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Aspart of our series about the 5 things you need to succeed in the fashion industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stacie A. Sanders Martin. Stacie A. Sanders Martin is the owner and principal designer of Sparkle & Sass by Stacie. Her eye for fashion and obsession with quality shows in each piece she creates. After styling friends and clients for over a decade, and being laid off from her corporate job at 36 weeks pregnant, Stacie took a leap of faith and opened Sparkle & Sass Bridal and Formal Wear out of her home in Sandy Springs, GA.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In my late teens and early twenties, I was a pageant girl. In my college town, there was a pageant, prom and bridal store that I shopped at and fell in love with the idea of one day owning my own store. I started this journey about 5 years ago after I was laid off at 36 weeks pregnant with my son and decided that it was time to follow my dream. I started off with a partner renting evening gowns out of my basement. After the first year, I bought my partner out and began retailing bridal and evening gowns stil out of my home. I quickly noticed that almost every client both bridal and evening, wanted to customize or change something about their dress. They all wanted to put their own touch on the dress and have it truly represent themselves. During the pandemic, I taught myself how to sketch and began finding factories all over the world to manufacture my own collection and begin providing custom gowns to my clients. Last year my business grew so much that I was able to not only hire my first employees, but also move to our first commercial location and launched my collection Stacie A. Atelier!
Can you share the most interesting story that has happened to you since you started?
One of the moments that stands out to me is my first trip to market. I had never been before and didn’t know what to expect. Market is intense, exciting and can get very overwhelming. When I walked into the showrooms, and the reps started walking me through the lines, while wining and dining you, I really felt at home. I knew amidst all the chaos and pressure to buy, that I had finally found my calling and was right where I was meant to be. I picked up new lines, made friends and valuable connections in the industry and I was on my way to being a legit retailer in the industry. This past year, I went back to market and ran into some of the same people from before and it was a full circle moment. This time I wasn’t a rookie, I was an established business woman with a bigger budget, a brick and mortar business and a staff to assist me. I had also learned textile and fabrics, along with designing my own pieces. This knowledge was super beneficial when deciding which lines to buy. I felt like I had arrived!