all know that quality comes at a higher cost so how can they possibly be saving money? The answer is quite simple, become a U.S. sourced company, or in other words..."Home-Grown"! Nesh has started as a small U.S. company but is growing at a rapid pace. The fabrics for their designs comes straight from L.A. shortening their turn-around time and helps make the production process alot more efficient. For these two business women it is crucial that they have variety in their buying and they aim only for top sellers, to successfully do this they only can depend on their own personal sense of style and education on fashion. Even though they are a smaller company that's currently making more of a national mark, they respectfully treat their business as if it were a major global brand, such as Nike or Addidas. This business tactic is what keeps them on the rise while also keeping them true to their brand and process. The company consists of 4 sewers, 1 cuter, and a beautiful pattern maker who greeted me earlier on named Connie (remember her!!). Throughout Connie's 10 years of working for Nesh she is a true believer that Nesh has fabric styles that truly do stand out. Working with Bree and Pam, she says the three of them have came to the conclusion that there is a lack of appreciation for active wear in the world of apparel. I could only assume from this statement alone that she has an essential role within this company, she know's that people will not only purchase something that they really like but also something they can appreciate through the quality of the piece, and part of that falls on her.So is it neccessarily easier to be a company that is U.S. based and uphold this "in-house production" vowel? Some would most certainly say yes, but then you have the con's to it all. The idea of cost alone could discourage the inspiring business owner. Nesh is based in New York's Manhattan borough and if you know anything about it's cost-of-living, then you know you'd have better chances developing universal health care in America than trying to find affrodable real estate here. Also depending on where you live there could be a lack of infrastructure that could negatively affect your business. Not everywhere in America is built up like New York so it could be a huge let down to have the greatest idea for a business but have no market for it to be sold in, obviously factors such as these play a minute role for Bree and Pam. For these two women they use the positive aspects such as being able to monitor production to ensure quality, and creating more jobs in America to keep them right where they are...In America! It seems to be the morality of the concept that ensures their dedication to this idea. The two share a passion for this company as a whole that can be seen through their garments in which they believe will help popularize the brand and it's process. They can only hope that other businesses will catch on to this "in-house production" trend and not let popularity of it be their biggest challenge but instead their goal! Bree and Pam will admit however, the two do get tempted when offers are placed on the table for them to move their manufacturing out of country for lower cost purposes. However, just as quick as the offer is made, it takes them half the time to remember their purpose and the vowel they made to sticking to their guns..And that means keeping themselves right here where they feel they are most effective not only for their company but also for their country!
As we came to the conclusion of our conversation we found ourselves in an encouraging spirit and began to feed off of that energy. We learned alot about each other's personal lives and how much we actually had in common. These two not only make and sell clothing made for fitness/ yoga or plain active purposes, but they also come custom made with inspiration and a sense of positive encouragment and support. As you all know, this is something I am very big on and I couldn't have been more excited once I learned the three of us had this in common. To encourage this way of life Bree and Pam both decided on holding yoga classes right in THEIR BUSINESS SITE for the public to attend...check out their website below for class info and details. In short, these are some the best designs in clothing made with talent and quality and packed in customer satisfaction. As a principal, we can all learn that there is much to learn in supporting our own. Afterall, we can only build on a strong foundation?
-Craig J.
www.neshnyc.com
