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Linzee Safron and Hannah Cusack Head to St. Charles Fashion Week

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mizzou chapter.

What do Linzee Safron, a junior business and communications major, and Hannah Cusack, a junior textile and apparel management major, have in common? Not only are they roommates, but they also founded a clothing line, Yan by Hannah Cusack, last spring. Together the ladies produce and sell one-of-a-kind pieces.
With the recent news that Yan will participate in St. Charles Fashion Week this August, anticipation has been building. Balancing school, part-time jobs and the company, the girls prepare for their big debut on the runway.

Hannah Cusack (left) and Linzee Safron (right)

Her Campus Mizzou: How did you get involved with Yan?
Linzee Safron: Hannah was always sewing and making things for herself and her sisters, and everything was beautiful. I am a business and communications major, and I want to do something with sales or retail. I thought it would be perfect if Hannah and I partnered up. We started brainstorming ideas for a spring collection and listed the items on Etsy. Now we do more custom items through our Facebook page. That’s how Yan came to be!
Hannah Cusack: I’ve been sewing for years and always just making creations for myself or for the fun of it. My roommate Linzee approached me one day and was like, ‘We should sell this stuff. Let’s start a small business together.’ We literally got to work the next day with planning and setting up a business plan.

HCM: What exactly is your role in the company?
LS: I am sort of the manager. I organize orders and finances and arranged for us to be a part of St. Charles Fashion Week in the fall. Hannah and I do all the planning and designing together, and she is really the creative mind behind it. We will choose a fabric or style together, and she comes up with the actual design and final look of the pieces.
HC: I am in charge of everything that directly relates to the clothing. I design all of the garments and do the patternmaking and sewing myself.

HCM: Describe Yan’s style.
LS: It is very feminine. Our Spring 2011 collection featured a lot of floral and lace, which was really big then. Now we try to mix our style with our customers’ for a really unique look.
HC: Because it is all so new, we are still working to establish the aesthetic and image of Yan, but I definitely think that I model the Yan girl/customer off of myself. I would describe the style as free-spirited, unique and chic.

HCM: How do you find time for school?
LS: It is really hard to balance Yan, school and part-time jobs. Yan has been put on the back burner when it is definitely something we want to make a priority in our lives. We are hoping we can really set up a system this summer and devote a lot of time for Yan with the fashion show coming up. We would like to make it something that is stable and brings in enough income, so that after school [it] will turn into a career.
HC: School has to remain top priority for both of us because graduating is so important. It’s hard when an idea hits me in the middle of the school day, and I can’t get to work on it until after classes. But it’s all about balance and constantly reminding myself why I am in school and why I need to finish.

HCM: What are you currently working on for Yan?
LS: Right now things are sort of at a halt because Hannah is studying abroad in London until mid-March. It is hard to take orders when the actual garment producer is in another country. While she has is gone, I have been trying to develop a website or a way to establish a system for orders and pricing. As soon as she gets back, we only have a couple months to organize summer orders and a collection for the fashion show, so I am trying to do as much as I can now. That way we can really get moving when Hannah comes back.
HC: Currently I am in London studying abroad, and it’s the first time I am without my sewing machine! I miss it a lot! Because we can’t produce anything new for people right now, we are using this time to try and promote the brand and get people aware of Yan. I am also using this time abroad as an opportunity to find inspiration and plan for future designs by keeping journals and taking a lot of photographs.

HCM: How did you find out about St. Charles Fashion Week?
LS: I volunteered last year at St. Charles Fashion Week by helping dress the models and fit them before the show. My friend Sara Boehlein is an intern with the director of the fashion week, so she showed her our line. We got approved to be one of the showcase designers.
HC: Linzee is from the St. Louis area and has a friend that has worked the event before. I wanted to do one of the local fashion weeks next spring. I didn’t think an opportunity would come up so soon, but we are so excited it did!

HCM: Describe the application process.
LS: We have to fill out a designer’s contract, and there is a fee in order to be a designer. Our collection also has to be preapproved before it goes out on the runway. We are still working on the details!
HC: Linzee did everything to get us into the selection process. I had no idea! Once we were notified, they sent us a few designer agreement forms and other information about the show and tickets. The directors need to see 20 outfits and accessories from each designer’s collections in June, and they go from there.

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HCM: What was your initial reaction when you found out Yan would be a part of it?
LS: I was so excited. This is a big opportunity for us to really show the great things that Hannah can create. I hope this leads to other fashion shows or trunk shows around the area.
HC: I was beyond excited. I had just gotten back to my flat in London, checked my e-mail and saw the message from Linzee. At that point I had mentioned to her wanting to do one of the fashion weeks in the Missouri area and was so happy and excited to be able to do one so soon.

HCM: Is this the first major fashion event Yan has done?
LS: This is. Until now we have just been taking orders from friends and family, which we love to do, but we definitely want to expand to a broader market.
HC: Yes, this will be a great publicity opportunity for Yan. I hope it will be a great show!

HCM: Describe what you will do at fashion week in August.
LS: We will have 10 to 20 outfits in a collection. Our collection will show one night of fashion week, which is August 22 to 25. If it is similar to last year when I volunteered, the fashion week directors will provide models for us. We will fit the models in our garments early in the day of our showcase and determine the order in which they will walk. There will be a dress rehearsal after hair and makeup for the models, and then there will be a show. I think about five designers were involved each night and about 20 to 30 models. It was crazy but a lot of fun, and I am really excited to actually be a part of it this year.
HC: We have the opportunity to have a table for Yan as well to sell pieces.

HCM: What do you hope to gain from participating in St. Charles Fashion Week?
LS: I would be absolutely ecstatic if a local boutique would buy some pieces from our collection as a result of the fashion show. Hannah and I really like the uniqueness of the boutique environment, and it would be amazing to produce a collection for a few boutiques.
HC: I think it will be a great experience to show others what I love to do and to appreciate the work of other designers, too. I hope to gain a better understanding of my design aesthetic throughout the process and learn more about myself as a designer and where I fit in the fashion industry.

HCM: Are you designing new pieces specifically for fashion week?
LS: Yes. We are brainstorming themes right now, but the pieces will be new and exciting. We don’t want to give too many details of our collection away just yet.
HC: I want the collection to be cohesive. The pieces I’ve made in the past were for all sorts of events and people, so they don’t have a common theme. But I hope to incorporate some previous pieces in the show, too.

Lindsay Roseman is a senior at the University of Missouri, studying magazine journalism and Spanish. In Columbia, she is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta women's fraternity, Mizzou For Malawi Steering Committee, and can be spotted on campus touring potential Journalism School-ers. This Chicago native loves a good Jodi Picoult book, trying new foods, traveling, and hitting the pavement for a run. After reporting for the school newspaper and interning in her hometown, she spent the summer in NYC at Women's Health Magazine and now is so excited for a great year with HC Mizzou!