Today we’d like to introduce you to Evette Gilmore.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Preston and James began after working over 20 years in the fashion/art industry and finally deciding to take a chance to start my own company. Choosing to start with vintage was easy, since its one of my loves along with art. Art has always been a huge part of my life since a little girl. My mother is an amazing painter and inspired me to pursue art as part of my field. I worked for several art studios along with teaching private classes to children and adults for ten years.
The name Preston and James comes from my maiden name Preston and my love for my father. He passed when I was 17 from cancer and only had girls. I am one of 10, so I felt it only fitting to pay homage to him and our family name. James is a name that I love; it’s a classic, regal name and funny enough I selected it because it sounds good with Preston!
Growing up in a big family meant you had to be creative with your wardrobe and incorporating hand-me-downs with vintage or new. I learned very early on that shopping at vintage stores allowed me to find unique special clothing and I loved each and every chance I had to stand out amongst my peers and siblings.
Using my love for art and painting I started to revamp some of my vintage finds which created a whole new avenue for my clothing collections. I started painting on denim as a way to move some of my buys, and to my surprise people loved them! My tees and sweatshirts came from the same idea… I wanted to create fun, and new styles that I felt were not in the market or were greatly out of reach for most consumers with the high price tags for one of a kind.
My Preston collection is now all handmade clothing either revamped vintage, one of a kind tees or sweatshirts and my hand painted art on clothing and accessories. The James collection consists of Men’s and Women’s curated one of a kind vintage finds. Most recently I added one of a kind and hand painted accessories and will continue to build the brand as I become inspired for the next thing.
I love finding fun, colorful, a little weird and unique vintage gems along with getting the chance to create and have my art so well received has been amazing. I cannot be more grateful or humbled by this experience.
Starting this business was a huge risk, and I’m so proud of where I am just one year in. I want Preston and James to continue to stand for sustainable fashion with fair prices. We all want to be unique and stand out in a crowd either it be with vintage or handmade. Clothing should be within reach for everyone to find something they truly love and can feel good about supporting. We are vintage made modern with a little side of fun!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting this business definitely the hardest financial decision I’ve made. Without having the resources to buy much-needed supplies, inventory or even the booth fees, in the beginning, was a huge obstacle. Going from a secure salary to random sales was extremely difficult.
My first photoshoot with was with my good friend Rita Labib that was so very generous with her time and worked with me for much less, and I’m still so grateful for her. I begged my daughter’s friends to model and offered them free clothing and food for the day for their services.
I’m constantly working all-nighters for the website or other business tasks due to not being able to pay anyone for help. Social media alone has been a huge struggle to maintain. The time needed for all the platforms is a full-time job that I definitely do not and have not managed. Working on it… but still not there yet!
The struggle to find the popup events that work for me and are affordable is another challenge I’ve faced. Over the past year, I worked an event almost every month to see which ones worked and didn’t literally killing myself in the process. But I now have a great list of shows I love and amazing new friends and people I’ve met along the way.
Even one year in, I’m still not financially stable, but I can see some light and feel great about my path, so it helps me stay focused on the business knowing that eventually, my dreams for this brand will come true.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Preston and James story. Tell us more about the business.
Preston and James is a vintage, handmade and new clothing website and pop-up boutique. We specialize in fun, colorful vintage along with handmade creations by me.
I’m most proud of my newest additions which are my handmade or painted clothing. I’ve been given the chance to create using my love and passion for art and fashion. It’s a wonderful experience.
What sets me apart right now are my creations, my love for others and wanting my business to be an affordable and sustainable clothing company that people can feel good about supporting. For each hand-painted denim I sell, I give back.
I understand there are more and more artists painting on clothing, accessories and making one of a kind since there is a need to be more unique and an individual but I would like to hope that mine are more meaningful to each customer and they can feel good about the purchase knowing I’m giving a portion of my sales to local LB organizations like the Long Beach Mission.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family and friends are some of my biggest supporters and have helped with love, encouragement, resources, event setups/teardowns, supported the business through sales and so many other tasks. I cannot thank each and every one of them enough.
Artists and Fleas event in Venice has also helped me learn who I am as an artist and brand. They have supported in more ways than they know. I’m so grateful to be able to sell in their event and get the opportunity to support myself with their venue.
With the business being only one-year-old I’m still learning what works and what doesn’t and this show has definitely helped steer me in my current direction.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.prestonandjames.com
- Instagram: @prestonandjames.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/prestonandjames
- Other: pinterest/prestonandjames
Image Credit:
Rita Labib, Artists and Fleas
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