I always seem to find myself going through the same thought process whenever I find something I like in a store. It goes something like this: “Hey, that dress is super cute. Oh, but I’m going to have to let that hem down. I’ll probably have to wear a shell underneath it…and a cardigan on top.” By this point, I wonder if it’s even worth buying. Sound familiar? For women who keep to a certain standard of tzniut, modesty, it’s a rare occurrence when you find something that’s “just right”—no alterations involved.
Having grown up in a secular environment, Meira Russo struggled to find modest clothing that fit her criteria: stylish, colorful, and good-quality. Honestly Me Clothing, a line of attire designed to appeal to Orthodox Jewish women, was born out of this struggle. The website has an exciting, growing selection of dresses, skirts, and shirts that don’t need any extra alterations. Singer and musician Shaindel Antelis is featured on the website as the face of the clothing line and a design collaborator. The owner and operator of the line, Meira Russo, took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about the beginnings of Honestly Me, her inspirations, and her success.
Q: Do you remember the moment when you decided that there had to be a source for modest clothing and that you had to create it?
A: Absolutely. After I decided to dress modestly, I did what every girl should do: I asked my mother to take me to the major shopping centers in Manhattan. After going through my old time favorites (Forever 21, Macys, Zara, etc.), I went home empty-handed. Were there really no modest clothes? How could that be? It’s not that hard to make a skirt a little longer…I then went where I had heard there were Jews: Brooklyn. I Google-mapped some stores that sounded Jewish and hopped on a subway, fully expecting to find everything I was looking for. I spent my subway ride back very confused. That couldn’t be it, could it? Did I overlook the store that would have what ‘normal’ stores did, but actually covered something? There had to be some happy medium between style-less black and Forever 21! After a little more research, I saw that there was no store [like the one] I had previously envisioned. I had to create one. And that’s how Honestly Me started.
Q: What was the process of creating the website? What did you have to do to get everything up and running?
A: There’s actually quite a bit that goes into creating a website. I did a lot of research and [made] phone calls to see what the deal was: is it better to make one myself [or] hire a web designer? I ended up with an e-commerce website that lets me edit everything myself. When everything was ready I just clicked a button to go “live”, and I was up and running within a few minutes! I’m now pretty savvy at adding deals, products, and any other site content. I have a “customer photos” section on my site that I update at least once a week.
Q: Do you design the clothing?
A: Goodness, no. If I did, you would end up with, well, I’m not sure you’d be able to call it clothing. I have absolutely no idea how to design (although I am learning a little through osmosis). I therefore hire Arielle Salkin, who knows a lot, speaks what I like to call ‘designer language,’ and has a really incredible natural ability to envision what a fabric will look like on a dress or what a little change in a sample product will look like when altered. However, before every season I ask everyone on my email list if they would like to submit designs. I then bring them to Arielle so she can draw a ‘professional’ sketch. We then go over all the submitted sketches and Arielle’s personal ones in a meeting to decide which ones will be part of the new line.
Q: How did the collaboration with Shaindel Antelis come about? What does she do for the company?
A: I met Shaindel through her manager, Leah Gottfried [a Stern student]. We were both at a Shabbaton in Brooklyn and met on the subway. Leah had left before me and had taken a wrong train, so we ended up on the same train in the same car going back to Manhattan! During the ride she explained that she works with Shaindel Antelis and that Shaindel was looking to promote a modest clothing company. I was like, “What?” We started working together when I came back from seminary in Israel. Shaindel wears Honestly Me clothing in her concerts and photo shoots and tries to encourage her fans to host trunk shows. I bring Shaindel’s CD’s to my trunk shows and play her music there. Shaindel and I recently did a photo shoot together in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, which was really fun! You can see the photos on my website. We also did a little video together, which is on the home page of both my and Shaindel’s websites. That one was done by Leah, who’s also a very talented director.
Q: What kind of feedback have you had from customers? Anything that particularly touched you?
A: I get so much feedback, which has really helped me alter my new line. I have had girls email me saying that they’re so happy that I’ve started this because they’ve just started dressing more modestly and were looking for clothing when they came across my Facebook page. That really touched me because although this is for all Orthodox women, I can really sympathize with the ba’alei teshuva who want to dress ‘normal’ and please their parents while still covering up. The best is when you can come home to Mom and Dad, and they actually like what you’re wearing.
Q: What’s next for Honestly Me? Where would you like to see it go?
A: I have a few goals for Honestly Me. I would like to have many more styles. One of my major complaints is that I don’t have enough options. Over time, as my company grows and more women hear about me, I would like to expand my collection to provide as many options as possible! In order to make shopping as easy as possible, I would also eventually like for Honestly Me to be sold in major department stores like Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s. It will probably take a few years before I approach them, but it’s definitely on my list!
Apart from my major business goals, I would also like to help nonprofits by having fundraisers. I think it’s a great way for women to come together to buy what they would have bought anyway while giving a percentage of the profit to an organization. I’m actually most likely doing an event with Stern during the fall/winter semester, so stay tuned!
To get more information about Honestly Me clothing, check out their Facebook page at HYPERLINK “http://facebook.com/HonestlyMeClothing” n _blankfacebook.com/HonestlyMeClothing, and their website, www.HonestlyMeClothing.com.