Meet Mandy Moise-Crum of Vfish in West Town

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Moise-Crum.

Mandy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Some little girls dream of being a Fashion Designer when they grow up. I was definitely not one of them 🙂 I was a tomboy, and much more concerned with athletics than what I was wearing. Most of the time it was a jersey. I attended university in NY and earned my degree in Physical Education and Health Science. For three years I taught school in the South Bronx, NYC and I loved my career.

At the end of my third year, I had the opportunity to travel through Southeast Asia. During that trip, I stumbled across a garment factory in Thailand and was fascinated. The fabrics, the dresses, the detail… I’d never seen anything like it before. At the time I was traveling with a friend, and he encouraged me to think about starting a business of my own someday. Vfish, named after my late Grandma Vera Fishbaugh, started in the spare bedroom in my condo. The best part, is that we shipped our first deliveries from that bedroom, which included Macy’s.

Sometimes life just presents itself to you and if you are paying close enough attention, you get a shot at a new opportunity. I never thought of myself as a creative person or saw myself as a business owner. I took my shot and it’s really worked out. Today, vfish has showrooms across the USA, and is sold in over 125 boutiques and eCOMM sites including Hautelook and RueLaLa.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The struggle is actually real. And fashion (don’t tell I told you this) is not quite as glamourous as it appears. I’ve literally read 296 resumes that feature the unfortunate cover letter line: “Fashion is my passion”. I’ve toted 2 baby girls all around the world with me in search of fabric, inspiration and new partnerships for manufacturing. Balancing the home/work life is the hardest now that they’re older and can’t come with me everywhere because of school. I’ve missed birthdays because I have been rolling garment racks into stores, or because I needed to be at apparel trade shows. I’ve struggled plenty learning how to run a business effectively and how to be a good leader. I’ve almost killed myself multiple times with a steamer, a hanger, a mannequin stand and I’m sure I’ll cheat death other ridiculous ways in the future.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Vfish is a women’s contemporary lifestyle brand. We make dresses for women of all ages, body shapes and sizes. Our vibe is happy and sunny. Like, if you’re not on vacation you’re certainly thinking about it. We design our prints and one of our new collaborations features an on the rise artist I found on Instagram. (@cbrookering) She painted a Fall 17 and Spring 18 print for us, and joins us in our showroom during market, live painting for our customers. It’s been a really fun and inspiring partnership.

What I’m most proud of is that I’ve been a part of creating something that makes other people’s dreams a reality too. I’ve created careers and I am really proud of that. I love the team of smart, and talented creative women and men we have here in Chicago. They’re my family.

What were you like growing up?
A wild little ragamuffin. The life of the party. I still try to be too… all the girls in the office are much younger than me but I can keep up. They have no idea what is going on when I play Debbie Gibson Pandora.

I was always the bossy boots. I was the kid who did all the work in the group project because I couldn’t deal with anyone else’s handwriting. I’m now “assertive” not bossy, but I still wanna be the one to make the poster.

Pricing:

• Collection ranges from $90-$150
• Sale items start at $30 online

Contact Info:

• Address: 350 N. Ogden Ave
  STE 100
  Chicago, IL 60607
• Website: shopvfish.com
• Phone: 312-423-7839
• Email: customerservice@vfishdesigns.com
• Instagram: @vfishchicago
• Facebook: facebook.com/vfishchicago
• Twitter: @vfish
• Other: We host warehouse events @vfishboutique

Image Credit:
Angela Garbot Photography

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