Meet Stephanie Berry | Clothing Designer & Community Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Berry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, how do you think about risk?
Risk begets growth. The best way to discover your full potential is to push beyond the boundaries, boundaries you’ve set for yourself as well as those set by your genetic heritage or your environment. When I reflect on my growth both in my personal life and career, each level has involved taking risks into areas that seemed uncomfortable at the time. Equipped with an engineering background and artistic view of the world, I have been able to oftentimes spot a problem or area of need around me and apply my own “spicy” approach. In retrospect, all of the “risky discussions” were necessary to carving out my own way.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Flossie&Lu, LLC. is a handmade women’s apparel brand that celebrates the beauty of our heritage, the heritage of the African-American in the diaspora. The Flossie&Lu woman has a classic style, an appreciation for the hip hop culture and a love for vibrant colors and patterns found in African print fabrics. All woman are welcome, but the black woman is celebrated. What started as hobby sewing in 2014 became a side business in 2017. In 2019, I left my “good job” as a patent examiner to bet on myself and become a full time entrepreneur (a calculated risk), then 2020 happened. By God’s grace, we have survived and sustained this shift, but we’ve learned many lessons along the way. The biggest lesson learned is to master the art of the pivot… and quickly. When our clients no longer needed custom dresses but were on the hunt for filtered masks, we were ready with other ideas to follow. Towards the end of 2019, we opened our brick and mortar location but this was short lived. In less than a year at the thick of the pandemic, we shifted to primarily an online presence and closed the doors of the store as the hard-hit retail market declined and e-learning was our family’s new reality. In our typical fashion, we will again pivot to providing a personalized in-person shopping experience with our mobile boutique and sewing studio coming this fall 2021. We are so excited to offer this more intimate shopping experience for our clients. More details to come!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Definitely spend a couple of long days at the beach- Tybee Island, St. Simons Island, or Jekyll Island are area favorites. Because we love to do brunch you must experience the exquisite cuisine of Breakfast at Barney’s in Atlanta. Lastly, visit the various museums (can’t list them all…pick a couple).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It take a village to support an entrepreneur! One thing about entrepreneurship, its not for the faint at heart. Through each of the ebbs and flows, the support of those surrounding you helps to steady the boat. My family and extended family have played their roles like Champs. My husband especially has been my rock from allowing me to vent about incorrigible clients to supporting my decision to fully bet on myself as an entrepreneur. My parents and in-laws willingly providing childcare when other options just weren’t in the budget. And my younger sister and best friend for “gassing me up” when I had bouts of uncertainty in my greatness. Most importantly my village covers me in prayer… what more do you need!

Website: www.flossieandlu.com

Instagram: @flossieandlu

Facebook: fb.com/flossieandlu