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Meet Ayanna Listenbee of Ayanna Listenbee Collection in Pasadena

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayanna Listenbee.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always been attracted to the arts and design even as a young child. Growing up, I carried a pen in my hand wherever I went. In my adolescent years, I was tall for my age and super skinny. I could never find pants that were long enough or skinny enough, so I used to alter my own, and that’s how I first started sewing. I’ve been drawing and designing and redesigning things since I was little, and yet when I entered college, the thought of majoring in fashion never crossed my mind… until I was one semester away from graduating with a degree in English. I remember going to meet with my counselor to discuss the classes for my last semester and leaving the meeting thinking “this is not what I want.” I left the meeting and went straight to the admissions dept. where I changed my major to fashion design. I was going to school at Clark Atlanta University, and at the time they had a small fashion design department in the basement of one of the dorms. I did a semester there and then transferred back home to FIDM in LA. Changing my major was the best thing I ever did, especially since I was so close to graduating with a degree I would most likely never use.

After graduation, I got a job working for a company that had the license for Liz Claiborne’s swimwear division. I learned a lot there and eventually moved up to designing cover-ups. While working there I began designing custom clothes for myself and friends and eventually created a small capsule collection. I loved designing clothes, but it was becoming too expensive for me so I switched over to handbags, another deep love of mine. I started making clutches out of hand dyed brocade from Mali. When I was pregnant with my first child I wanted a diaper bag that was fashionable and didn’t look like a diaper bag, so I designed it, sourced out the leather, hardware, and found a patternmaker + sewer. When I got the finished bag back I was hooked. That is how Ayanna Listenbee Collection was born.

I worked out of my home for many years. Just last year, I moved into my current studio/showroom in Pasadena.

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?
I’ve definitely had my fair share of struggles along the way. All of which have contributed to me becoming more aware of my personal strengths. A few months in, I took on a partner to handle sales. I’m an introvert through and through, and selling was not an area that I was confident I could handle, so it seemed to be a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and I had to end up buying my business and my name back from my partner. It was one of those gritty life lessons that taught me how strong I truly am. I’m so glad it happened, and that it happened early on, because I grew so much during that period. I’ve also had to take a few hiatuses from my business: once when my father suffered a major heart attack and had to have a heart transplant, and again when I contracted to produce my line overseas and the company folded. I lost all of my product. That was horrible, it took a while for me to even want to start up again. But there’s something in my blood that makes me keep going. If I’m not creating and designing, I’m not fully alive. So eventually I regrouped and started again from scratch.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
AYANNA LISTENBEE COLLECTION is a luxury handbag + life goods collection. I created the term life goods to define everyday items we use that I reimagine with my design aesthetic. I want my designs to be items that add beauty to our everyday life. I believe that beauty should touch every aspect of our lives, and that it can be an encompassing umbrella under which we reside if we choose to. One aspect of my design philosophy is the idea that the most basic things we use should have beautiful, functional designs, which makes using them more fun! The other aspect of my design philosophy is that I believe the beauty of humanity lies within our individuality. So celebrating our differences via style choices is very important to me. I design in limited quantities so that women can retain a sense of individual style. The hallmarks of my collections are the use of quality leathers, hardware and materials. Texture and hand are very important to me. The leather has to feel good as well as look good. I want customers to have a tactile experience as well as an aesthetic one. As a company, what I am most proud of is the fact that I am still here despite all the challenges I have faced. Before I started my business, I knew that I wanted to be able to design collections and add in items throughout the year. Initially, that is not how the industry was set up. Everything was designed by seasons and things were much more rigid and by the book. Thankfully, the internet has changed things to such a degree that I have been able to set my business up in the way I had first imagined. So new items are added into the line every few months. It keeps things interesting and customers returning. As far as what sets me apart from others, I would say the fact that my bags are limited editions, that I offer custom orders, and that my products are made locally, here in Los Angeles. I also really love my customers, those I have met and those I have yet to meet. I place a small blessing card inside each bag because I want my work to be a blessing to the purchaser in some way shape or form.

What were you like growing up?
I have many of the same qualities as an adult, as I had growing up. I was very shy as a child. Although I’ve outgrown a lot of my shyness, I’ve always been comfortable being by myself, and I can get lost for hours in my work. I love connecting with like-minded people, and I was like that growing up as well. I tended to befriend kids who were older than me, and I loved elderly people. They always had such great stories and I felt I could learn so much from them! My family moved a lot, and I was often the new kid at school so I had to make friends over and over. It wasn’t necessarily hard for me, but I was, and still am, choosy about who I spend my time with. My interests back then are still my interests now; I loved drawing, designing, sewing, nature, travel and reading.

Pricing:

  • Prices range from $60-$695

Contact Info:

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