We had the good fortune of connecting with Janet Hernandez Philipps and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janet, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Expect the unexpected! I experienced many challenges and hiccups when I launched my sustainable brand. From production issues to my promo code not working on my website on my first day of launch and much more. You have to be prepared for the bumps down the road that may or may not happen and be able to act fast and fix the problems immediately. There’s that old cliche that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, well that’s never been truer in my case. My dad gave me very wise advise, it will happen sooner or later so best that it happened early on so you know how to mitigate these problems in the future. So true!

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?
Less than year ago I launched Valentina Atelier, a high-end swimwear and resortwear line based in Los Angeles. Our collection is 100% sustainable, from the swimwear fabric we use which is made out of pre-and post-industrial waste that is then regenerated to a nylon yarn to recycled, natural and deadstock goods we use for our resortwear pieces to our eco-friendly labels and packaging.

Launching my own brand has been a life long dream and quite the journey. I didn’t think I could actually do it on my own but I did. Apparel is extremely hard and there are so many things to consider when starting your own brand. I would say that I am most proud that I was actually able to do it all on my own! I had a very limited budget which I had saved up for years prior and was able to tackle many aspects of the process myself. The years of experience helped me so that I didn’t need to source out many things like branding, marketing, and social media which I was able to do myself and in turn saved me a lot of money.

Was it easy? No. Like I said expect the unexpected and act fast to fix them. Things happen and you just have to be able to roll with the punches, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep moving forward. And with the right attitude you can overcome anything!

We are proud to say that we give back a percentage of our proceeds to Healthy Seas, a non-profit organization that helps protect marine wild life and keeps our oceans clean. In addition, we work with minority and women owned factories in the heart of Los Angeles.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Straight to the beach of course! I live in Santa Monica so off to Malibu as we drive up PCH’s breezy coast. Hit Matador Beach for some sun to work on our tan, have lunch at Neptune’s and dinner and cocktails at Moonshadows, one of my all-time favorite places to go. A place I always love to go to because I love museums is the Getty Villa in Malibu. I’ve been there a million times but I absolutely love the place and always take out of town friends there!
A must is to check out is the Venice Canals and its dream-like bohemian vibe. Taking bike rides down the bike path and walking around the Venice boardwalk. There’s so much to do and see. There is no shortage of amazing restaurants and food trucks to check out for whatever type of food you like too!

A perfect daytime spot is the Onyx rooftop bar at Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica and night time dinner and drinks at Elephante. Some of my favorite spots to hit up in Santa Monica is the Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel, Shutters and Casa del Mar! A must to see!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Factory45 is a mentor group that helps designers thru the process of launching their sustainable fashion brands. I’ve been in the fashion industry for many years and designed collections for established brands but taking this on myself and starting my own line is a whole different animal. I had originally started working on my brand a couple of years prior to reaching out to them and it was incredibly difficult to do it on my own. As a creative person I needed accountability. Designers tend to overthink and over design and this group really helped me stay on schedule and reach my goal for my proposed launch date. They have an incredible mentor group where I received invaluable information and met like-minded designers that were a huge support system and who have become lifelong friends. I was able to launch my collection with a very limited start-up budget and avoid some of the common startup pitfalls that many new entrepreneurs face. Thank you Factory45!

Website: www.valentinaatelier.com

Instagram: @valentinaatelierofficial

Twitter: @valentina_atel

Facebook: Valentina Atelier

Other: Pinterest: Valentina Atelier

Image Credits
Marina Braun Anait Lopez Abe Bermudez

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.