LaWanda Scales with Wisper Couture

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the accelerated degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, CSU’s executive MBA program. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories today on the Atlanta Business Radio. We have LaWanda Scales and she is with Whisper Couture. Welcome.

Speaker3: Thank you, thank you, thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Whisper Couture. How you serving, folks?

Speaker3: Well, Whisper Couture is a luxury clothing brand, and I serve women at the moment. Men to come soon. And what we are is a couture clothing all around fashion brand. And we pretty much empower women to live their own stories and walk their own journey and be bold about it.

Lee Kantor: So what’s your backstory? How did you get involved in the world of fashion?

Speaker3: Well, I started doing fashion because myself, I was born differently, able to had a little bit of a medical situation, and I noticed how clothing pretty much empowered myself. And then as I got older and started learning how to design myself, I also noticed how it empowered other women as well. So I just wanted to tap in more into it, and I just became very passionate about it and loved it ever since.

Lee Kantor: So do you remember the first thing in fashion that you made?

Speaker3: I made my sister’s prom dress. Yes. It was. It was interesting because I hadn’t had any sewing classes just yet. So. But it came out really well. Didn’t last long, but it did come out really well.

Lee Kantor: And then was that kind of the response you got? Was that enough to say, hey, I’m pretty good at this. This is something I want to do more of.

Speaker3: Oh yeah, she loved it. And she told me, you know, just from the design alone, that I should do more about more into it, dig more into it. And then from that moment, I just started to do little research and started to learn the trade a little better. And it just grew from there.

Lee Kantor: Now, did you get formal training or are you self-taught?

Speaker3: I got formal training after I went into college. The first time I went for fashion design. And then I went back for fashion product development.

Lee Kantor: And did that help you kind of, uh, create your brand, or was the brand bubbling in the background while you were learning all these kind of fundamentals.

Speaker3: Oh, yes, it was it. I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to do. I just knew I needed the education. So with going to school, it helped bring all my ideas together a little bit more, I guess you could say professionally. So it did help my journey. And then also my grandmother actually helped me pursue the college journey as well, because we tapped in a little bit into the design market for teddy bears.

Lee Kantor: Oh, so you do that also?

Speaker3: Well, I started off doing dresses for them, but then I tapped more into like doing it for women.

Lee Kantor: And then when did kind of the brand, the Whisper Couture brand, begin to, you know, be a thing where there was actually Whisper Couture, where someone could buy something from Whisper Couture.

Speaker3: That started in 2017. Actually, I waited until I got out of school and started to market it a little more. I did more fashion events and I did more custom clothing, and from there, I just made it more of a perfection.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you were building the brand, um, how did if you were giving advice to someone who’s thinking about building their own fashion brand, like, what are some of the things, the do’s and don’ts when you’re creating those first pieces?

Speaker3: I would say try not to live so much in a box, because it gets a little hard and a little tricky when you’re trying to compete against other brands, when what you really need to do is stand out. I would say probably learn the trade a little bit better as far as the design aspect and just construction wise, business wise, getting the circles you need to get into, adjoin, vent, join uh, groups, go to events and things like that and just overwhelm yourself with the culture.

Lee Kantor: Now, um, can you share maybe that first time you got into a big event or were you able to show a collection and really spotlight your work to maybe a new audience?

Speaker3: Yes. Actually, my first event was with Easter Seals. And, um, what we had to do is create two adult garments as well as a child’s garment and, um, matching teddy bear garment to go with the child’s garment. And it was just, I don’t know, it was almost like a rush, like I felt even when I was designing the pieces, I was excited about just showing my craft a little bit more to a bigger audience, because it was the first time I did a show. So, you know, it’s a little nerve wracking but exciting at the same time. But I learned so much and I got to meet so many amazing people in the meantime.

Lee Kantor: So how how realistic are shows on TV like Project Runway when it comes to fashion and kind of releasing products?

Speaker3: Realistically, they don’t show all the chaos. There’s a lot of chaos behind the scenes. Um, it’s such a, um, I would say a flash. Like, it goes by so fast. Like you don’t even like the going out on the stage afterwards. You don’t even realize how fast the show goes by, but it gets pretty hectic behind the scenes. Um, the time management is very different than what you see on TV. The pressure is different. Um, they show a lot of glam, but they don’t show the how tough it really can be. Whether it’s physical, emotional, they don’t show all the all the little details.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re building your own unique brand, are there things that is the objective to be anytime somebody sees. Something in your collection that they go, oh, that’s Whisper couture. Like there’s some something that signifies just at a glance almost that oh, I can tell that that’s a whisper couture garment.

Speaker3: Yes. For sure. Like, uh, I’m at the point now where I actually have people say that just because they know what is good for using unconventional fabrics, um, making certain designs. So that’s something you do want to be aware of and make sure you’re doing, is that you stand out from everybody else. You want to be able to have someone come up to you and be like, oh, I know your piece. I, I, you know, I seen your piece and I knew that was your brand right away. You know, that’s that’s an amazing thing to have like that stand out, you know, detail about your brand.

Lee Kantor: That’s a compliment, right? That’s like.

Speaker3: That’s very much a compliment. Yes.

Lee Kantor: And do you, do you remember the first time somebody said that to you?

Speaker3: Um, I don’t know if it was the first time, do I? I do remember someone coming up to me. I attended a fashion event. I wasn’t in it, but I did attend it. And someone had came up to me and showed me a picture of a piece I had actually did on another show, and they were like, I knew that was your piece, just by the fabric that was used and the detail to attention and that, I mean, that meant the world to me, because that’s what I want to show people. And for them to know that it was me. It really meant a lot. Like, I’m doing my job. I’m standing out. I’m empowering women. And, you know, it’s it’s a it’s making things memorable.

Lee Kantor: Now, how did someone, um, kind of buy something from your collections? Is it online or is it available in stores?

Speaker3: Yes. I actually have a website. Um, Whisper Couture that’s with no H. Com and everything is available on the site as well as I also tend to sell things at fashion events. So I’m all over I’m on social media. I’m on website. So. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: So so how does the marketing work? Uh, for somebody in the fashion industry, is it all pretty much done online nowadays?

Speaker3: For the most part it is. I try to attend a lot of fashion events. I have, um, models that I usually use for my brand, and I usually dress them for events, so that’s marketing as well. A lot of it’s social media. A lot of it’s ads, um, social events, fashion shows. But marketing is pretty much wherever you can get it nowadays. But social media is a really big one.

Lee Kantor: So like you’re showing up on, uh, Instagram or TikTok, uh, in places like that.

Speaker3: Yep. Instagram, TikTok, uh, YouTube, uh, threads, uh, Facebook and then as well as the website.

Lee Kantor: So now is there anything coming up that you’d like to share? Or do you have a collection that’s about to launch or an event you’re going to go to? Is there something that you’re looking forward to ahead?

Speaker3: Yeah, I’m actually in the process of rebranding, um, Whisper Couture and we are actually expanding our size. Uh, so we used to do from small to large, and now we’re going to be doing extra small to two XL. So we’re expanding not only our sizes, but we are also providing women with style guides that they can use to enhance their wardrobe with items they already have. So it’s not just a purchasing, but it’s also guidance towards in empowering women and letting them, you know, be bold in their own ways, whether it’s with things they have or things they purchase from Whisper Couture. So we’re expanding on not only our collections, but training as well. They need so.

Lee Kantor: So what is some advice you can share with that person right now that maybe isn’t ready to afford Whisper Couture, but maybe wants to make the best of what they have? Is there some do’s and don’ts that’s just waiting for them in their own closet right now?

Speaker3: Oh yeah, for sure. They can take something that like, I like to mix and match a lot of pieces. You don’t always have to wear what comes together. Like you can buy a set and you can match it up with a pair of jeans. Jeans are always good to have. Blazers are always good to have. So those are key pieces that you know no matter when you bought them. Always keep them around because fashion is like a wheel. It’s just it’s going to always come back. Those are staple pieces. So you know you’re going to always need them. So you don’t always have to buy something new. Just mix and match what you already have. Style it up with a different accessories such as shoes or belts. Even your jewelry. Like you don’t have to buy something all the time now.

Lee Kantor: Is there any, um, kind of accessory that’s hot right now? Is there a jewelry that is more popular than others, or pins or bracelets or necklaces? Or is there something that is kind of on trend right now?

Speaker3: Yeah, I’m seeing a lot of metallics on trend right now. Whether it’s a belt, it’s, um, big bold earrings, um, even metallics in the shoes, shoe designs, you see, like the brooches on shoes. Nowadays, brooches on shoes are really big, um, big bold jewelry as far as necklaces and earrings are really big.

Lee Kantor: So one more time, if somebody wants to check you out online, the website and the best socials to find you and the keywords to find you within the socials.

Speaker3: Yeah, sure, the website is WWE couture and it’s whisper with no H. And then our handles are also Whisper Couture with no H and we are mostly on Instagram. Facebook. Um, we’re doing some YouTube and some TikToks as well.

Lee Kantor: What an amazing story, LaWanda. Congratulations on all the momentum. You are just, uh, doing so well in a very difficult field.

Speaker3: Yes. Yeah. You got to push through, you know.

Lee Kantor: Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work, and we appreciate you.

Speaker3: All right. Thank you so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.