Rebecca Lanman is the Co-Founder and Creative Director at Shayne. After receiving her BFA from Parsons School for Design, Rebecca worked in design and production across luxury and commercial brands. In 2014, she transitioned into curve modeling, where she gained exposure and insight into the industry from an entirely new perspective. These two careers inspired her mission for the company and she launched the brand in Spring 2018.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I graduated from Parsons School for Design with a BFA in 2014. My education at Parsons helped propel me into a design career at various luxury and commercial brands such as Wes Gordon and J Crew. Later that year, I was approached with the opportunity to work as a curve model at one of the top agencies in NYC. Working as both a designer and curve model I was surprised at the lack of cross over between these two worlds in fashion and the void in the market for luxury brands who produce larger size runs - ones that the models and consumers could be excited about. The division led me to create Shayne, which I launched with the business expertise of my sister in 2018.

 What inspired you to start your business?

My sister and I had wanted to start our own company since we were kids growing up in St. Louis but we did not want to create just another fashion brand.  Knowing the competitive nature of the industry, we wanted to make sure there was a bigger mission in mind that wouldn’t be contributing to the carbon footprint without having a very specific goal in mind.  When I transitioned from working in luxury design to being a curve model, I quickly noticed a lack of crossover between high-fashion brands and the jobs and clothing available to curve models. I asked my sister Samantha, whose background is in finance, to be my partner and help bridge the sizing gap in luxury fashion with a brand that is youthful, cool and on trend and responsibly made. 

Where is your business based?

Shayne is a New York City brand and we’re proud to have found amazing seamstresses right in the heart of the garment district. We produce our clothing locally so we can be hands-on with the design and sewing process. We think it’s becoming increasingly important that the consumer is able to be confident about knowing exactly where and how the clothes were made and to keep our footprint low. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

We started by interviewing women in our network, particularly women within the 12-18 size range.  We wanted to better understand the pain points for women of all sizes and shapes when shopping. And listen to their frustrations and think about how we can solve the problem.  Many were excited someone had (finally!) asked and wanted to help and they were willing to share with us very personal experiences. Much of this information along with our personal styles and design expertise helped inform our decisions when creating Shayne.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Word of mouth and in-person events. Pop-ups and markets have been a great way to grow our business as well as get feedback directly from consumers. We want to continue our growth in this grassroots organic way so we can continue to make necessary adjustments to the fit, materials and silhouettes in the collection.  

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Growing our awareness is a constant battle. We are always trying to figure out how to reach the next set of consumers. We are currently bringing on freelancers to help us reach the next level in marketing and PR.

How do you stay focused?

I constantly update my to-do list and touch base with my co-founder. This way we keep each other on track and accountable. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Quality and sizing. Most luxury fashion brands stop at a size 10/12, before the size of an average woman in the US which is currently size 14-18.  Also the cool factor of the design element of our pieces - it’s not just another floral dress or black top that wants to hide to the body - we want to show it off and make women feel confident in adaptable pieces that can transform to fit their shape without them having to take it to a tailor to be completely altered into something cool - it already is! 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Google Search! Instagram gets a lot of attention in advertising, but Google Search consistently delivers the best ROI.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Take the time to understand your strengths and weaknesses and identify potential gaps in your expertise and business. Then get help to fill those gaps! Learning how to do everything yourself is time consuming or expensive or both.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app for work is Planoly. It helps me visually plan out our Instagram. I have tried quite a few Instagram planning apps and found Planoly to be the most reliable. One book that I really enjoyed reading ahead of starting Shayne was “Million Dollar Women” by Julia Pimsleur. It is about thinking big and how to build a successful business. It was very inspiring and super helpful as we embarked on launching Shayne.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Stacklist! Stacklist is a great educational resource for any new start-up. The company hosts new speakers every week that touch on various aspects of building a company (PR, marketing, funding, etc.) and I’ve learned so much from it. 

Who is your business; role model? Why?

Rebecca Minkoff. She is scrappy! Her startup story is like ours and she has grown her brand into a successful label. 

How do you balance work and life?

Honestly, not well. Entrepreneurship takes it out of you and can be overwhelming. I try to completely unplug and not talk about work for at least an hour every day but running a business with family can make that more difficult.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Putting my phone down for a couple hours and not looking at it for any reason! Also, baking or eating ice cream. Sweet treats always put me in a good mood :) 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We’re excited about several new product drops and are hiring freelancers to ramp up our marketing and PR efforts to more fully tell our story.  Also, we’re keeping a clear focus on e-comm and growing the website to attract new attention until we can host more in-person trunk shows. 

How can our readers connect with you?

DM me @Shayne.nyc! I love chatting with other ambitious entrepreneurs. Conversation fuels creativity!