Meet Colleen Quinn | Fashion Designer

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

Hi Colleen, what do you attribute your success to?
I try to take every opportunity that comes my way – even if it doesn’t seem directly correlated to my goals/mission for myself & my brand. For example, I took a sewing gig for a designer, Hila, after I moved to Los Angeles mid-pandemic.  I thought this would be a one-time gig seeing as we were mid-pandemic.  However, this company ended up hiring me and having me create an outfit for Cher (yes that Cher!) for the 2020 billboard music awards. If I hadn’t taken the initial gig, I wouldn’t have been a part of such an amazing experience. There are many other instances like this throughout my career, and I am incredibly fortunate to say yes to so many opportunities that come my way – they really have made all the difference.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a fashion designer – primarily I create high end custom women’s clothing for my brand CQuinn. I’d say I started in high school, making dresses for school dances and friends.  Eventually this led to a college summer semester abroad in London working at a couture atelier and discovering how deeply my interest in fashion design went. I wouldn’t say my journey has been easy – I’ve lost countless hours of sleep, consistently sacrificed my social life, had to deal with people’s eyes glazing over when I tell them what I do, and constantly being underestimated. However, I am extremely lucky to have an amazing support system that has helped me along the way.

My major struggle is with “selling” my designs to a prospective client.  I am not great at selling myself, or what I do – I always feel like I’m pushing an agenda on people, and I feel like my designs come out best when the person didn’t have to be “talked into” wearing something I custom made for them. I also know some of my designs are an investment, and I would never want people to be disappointed in something they have invested in. This is why my support system has been so amazing – they help sell me & my brand (and they’re much better at it than I am).

I think what makes my brand different from other custom designers is that I do everything myself, and I include the client in each step so they can feel confident in my design knowing exactly what they’re getting. I sit down with the client and sketch right in front of them so we can decide on the design together. I source all the fabric, make the patterns, cut, sew and fit the garments myself. And I can’t imagine doing it any other way.

I’ve learned so much along the way, but I’d say the most important lesson (as I’ve said before) is to take every opportunity that comes your way – even if it doesn’t seem to align perfectly with your end goals.  You’ll end up making connections that will lead to something even better.   I’ve heard many times by advisors and fellow employees in the industry, to not take jobs that aren’t in your “desired field”. But I say, you never know where an opportunity can lead, so why not take it and find out?

I’m excited to see what the future holds for my career.

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.
This is so difficult because I moved to Los Angeles mid-pandemic, and when I previously lived here I was car-less, so I didn’t really get to experience much of the sights.

However, I have been telling my sister and brother-in-law, when they come visit we should go on a tour of The Office filming locations. We are all HUGE fans of the show, and I live in Burbank – close to multiple filming locations for the show. I’d take them to the Pickwick skating rink (where they filmed Michael’s birthday and parts of Threat Level Midnight), and then stop at their refreshments area (where they filmed all poor richard’s bar scenes). Then I would take them to Malibu Lake to see where Michael drove his car into the lake. There are a few more locations we’d hit, but you get the idea.

I’d also want to take anyone who visits to the Getty Museum. This is probably one of my favorite places to visit (and one of the few places in LA that I was able to visit when I first lived here). The cute little tram ride up to the museum is so scenic, the outdoor views of the museum are amazing (the gardens, sculptural installations, etc), the view from the museum looks over all of LA and despite the smog it’s still beautiful, the museum building itself sparkles in the sun, and last but not least the exhibits inside the museum are always amazing.

Food-wise, honestly, you can throw a rock in LA and hit an amazing restaurant (even if it doesn’t look good from the outside).

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?
My family! They have always been my biggest supporters throughout my career and struggles along the way. My parents supported me by helping me move across the country when I decided to go back to school for a second degree. My siblings promoted my mask making in their friend circles at the beginning of the pandemic when I was in-between jobs. Both my sister and sister-in-law trusted me with making their wedding dresses when I was just starting my custom design business. My nieces model the clothes I make them (even when they’re not in the mood and need to be bribed with chocolate). And my boyfriend who takes care of me, our cat, our apartment, and provides an endless supply of caffeinated beverages when I am on a crazy deadline and barely have time to sleep.

Website: www.cquinndesigns.com

Instagram: cquinn_designs

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cquinnfashions