Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Lang-Schweikle.
Renee, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was always a creative child, entering art contest, singing in school musicals, creating softball cheers or throwing elaborate parties. For as long as I can remember, I have surrounded myself with creativity and a diverse group of individuals to make sure I was expending my horizons while growing up in a small town.
I have always had a passion for fashion but I didn’t really move forward with diving into the fashion industry until about six years ago when I started curating vintage that I was finding at local estate sales and thrift stores, with the money I had left over after paying all my bills. It was a long process, it took me a couple years to be able to curate enough inventory and to feel comfortable with my knowledge base, to open a Vintage Clothing Boutique…
It was a long and bumpy road and there were many times where I felt so alone and like I was drowning in so much social media and competition that I wanted to just end it all. Having a business was supposed to be fun, it was supposed to be something that made me happy while still working at a corporate 9-5. So, I stepped back, reevaluated the parts of Discover Melange that made me happy. That was when I decided to move forward with focusing my time and energy on creating unique photo shoots that would highlight the fashions that I sell. This is when my Fashion Stylist persona of, Fringe and Creme Brûlée, made its debut and has been going strong every sense.
Not giving up was the hardest part of my journey. Giving up is easy… people do it all the time. And to me, that reason is one STRONG reason to NOT give up. Many of us have the same passions, but not all of us have the same drive. Strong and steady wins the race.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being an entrepreneur in the fashion industry is rarely a smooth road. Add running a business and that road is now full of potholes. However that road is beautiful and the people you encounter are absolutely amazing, so its all worth it. But yes, not a smooth road at all, when first starting out.
What I found the most difficult was, finding the support group to help create the content needed to have an online boutique with a fashion stylist focus. I am a curvy girl and true vintage isn’t often available in plus size and I couldn’t model all my offering. So, I spent about a year trying to convince those close to me, to model, to help with marketing and like my social media post, to do inventory, to sit and listen to me brainstorm… to even understand why I am taking this leap. I lost a lot of friends during this period of time and that was extremely difficult and still saddens me, but I also have made hundreds of new friends as well as reconnected with long lost friends that have been helping me to this day. When one door closes another one opens, you just have to walk through it.
I am go getter so other than spending endless hours contacting people and networking and following up on possible projects, I have been quite blessed with the connections that I have made as they have opened many doors me. However, if I wasn’t a go-getter who basically lives on social media networking, I would imagine that I would have had to do a lot of hustling with a lot of doors being slammed in my face. Social media is a blessing if you use it correctly.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Discover Melange story. Tell us more about it.
Discover Melange is a mixture of offerings. It’s a vintage boutique, it’s a production company and it’s also my fashion stylist focus. It’s everything that makes me happy, all wrapped up into one business.
You can find some of my inventory online but as a mobile boutique, you can find a majority of my offerings at markets, such as the Randolph Street Market or by setting up private viewings for you and your friends.
What I would say, I am the most known for is my Creative Director role and the unique photoshoot events that I host. I tend to look for unique locations and establishments to work with to guarantee the photos are one of a kind and will help creatives portfolios stand out amongst the masses. I have had the honor of shooting at; Chicago Magic Lounge, The Pink Squirrel, The Venetian Las Vegas, MGM Grand, Antique Taco, Music Box, Dellwood Park, and many more interesting locations are currently in the works.
As a company, I am the proudest that my business isn’t all about me profiting. I take pride in working with all types of talent and levels of experience. Be it a model, photographer, production assistant, MUA, hairstylist or other, they all need work, experience, insight, and support. I refuse to not work with someone because they don’t have much experience. We all started out with little experience and I believe so many creatives do the opposite. They get to a certain level and won’t help unless there is a price tag associated with it. I greatly enjoy setting up a good unique TFP shoot with all levels of experience.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The Vintage trend has been growing strong for the past seven years. I do fear that the market is getting flooded with boutiques which tends to bring down the uniqueness and specialty of vintage (Yes I am one of them). But I am also very happy that more people are choosing to support ethical fashion. I don’t foresee the vintage trend going away anytime soon.
As for my creative director and fashion stylist role, I believe we will start seeing more of a push for fashion stylist to have certifications. This year alone I have noticed over 2,000 more fashion stylist on social media. With Instagram being such a heavy image focused platform, there is a need to have the images be unique and styled in order to stand out. I believe that if a stylist is just starting out in their career, it would be beneficial to have a certification because one wouldn’t have an expanded portfolio at that time.
I love watching all the latest trends and honestly it looks like futuristic sunglasses and avant-garde clothing of all kinds are going to be big for 2019. Don’t be afraid of mixing different colors, patterns, and eras. Your style is your fashion fingerprint.
Pricing:
- Style Shoots: $50-200 Hour
- Private Viewing & Parties: Free-$500 Day
- Event Creative Director: Free-$2000 Day
- Fashion Rentals: $25-$200 Day
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.discovermelange.com
- Phone: 815-293-7971
- Email: inquiries@discovermelange.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DiscoverMelange/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discovermelange/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/discovermelange
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/fringe_and_creme_brulee/?hl=en
Image Credit:
@bree.duval, @msjai105, @brinhill.official, @itsjoeyjoelle, @sce.agency, @cibari, @ohkayemakeup, @biancanaranjosbraids, @joooeforlong, @cassienegron, @glitz.gold, Emma O’Connor, @maquillajebynoor, @hollies_world, @hazukiphotography, @wxyzeiri, @madkittypurr, @jodymarie_official, @alexcallejo, @freddyrodrig, @clara_the_creator, @shaughnessy_b_photography, @annieseverin, @mintsalon, @ashley_rufino_portrait
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