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

Hi Khristena, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

What began as a hobby and creative way of making costumes for my performances, turned into an amazing opportunity to share my gifts and creativity with others.

Eulalia Designs derives from my middle name, Khristena Eulalia Marcus, and was born out of the comfort of my two-bedroom apartment. Making dance costumes for myself and my alma mater’s dance team, the Howard University “Ooh La La! Dance Line”, was not only a way to help save money, but it was also the catalyst to transforming a passion into a business. I love all forms of fine arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, music, poetry, theatre, dance, and design. It’s my source of inspiration and is where I can freely express my creativity.
I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University. As a Musical Theatre major, I honed my craft as a performer on stage and behind the scenes. I learned technical elements for costume design, lighting, makeup, set design, and how to bring everything together to create a dynamic show.
Upon graduation, I joined the NFL as a Washington Redskins Cheerleader, where I performed for thousands of football fans around the world. My years as a professional cheerleader exposed me to the glamorous side of professional dancing and how to shine in an audition amongst hundreds of other candidates.

With my background in the arts and experience as a professional dancer, I can incorporate my life experiences into my costume designs. I know how it feels to be on stage, behind the scenes, and how it all works together to tell a story.

Eulalia Designs is a company that truly believes in the passion of your performance, and I take so much pride in the workmanship of each design so not only do you shine bright on stage; you take the audience’s breath away.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Eulalia Designs is a custom wear company that specializes in developing personalized and unique pieces that are perfectly designed for the individual customer with a specialization in performance dancewear, custom specialty costumes, swimwear, activewear, and evening wear. When I design for clients, I incorporate a plethora of elements: the overall look, feel, movement, and essence of the design.
Because of my musical theatre and performance background, I have a unique insight into how garments are an extension of a story. Even if the performer is unable to articulate what they want to wear, I can develop a design concept from their music, the concept/story behind their piece, and by having them use descriptive words for how they want to look and feel on stage. My job as the designer is to take what’s in their head and translate it into a garment, which has its challenges.

Being a custom designer is both challenging and rewarding. My creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills are constantly challenged, but the growth I experience with each design and seeing the joy in my client’s faces makes it all worthwhile.

My mission as a designer is to design pieces that make my clients feel beautiful, sexy, elegant, timeless, and confident.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When you work a full-time job, run a growing business, and teach dance classes to kids and adults, there isn’t much free time. However, there are a few places and restaurants I love. I love Spanish cuisine, and my top two favorite restaurants are Guapos in Gaithersburg, MD, and La Canela in Rockville, MD. Guapos is hands down one of the top Mexican restaurants in the city and La Canela has amazing Peruvian dishes. My husband and I also love to take walks at Centennial Park in Ellicott City, MD. The lake and the views are gorgeous and very relaxing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shout-out to my husband who is the love of my life, my rock, and my number one supporter. He has helped me immensely throughout this journey both financially, emotionally, and technologically. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for his love, understanding, and encouragement.

Website: www.eulaliadesigns.com

Instagram: @eulaliadesigns and @khristena_e

Image Credits
Torrance Hill Rahel Foto

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