Chyanne and Chelsey are two sisters who are the designers of a brand you have seen all over Instagram. Endieu is a brand out of New York City that is destined to go far. Today I got the chance to chat with Chyanne about the brand, life as an entrepreneur and what's next.
Let's talk about your background, where are you from and what impact does it have on your sense of style?
We are from New York City. We spent our childhood in Douglas Projects, Manhattan. The impact growing up there was the infectious aura we were blessed with developing.
When did you realize fashion is something that you wanted to pursue?
I think it was something that was destined to be in us, our father was a model, socialite and designer himself. He passed when we were two so in a way his passions lived through us.
Who is your style inspiration?
Right now @PrincessTyrinaLee, she’s inspired us to turn things up a little more so I’m excited for Chelsey and I to get out of hibernation mode.
How did Endieu come about? In what way would you describe your brand to someone who doesn't know it?
During the hardest times in our life, we always had each other and faith for our future. One day we decided to get matching tattoos that read, ‘en Dieu nous croyons’ French for In God We Trust. We always knew we’d start a clothing line, when it came time to put that brand into fruition and to find a name, it was natural.
EN DIEU. *Light bulbs.
Our brand has zero expectations, it’s just our life through clothes. We see it, we design it and we bring it to life. Blessed for others to see it as well or just like it enough to take it home.
from left to right: @kaniyahikirah, @endieu, @habilletoidebleu
I see that the brand consists of two women. How is it like designing for women, by women?
Yes! It’s actually really inspiring and even more motivating. Seeing what just the two of us are capable of is extremely rewarding. It’s not always easy, there’s been doubt thrown our way and of course some designs stolen which gets discouraging because it is just the two of us. But being a women designing for women is liberating. We know how we want to feel in clothes so being able to bring that feeling to other women is indescribable.
What challenges have you faced being a designer?
Kind of what I mentioned in the previous question. Being an independent self-funded business during a pandemic can sometimes feel unbearable. We’re developing our upcoming line, fulfilling Merch orders during the craziest time for postal services, all while spending extensive amounts of money on samples that need tweaks or end up not working out at all.
But I also understand that it’s inevitable. While I deem stealing from other up-and-coming designers unnecessary, I also know what I signed up for. It’s not all bad when we consider our lives years ago, yearning for these moments. I call these trials beneficial hardships. Every situation has allowed us to gain more knowledge we didn’t know we needed.
What’s some advice you would give to someone wanting to start a brand?
Take your time! Keep quiet about your ideas! Save money! Understand what you’re signing up for and learn to separate yourself, learn who YOU are as a brand.
Who is someone you would like to work with or see wearing one of your pieces?
Endless amounts of people! I can list so many!
These are our little old designs, I’m grateful for anyone who makes a purchase and honored for anyone to see the vision in ours.
from left to right: @mikariajanae, @ny.crys, @okayy.mj, @gexffrey, @quinn.diaz, @shegobyk
Where do you see your brand going in the next couple of years?
We see it going so many places, it’s overwhelming! We’ll see objects in homes soon, archive worthy garments and more. Endieu will be a real life experience soon. I hope we remain interesting enough for people to continue along this journey with us.
If our upcoming collection When The Sun Sets, doesn’t set the tone, the next collection will and so on.
Keep up with Endieu:
Instagram: @endieunyc
Site: https://endieu.com
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