Life and Work with Jenny Ewing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Ewing.

Jenny, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to LA in 2005, just after I graduated from UT in Austin, and started working in the fashion industry as an assistant designer. The company I moved for closed operation only six months after I arrived.  After that, I worked for a couple of years in the industry doing odd-end jobs: styling, graphic art, free-lance, etc., until I landed in sales. It was the perfect match for my personality.

I was the sales director/manager at Lily Kate Showroom for eight years before my boss decided to retire. When he told me he was leaving the industry, he said the “good news is that the showroom is yours if you want it.” My dream had come true. Unfortunately, the timing was not ideal. I inherited my business two weeks before giving birth to my first child. It was an incredible blessing and curse, the most challenging time of my life thus far.

Now, I am going on four years as a showroom owner, and I love it.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has definitely been rocky. I had to learn quickly how to run a business while trying to maintain my inherited designers’ seasonal sales goals and tending to a newborn child.

Managing relationships between my designers and all of our retailers has certainly been an interesting challenge. Everyone needs your undivided attention right away. In the beginning, I tried to say yes to everything, be everywhere, do whatever needed to be done, and do it all as quickly as possible. After a while, I learned that saying yes to everything will only end in misery. There has to be a balance. One of my friends in the industry gave me advice that I resisted to take when I first started… she said that there is a lot of power in the word, “no,” and to know when to use it. You have to do what is right for you and your business. Keeping yourself sane and steady is the only way to survive.

Retail has really struggled over the last few years, so each season is a new challenge. I try to communicate with my designers as often as possible so we can have the proper sales strategy in-line.

My advice is to work with people you respect and enjoy working with. Healthy communication is everything to me. I feel very close to all of my designers and my staff. Also, have fun! If you don’t enjoy your business, what is the point?

Please tell us about The New West Showroom.
I represent designers on the wholesale side of the fashion industry. I have showrooms in LA, Dallas, and semi-permanently in New York, where I host meetings several times a year. During these meetings, I show my designers’ collections to buyers. We work with retailers big and small from around the globe. Everything from Nordstrom and Net-a-Porter to a small mom and pop boutique in the mid-west.

I like to think of my showroom as a one-stop-shop for my buyers. I try to offer a wide assortment of product: swim, hats, ready-to-wear, sleep, bags, lounge, shoes, and knitwear. I have been lucky to partner with emerging designers, some of whom are sustainable, which I am proud of.

I think what sets us apart from others is our overall vibe. We have a lot of fun and are kind to everyone. I’ve been told by many buyers that we are the friendliest team and their favorite showroom to spend time in.

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I am lucky to have landed in an industry that is excepting of my sex/gender in a leadership position. I feel like the biggest challenge or barrier is finding the work/life balance. Being a mother and business owner (who travels often) is very difficult. There is a lot of guilt associated with spending so much time away from my family, but I try my best to divide my time as evenly as possible. Luckily, many of my designers and buyers are women and mothers who are empathetic to the struggle.

Pricing:

• My brands retail anywhere from $90 to $1400

Contact Info:

• Address: The New West Showroom
  860 S. Los Angeles St. Ste. 503
  Los Angeles, CA 90014
• Website: www.thenewwest.co
• Email: jenny@thenewwest.co
• Instagram: @thenewwest_showroom

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