Meet Haley Solar of Junim Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Solar.

Haley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started the collection 6 years ago selling wholesale to boutiques. The original inspiration was always, 100% LA. My hand dyed silks came from a dream I had after spending time in the desert. The sky at different times throughout the day was “appearing” on the fabric I was sewing and I worked for weeks trying to figure out how to execute the process. Once I expanded to over 50 stores I started working with factories to manufacture but missed the hand-crafted nature of my line. I wanted to sell product that celebrated how it was made. I wanted to do something smaller, with more heart. I wanted to sell my product from the same place it was made and the idea of a retail store / studio developed. Sewing, dying, cutting, even pressing is an ART!

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?
If anyone says their business has been a smooth road…. take them to Vegas with you.

Fashion is an ever-evolving business. Instagram shopping, fast fashion, influencers, Amazon! Not only do you have to have your pulse on your customer’s needs, what trends to develop (what to avoid) and how to keep the logistics of manufacturing and retailing a product in line, you also have to adjust, (and quickly) to a market that is on the fast track to change. Every year, every month, every day has its struggles but I love this business and I’m not in it to make a quick buck, I’m in it because this is what I do. Who I am. Junim means “My love, my heart, my soul”.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Junim Los Angeles – what should we know?
Every day there is something new on the rack. My clothes are designed to be worn, to be lived in. They are on trend without being trendy, sexy without being revealing, comfortable without being sloppy. When a customer returns to my store, it’s because she has worn everything she bought last time so much, that her friends are starting to notice! The studio is fully functional. Nothing is hidden from the customer. This is how apparel is made and it’s important for my customers to see that. I have a great group of loyal clients that come to me because they have a hard time shopping off the rack. They pick something they love in the store, I make it for their body type and I don’t charge a penny more. That is what shopping should feel like, like this designer made something exclusively for you. There are very few companies that can deliver that feeling and even fewer who can do it at a reasonable price point. I charge my customers what is fair for my work. There is no middle man, no factory, no showroom doubling, tripling, quadrupling the cost to the consumer. It’s a little more than fast fashion, but it’s not much, and it’s certainly not fast. It’s slow fashion and its quality with a conscience.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4763 Eagle Rock Boulevard
• Website: www.junimla.com
• Phone: 323-381-5502
• Email: junimlosangeles@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junim_la/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/junimlosangeles/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/junim-los-angeles-los-angeles

Image Credit:
Sara Flate
Joanna Rentz

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