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Stacey Blanchet of Blanchet Designs

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ACG: You’ve also dabbled in documentaries. What inspired this artistic expression; and, would you do it again?

SB: The production company, Augmented Reality, was an accident when it started. We were filming for a year on the behind the scenes of Blanchet Designs when my team came to me and asked that we scrap the 10 hours of footage and do a documentary on my life story instead. We sat down and decided if we were going to do this, then we would do it professionally in film festivals. That is how the documentary on my life story, The Journey to Myself, came to be. To date, we have won one Award of Merit and were an Official Selection in another film festival. When we finished that project, my team wanted to enter a contest called Focus Forward, where they were asking for film makers all around the world to share stories of innovation, inspiration and invention. So we put together a documentary called 3 Moms and a Napkin.
We did not place in the competition but are going to be hitting the 2013 film festival circuit with this documentary. As an Executive Producer there was so much required of me to do these projects that Blanchet Designs was not taken care of in the way it should have been. For the next year, I will spend time concentrating on Blanchet Designs and do not see myself putting out any other movies at this time unless it is a really, really, good project that I just can’t walk away from. It is my opinion that art has many faces and if you are artistic you can be artistic in any sphere. I am really only capable of achieving all of this because of the very hardworking teams I have in place in each of these endeavors. Although I am in charge, my teams in each of the different fields are great.
I believe we are all professional, hardworking and bring out the best in each other. That is very important if you want to succeed in life.

ACG: Where do you see fashion heading in the next year?

SB: That is a hard question for me; I really don’t pay attention to trends. I watch very closely what is coming off of the Paris Runways. To me, the European Designers are much cleaner in terms of their lines. Victoria Beckham I think is amazing in terms of making women look their best. I miss a lot of the designers from the 80’s and their power suits and such. I would like to see shoulder pads come back in a small but good way. I think they flatter women with the pencil skirts. I think the low budget and quality clothing have really hurt the design industry as people have gotten use to clothing that really doesn’t flatter them or their body. I am not saying that all high-priced designers are the best but you can really tell when something is made with quality and done right. Even in photographs. The trends, of course, of Paris for the coming season are velvet and brocade for the fall and winter season. That is why I chose to design my EMMY dress in silk chiffon with a brocade cage at the top to give it a little extra [excitement]. I will be doing velvet prints for the OSCAR dresses and will have a unique twist to the top. I guess you can say anything goes now in fashion!
I’m not sure there is a direction anymore.

ACG: What advice would you share with someone interested in becoming a designer?

SB: This question has been asked of me by so many young designers. I will tell anyone who wants to get into fashion designing, that if you can sketch and sew you are a designer. Those are not the most important things to know. You need to have a background in business or you will never make it off the ground. If you are going to go to a trade school, then it should be in New York or you should be in a 4-year accredited college getting a business degree. To do this and make money, you need to have a business plan and skilled marketing to identify your target audience and see if they can afford your clothing and how you are going to reach them. To go into production, you will need at least 6 months of planning and 4 months of production to oversee each step of the way and then you will need at least $50 thousand to $100 thousand to create a collection. If you don’t have that, then you will need to look for investors and that is another ball game all together. This is a business like anything else and it needs to be treated as such. I tell everyone to educate themselves. It is not all fun and glamour but it can be if you make that way but you must be smart about it. Go for your dreams all the way.

Not long after our interview, an email was sent to inform supporters that Blanchet Designs had received correspondence from buyers from some prominent stores. Blanchet was flattered but informed us that those important business decisions will be made after she cultivates a working relationship with boutique owners in Los Angeles County preparing to carry her fashions. If entrepreneurship is pivotal to the fabric of our nation, then Stacey Blanchet and her team are a vibrant contribution to its tapestry.

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Ashley Charlton Griffin has over 20 years of diverse writing experience. Ms. Griffin is currently working on two books, Uh-Duh and Justified Roxstar, and a host of various blog topics. Ms. Griffin also maintains TheSpiritedNerd blog, which features Christian topics and meditations on spirituality.

Well-known as a foodie, movie junkie, and general nerd, Ms. Griffin resides in Los Angeles with her husband.
Both are natives of Detroit, MI.

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