Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Triantafellou.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Russia. I came to America as so many do, to discover new vistas and to forge a fresh beginning. I had to close the door to the past left behind and try and forget the less than fortunate circumstances of my childhood. When a chance to study interior design in Los Angeles presented itself, I fully embraced the opportunity and dove into the world of design with all I had in me. It was there, in Los Angeles, city of angels and dreamers, that I discovered my creative side, or, better say, that I HAD a creative side. Being born in a communist country with all its limitations, I never got to truly develop that sense of creative freedom that opens you up to a world of possibilities, but America changed that. You can be whatever and whoever you want to be in this country and that is why I love it so dearly.
Surrounded by like-minded creatives and amazingly talented people at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), I very quickly realized that being different is wonderful, that thinking outside the box is not a taboo, that our uniqueness is not a curse, but defines who and what we truly are. It was at FIDM that I took my first baby steps to discovering my voice and how to use it.
Due to family circumstances I didn’t get to graduate and moved to Dallas. My first year in the city was trying and rough, I went through a divorce and was bouncing from one job to another trying to make ends meet without feeling every day that I go into a job I am over-qualified and underpaid for. I had a BA from a university in Russia, extensive training in interior design, yet I found myself working as a sales assistant or front desk rep with minimum hourly pay. Something needed to change and I had to take charge, so I did.
I turned to a sewing machine and decided to try my hand at kids’ clothing, opened a store on Etsy, picked a name that I felt was a perfect fit to the little designs I had in my head (my business started as FabTutus, the Anna Triant Couture name came years later) and got to work. I realized perfectly well that if I had to read an instruction manual on how to plug in a sewing machine and thread it – I had a LONG and tough journey ahead of me before I could get even half way to where I was going, but I have never been afraid of hard work and I embraced it fully.
Little by little, one YouTube video after another, I was able to figure out the basics of sewing. I practiced every single day until those stitch lines changed from squiggles to perfectly straight, seams became precise, and designs shaped up into something that I could offer for sale without shame. It took me about a year of trying again and again, a year of crying, getting frustrated, questioning my sanity and getting back to work until I finally made my first sale on Etsy. It was an amazing feeling that made me believe that somehow I led myself to the right place that may be there is actually hope in my seemingly hopeless endeavor. I persevered, I stuck with it, and I felt like I won.
I never stopped exploring new techniques, learning about different fabrics, finishes, trims, and sewing tricks, and searching for inspiration wherever that may be. I wouldn’t stop until I perfected the newly acquired skill, because even in the very beginning stages of the business my main priority was quality. Never satisfied with the status quo, a burning need to produce quality garments sparked a veritable fire within me. Often, that fire resulted in purchasing pretty fabric and trim rather than dinner but those things don’t matter to most artists once there is an idea in their mind that needs to come to life. The dream of creating beautiful things that people would love propelled me through every hardship and challenge.
Over the years my tastes changed, I developed a point of view as a designer and I stick with it no matter what.
Today, 6 years after my first attempts to sew, I can openly say I’ve created something that I am absolutely proud of. Today, Anna Triant Couture, which began with a girl and a dream and an entry level sewing machine, is a thriving couture business whose dresses are highly acclaimed and loved by our customers who expect and value the investment in the very best. Our designs are constructed from the finest of materials by a team of highly trained American seamstresses who go through extensive training and have to comply with the highest quality standards. Our dresses are truly works of art, each garment requires myriad hours of discipline and dedication to achieve our high standards of perfection; each gown is stitched with precision and passion, resulting in show stopping results.
I am extremely grateful to my amazing team for dedicating themselves to the business like they do, I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for them, they are like family.
It’s easy to get lost in the everyday commotion and forget where it all began but I try to remind myself where I came from and what I have been able to build over the years with passion, strive, dedication and perseverance (and definitely a little pinch of pure luck). There are no mistakes in life, just a series of steps that lead us, eventually, to where we belong, and for me, it’s a world of fashion design.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has been very rocky in the beginning, with lots of stops along the way where I had to re-evaluate what I was doing and make changes that needed to be made. When my business was founded, I was still very much a “freshman” in this country, I had no idea about so many different things that I know today. When you come from an entirely different culture and mind-set, you feel like you are constantly breaking in a new pair of shoes, except those shoes are not on your feet – they are virtual shoes of your mind, of the way you perceive your current reality. I had to stop thinking from a perspective of a Russian descendant and see the world from a point of view of an American, and that was a hard thing to do. My true respect and love for this country made it easier, but I still had to re-build myself in a lot of different ways.
Another struggle for me was lack of any sort of marketing or merchandising experience. It was hard to figure out pricing structures, seek out best places to shop for materials which would keep costs in control while keeping quality intact, and just generally creating a business structure that makes sense. I am not going to lie – these topics are still hard, but thankfully, my husband and business partner is an expert in merchandising and also possesses extensive knowledge in business-related topics which helps tremendously.
This business also taught me some tough lessons on how to not take criticism too personally, how to stand up for what you believe in while remaining professional, how to manage crisis and, most importantly, how to separate business areas from personal. I still have a lot to learn but I am thankful for the lessons I’ve been taught.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Anna Triant Couture story. Tell us more about the business.
Anna Triant Couture specializes in custom-fitted, often custom-designed couture special occasion garments for little girls from age of 12 months through 12 years. Since the time I’ve founded the business, we transitioned from a simple Etsy shop to a luxe couture boutique that remains firmly at the forefront of the industry.
We create garments that reflect my vision of a perfect little girl’s dress – a beautifully-made, perfectly-fitted gown that is like no one else’s. It’s a design that is new, modern, and fresh; a design that moves, evokes emotion, makes little girls want to twirl with excitement. I love the tiniest of details and we make sure to infuse our gowns with plenty of said details. I want our dresses to be like a wonderful present that you unwrap – with every piece of wrapping paper that you take away, you find something new that pleasantly surprises and delights you and ultimately takes your breath away.
Our clients refer to our garments simply as “an Anna dress” and there is nothing exactly like it. Although the line has certainly served to inspire countless other designers and child couture trends, I truly believe our designs stand firmly as a pinnacle of originality and superior construction in luxe child couture.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe a lot of what has been achieved happened due to very hard work and dedication, but I can definitely see the works of good luck when it comes to people who were somehow led into my life. Over the years I was able to meet some absolutely amazing and talented people, starting with my husband, as well as a number of professionals I met through the business who became my closest friends. All of them form my “tribe”, and it’s really pure luck that I have them in my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.annatriantcouture.com
- Email: annatriantcouture@gmail.com, annatriantsales@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annatriantcouture/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaTriantCouture2015/
- Other: www.rentatcouture.com
Image Credit:
Images by Meg Bitton Photography, Starling Photography, Rachel Opdahl Photography, and Love Preserved Photography
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