Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Drager and Andrea LaRue.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We met in high school acting in the Theatre together. Even in those days, we’d go to Savers after school and hunt for cool stuff. We were the only ones in our high school who wore vintage. After high school, we kept in touch on and off but it wasn’t until Andrea’s recent move to LA when we started hanging out again consistently. We’d been talking about starting a vintage business together for a while but only until the beginning of 2019 did it come to fruition. We both have a keen eye for fashion and each of us brings something different to the table. Andrea has a long history of working in the vintage and antiques business. Kristina has an art background and is an excellent seamstress.
Has it been a smooth road?
We think for anyone starting their own business, it’s never a smooth road. For us, we’re still working 40 hours a week at our other jobs so most of our free time is dedicated to our shop. We’d love to make the transition to being full-time businesswomen, but that will take time. It’s definitely a struggle in LA because it’s expensive and there’s so much competition.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Right now we’re selling women’s vintage from a variety of eras and with different aesthetics. We love strong and interesting shapes, colors, and patterns. At the moment, we’re not restricting ourselves to one particular era or style, we buy whatever inspires us or catches our eye. Eventually, we’ve loved to do more menswear, etc. and make our shop accessible for everyone.
We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far. We do everything ourselves, including sourcing, mending, photographing, styling, listing, etc. We’re an eco-friendly business and are enthusiastic about the slow fashion movement.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Every city has its pros and cons. Los Angeles is great because you’re constantly meeting people and networking. There are a lot of great opportunities for exposure. The downside is that the market is over-saturated and the overall lifestyle in LA is expensive. Also, a lot of the places for sourcing vintage pieces are picked over. However, if you can manage to make something of your business here then that’s an accomplishment to be proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: etsy.com/shop/femmeandfauna
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @femmeandfauna
Image Credit:
Photographed and Styled by Andrea LaRue and Kristina Drager; Models: Ericka Sance, Andrea LaRue, and Kristina Drager
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