GARNER GRACE

Eva Zubek and Karin Trevino have been long time friends who have worked in the surf industry for many years.  Most recently they collaborated on launching a women’s apparel and swim line for Reef.  They quickly realized that with their talents and resources they could start their own fashion label.  So they made the jump to follow their true love for fashion and Garner Grace was born.

What is the best thing about starting your own gig?

The best thing is being able to have the creative freedom to make beautiful clothes – no limitations – things we want to wear.  That in itself has a different kind of energy.

What is the worst thing about starting your own gig?

I think the hardest thing about starting our own collection is just figuring out how to get things done on a tight budget.  We don’t have access to all the things we were used to in our corporate jobs.… for now we pool our resources to get things done. It has been amazing to see how many people go out of their way to help us. Our friends really do want us to do well. (Karin)

What inspired your collection?

It’s pretty simple. The collection is a mix of our culture and love, a beach lifestyle that has molded our laid back attitude and a true appreciation for  East Coast metropolitan style. Our coastal inspired design history has been a strong influence that is the root for our collection. We want our clothes to work in LA and NYC!

What product is a must-have for you from your collection?

The chainlink tee is must have because it’s a great fitting, super washed worn v neck tee but the back has slashed jersey and tiny chains that make it super sexy .  I also love the lunar eclipse capelet which is a little metal sequins number that looks amazing dressed down with a tank and jeans. (Karin)

Who visits your store?

Women who will be drawn to garner grace, definitely have style, and are keen for pieces that are unique and can be easily dressed up or down.  Our collection consists of well made clothes that aren’t throw away or wear once items, they are timeless and great investments.

What do you hope readers will take with them after viewing your collection?

I hope they will want to get their hands on some of the pieces. (Karin)

Why did you create this company?

Eva and I (Karin) were ready to design and develop clothes that we would love to wear and we knew we would have to make the leap from the surf industry in order to do that.

How long did it take you to set up Garner Grace?

We have been working on garner grace since the beginning of 2009.

Tell us something funny about the process of creating your store.

Well I was pregnant with my first baby last year, she was due in june but came a month early which was during the design phase and getting the development packages out to our manufacturer.  While I was in the hospital in between contractions, Eva and I were texting and emailing back and forth about designs to send off to our vendor. (Karin)

What is the best thing about Garner Grace?

We both are passionate about what we do, we care about every detail.. from design, to fit, to cost, garner grace is our best!

What is Garner Grace doing for the green movement and the environment?

We would like to do as much as possible and as we grow we will look in to things to reduce our footprint, for now we plan to use  a handful of fabrics which will be used for several season  so that there is no wastage or left over materials.  We also hope to use recycled paper for our hangtag and notions bag.

What sets Garner Grace apart from it’s competition?

Because Eva and I have spent most of our lives living near the beach and are deeply rooted in the lifestyle, yet both of us have a great appreciation for high fashion – our goal is to really create a collection that combines the two; west coast beach culture meets east coast chic – we want to make beautiful clothes using the best fabrics and trims but that are also really informal and easy to wear. (Karin)

Where do you shop?

On line we like Bona Drag, Shopbop, Shopnastygal.com.  We love to shop NYC’s lower east side – Yumi Kim Boutique, Lolli, Foley and Corinna, Only Hearts and then thriftstores are great for finding amazing vintage accessories for a steal! DAV in Oceanside is a gem.

…and some cool blogs we love are

http://www.knighttcat.com/

http://noirohiovintage.blogspot.com/ (which has a shopping website)

What products help Garner Grace to continue smooth business operations?

We love our macs. Eva and I live in areas where our cell phone service is terrible so when we aren’t face to face we call each other on ichat. We also can’t live without the UPS store in Carlsbad!!!   (Karin)

Tell us something we couldn’t Google about Garner Grace?

Pretty much everything at this point. We’re new and we’re just dong things that excite us. As our collections grow we hope to become more of a household name.

Upcoming Events to recommend?

We will be showcasing our Fall line at the upcoming Coterie show in NYC and Project in Vegas  and of course don’t forget to visit our website in February that will have a whole new look. Please email karin@garnergrace.com or eva@garnergrace.com to make an apt to view the collection