Maxie J. is the owner of Los Angeles boutique, Ellaé Lisqué, which offers women a wide variety of high quality styles in evening wear, at an affordable price point. Through her brand, Maxie J. is able to serve as her own muse, and combine the attributes of sophistication, confidence and class. Ellá Lisqué delivers styles that make women of all shapes and sizes feel “beautiful, exclusive, sexy and prominent.”
Maxie J. started her entrepreneurial journey in 2014, with a small collection of just six dresses which lived online. The brand has expanded so much since then, that Maxie J. now owns her own manufacturing company in Istanbul, Turkey and Ellaé Lisqué was able to exceed three million dollars in sales at the end of 2021. Her styles have been worn by the likes of Cardi B, Saweetie, Summer Walker, and Meagan Good. And even with seven years in the industry – it proves that the brand is only taking off from here.
21Ninety sat down with Maxie J. and she revealed how she served as her own example of early entrepreneurship, how she believes up and coming fashion brands can boost their platform, as well as what keeps her motivated seven years after the launch of her brand.
Editorial Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Jadriena Solomon: So many iconic figures have hailed from the Los Angeles area of California. Tyra Banks, Nipsey Hussle, Ice Cube, are just some to name a few. How did growing up in the Inglewood area of Los Angeles influence your love for fashion and your entrepreneurial spirit?
MJ: Where I’m from built my character more than my interest in fashion. I think that the success that I’ve experienced has a lot to do with my spiritual foundation and the kind of person and integrity that I carry. And that I take very seriously. Where I’m from – we take that very seriously. Nipsey always rapped about that – being a stand up person, showing up when you say you’re going to show up, being there when you say you’re going to be there, [and] always doing what you say you’re going to do – those things really helped me in my career. And when I show up for people on my team, they respect me and it reflects in my business and how they handle me and how they handle my company.
As far as fashion is concerned, that’s something that I truly feel like I was just born with. When I was growing up, I was just cutting up my pajamas and making them dresses. Like I’ve been doing this since I was a kid and my mother always talks about that. She’s like, ‘Girl, where did you get it from?’ And ‘Girl, you used to be cutting up your pajamas… Your friends would come over, you would cut up their t-shirts and next thing you know, it was a jacket.’… But I really just grew up loving fashion a hundred percent. So I wouldn’t really think that it was something as far as Inglewood is concerned, but what I would love to credit Inglewood for is the kind of person that I am. The integrity and the character piece of me has a lot to do with where I’m from.
JS: When you reflect on what initially sparked your interest in fashion design, you often refer back to your time working as a stylist and the difficulties that you encountered in not being able to find the clothes that you envisioned for your clients. Because of this, you began teaching yourself how to design clothes. How did you go about that process of learning all there is to know about designing clothes, especially while embarking on that journey by yourself?
MJ: I tell people this all the time and it probably sounds so cliche, but I Googled. I googled [and] I looked it up on YouTube to death. When I say I self-taught myself, I literally am self-taught. I [talked to God and I said] ‘I wish I knew how to like to design my own clothes.’ Because there were so many things in my brain that I wanted to execute, but they weren’t in the malls. So I was just like, ‘Why can’t I design my own clothes?’. So I [went] to my laptop and I started googling ‘How do you design a clothing collection from scratch?’ and ‘Where do you source for manufacturers?’. These are all the things that I would google, and I printed it out and I went downtown to the fashion district and I just started from door one… I would go door to door, referral to referral to referral, trial and error – figuring out what was suitable, and what fits me, and the people that I would hire.
I would ask questions. I was never embarrassed to ask questions. A lot of people in the industry work together so when I finally found out [about] a pattern maker, then I asked them if they knew any manufacturers that manufactured dresses of quality. Then they would give me a referral. [And that would continue] and if [someone] couldn’t take on the job… I [would] literally go door to door until I found what suited me. I started out manufacturing in Los Angeles, California, because that was what was easier for me to access – for me to be able to go there and figure it out. But as I grew my business, I quickly learned that manufacturing in Los Angeles was too expensive for me. And I started to manufacture overseas.
JS: So I want to actually take a step back and talk about how you pivoted into entrepreneurship. I think it’s a really important story to shine a light on. You had been working at eBay and you happened to get laid off, but you received a $10,000 severance check. You took the check and invested it into launching your business. And you adopted a really strict mindset of sacrificing your personal wants for being able to grow your business and reinvest into it. This was a time when entrepreneurship wasn’t at the forefront like it is now, and information on launching a business wasn’t as available as it is now. Can you talk more about where your mindset was at this time and how you were able to serve as your own example of entrepreneurship?
MJ: Influencer marketing had become a thing before that was even called something. I was already doing that for friends. I’ve always been sort of like a popular person. I’ve never had the largest following… But I’ve been influential for a long time, even when I was working for eBay and I would have friends that were like giving me free hair, clothes, this and that. And at the time I was young… so I was looking at it like ‘Oh, it’s just free stuff.’ And then eventually my brain started to realize [it’s free] but it’s not free for [other] people. Yeah, it’s free to me, but it’s a cost to [the brand] and they’re giving it to me and I’m promoting it on MySpace or Facebook or whatever it was at the time. And then I realized that if I’m influencing people to want to purchase, then I should be able to do that for myself. So that’s where I pulled it from.
And then when I was working, I would complain every day and I worked for six years for eBay. And so when they finally laid me off – as sad as I was – I was like ‘Wait, I need this. I think this is my chance to pursue what my heart truly desires.’ Although I didn’t know what to do. I literally just Googled and [went on] YouTube, literally. And that’s how I learned. No one would throw me a bone. I had friends that were in similar fields and no one wanted to tell me anything. They wouldn’t even tell me what an LLC was versus an S-Corp.
But I knew that I wanted to be more and do more. And I knew that I just didn’t want to live the nine to five life. And I knew that I wanted to be able to take care of [my parents]. And I couldn’t imagine doing that, working in the capacity that I was currently working in… I [would be] watching my mom work so hard and she was older, so I would be concerned. And I would see her in tears and how stressed out she would be. And you know, stress is like a sign-less killer. So I’m like, ‘Oh God, I have to be successful so I can take care of them.’ And that was my push to why.
And you’re right. My mother says it all the time. I didn’t have any examples around me – no peers, no friends, no family that were millionaires… like at all. So where did I pull it from, that I thought it was possible for me – all I can say is God. Because that’s the only person that could have put it on my heart, because I didn’t have anything around me that influenced it.
JS: Yes. And we can definitely see that through Ellaé Lisqué and all the success that you’ve had. To dive more into the brand – all of your dresses are so versatile and very different from one another. There seems to be a perfect dress for every kind of woman, whether it’s someone who wants to show off their legs rather than upper body, someone who’s comfortable with showing off some back, or someone that wants to rock a sexy plunge. Where do you draw inspiration from for your designs?
MJ: I always tell people that my muse is myself. Like my styles are my personal style. I’ve always been the kind of woman that likes to dress sexy, but classy. I always want to keep it cute. So if I did choose one body part, I would try to cover up the others. So if I want to give a little leg, I’m usually going to wear a turtleneck long sleeve dress, because it’s all about the leg. If I am going to do a strapless dress, it’s probably going to be fitted all the way down on my ankle… I try to choose one body part and to cover up the rest.
I try to keep that balance of sexy but classy – as that’s my own personal style. So I always tell people that I think it’s important to be your own muse because it helps you stay truly creative in this space. You’re always ahead of the curve because you know what it is that you want and you have to make sure that it has a lot of use in the world… You can’t be too ahead of the curve. Because when you’re too ahead of the curve and you’re not on trend at all, that doesn’t sell. So you have to make sure that the muse that you’re choosing to attend to – [that] there’s a lot of them in the world. And if you happen to also be the muse that’s even better because it helps you stay creative in your space.
JS: I love that. And I love that your brand fills that void for us women that want to look sexy, but want to look classy and want to show off some leg, but don’t want to show too much. It’s that perfect balance. Your brand is quality, but at an affordable price. At an attainable price.
MJ: That’s what I aim for too. Because I do believe that you shouldn’t have to break the bank just to be able to have a dress that you can wear more than twice. People appreciate quality that they can repeat and that they can have [longterm]. So they wouldn’t respect it if it was two dollars either. You have to find that happy medium where you’re not hitting people upside the head, [where] they’re paying for the quality that they’re obtaining and there’s no extra gimmick behind it. Exactly what you’re paying for is exactly what you’re getting. Absolutely. And it’s comparable to the thousand dollar dresses of the world.
JS: So Ellaé Lisqué took a year off between 2019 and 2020 to relaunch. But in total, you’ve been in business for almost ten years now. You’ve been able to carve out your own lane and audience by taking on a niche in evening wear. You’ve been able to successfully scale your business – growing your revenue to three million dollars at the end of 2021. And even survive the challenge of relaunching during a pandemic. What would you say has been the biggest lesson that you’ve learned thus far on your journey?
MJ: The biggest lesson I’ve learned thus far would be, don’t be so quick to expand when you start to experience growth. Be okay with staying in your overflow. Don’t up your overhead and move to a bigger office, or more employees the minute you start seeing growth – stay in your overflow and make sure that it’s not just a [temporary] season. Make sure that it’s consistent so that you can grow with that. I also would love to advise [brands] to grow at a pace that you can control. So even if there’s something that you can do that will probably blow you out of here, [ask yourself] can you handle it? It’s way worse to bring yourself that much traffic and [not be able to] keep up with the demand.
Now you’ve hurt your brand’s trust. [Customers] don’t know if [their products are] going to come on time because you didn’t have the supply to keep up with the demand. I think that it’s very important that people be okay with growing at a slower pace. It’s not always about fast money, especially when you want to be a lasting brand that’s around for decades to come. You want people to be able to trust you – the money is going to come regardless. The growth is going to come regardless. But you have to make sure that your backing is sustainable enough to keep up with that. And that’s very important. That’s my biggest lesson I’ve learned in my business.
JS: Yes, that’s very important. You also shared another important piece of advice for up and coming fashion brands. In a recent interview with Bombshell, you warned up and coming fashion brands to be wary of overinvesting in influencer marketing. You suggested that they instead work towards building relationships with stylists within the industry so that they can receive the resources that will ultimately have a greater impact on their brand and their brand awareness. Can you touch on the importance of the designer to stylist relationship, as well as how important it is to develop and nurture your relationships in the industry as well?
MJ: A hundred percent. When you’re first starting out, obviously capital is tight. And it’s going to take so much money to really get to where you want to go in your business so you have to be particular [about] where you are navigating your funds to. So your money should be going to your inventory, your marketing, your website… The budget should be allocated there. A lot of people think that they should have to pay a whole bunch of money to get a certain person to wear their stuff – and then that person wears it and you barely make two sales. And now all that money is just wasted and you don’t know what to do.
I think that it’s important that you understand the importance of where your capital should be allocated in the beginning stages of your business. And the capital that you thought you were going to invest in influencer marketing, [should really be used to invest in] yourself, [and] in relationship building with stylists around you or in the industry.
Stylists really make their money from being able to keep a clothing budget. So if they are able to come and pull from you for free in return for pictures of their clients in your items, you guys [can] build a good relationship. That’s what building a relationship means… I think that’s important [because] a lot of stylists are always looking for new designers to put their clients in, because they want their clients to stand out from others. I also suggest having contracts in place – relationship or not, friend or not, referral are not – business is business and you want them to know that you’re about your business and you’re expecting your items back at this time, on this date, and in this condition.
You’d be surprised how many images you’d be able to get of your clothes on celebrities without you having to pay that influencer marketing fee to put your clothes on celebrities. Celebrities are hiring stylists to style them, and the stylist has the clothes or the budget and they would love to be able to keep that budget. So it just all works out.
JS: One of your early motivations that we touched on earlier in the conversation was being able to be financially secure and stable to take care of your family. But what keeps you motivated and driven towards your goals today?
MJ: It’s the same for me. Before it was my motivation because I wanted to do it right. Now I have to, because I have retired them and they are relying on me and that’s pressure. Early on it was just me, so even though that was like my call, the reality was that I was only taking care of myself. And I was still striving to be in the position to take care of my parents. Now that I’m in position, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I cannot fumble the ball. They need me. I cannot ruin this.’ They’re comfortable, they’re happy. They’re not worried about money. And that’s because I’ve assured them of that. So now it’s my responsibility to really show up, and show out because I don’t want to disappoint my parents. That would just ruin my whole spirit because I finally got here and I just can’t afford to lose it.
I also have my team. I used to be a one woman band but now I have a team and they have families, they have kids, and I feel responsible for them also. So one wrong move is like, ‘Oh my God, my whole team might be distraught.’ And then they have to find a new job and everything like that. And I don’t want anyone to be inconvenienced on my behalf, not from my family to my team. So that motivates me today to keep going. Even when I don’t feel like getting out of bed… but that’s what pushes me. I have to push through those hard times because it’s too many people relying on me not to. That’s literally what I tell of myself.
JS: That’s a word. So what can we expect from yourself and Ellaé Lisqué this year?
MJ: I’m working on a master’s class on e-commerce in fashion. I get a lot of people who ask me all the time, how to scale online, how to start a business in the fashion industry. I also have a book coming out called the “Fashionaire Success Guide.” It’s basically a step by step guide on how to build success in fashion, business and spirituality. That’s more for the beginners or the people who are just getting their feet wet. My master’s class is more of an advanced class for people who are already in their industry, but they want to scale.
I’m ready to pass this knowledge off. I want people to avoid a lot of the things that I went through that I had to learn the hard way, that cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn just because somebody wouldn’t throw me a bone. They want to see you succeed but just not better than them… I want people to do better than me. Please do better than me so I can feel self-fulfilled, and I can feel like I did God’s work because I don’t want to see anyone have to struggle and go through what I went through. If I could stop people from going through what I went through I’ll feel like I lived my true purpose on this earth, beyond making people feel beautiful on their birthdays and their events. Like I actually helped people not have to go through the trials and tribulations – they’re still going to go through their levels of hardships because the devil is just a hater, but at least I can help you avoid the ones that I for sure can identify and know from my own experience.
I’m very, very, passionate about that. So I’m so excited about my book release and my master class because I know it’s going to help a ton of people.