Why LA-Based Christy Dawn Is About So Much More Than Cool Dresses

Everyone in the digital fashion space has deemed LA-based fashion label Christy Dawn the “It,” the “Cool Girl,” the “Dress Every Girl in LA Is Wearing.” And they’re not wrong. 

But they’re not entirely right.

That’s not the whole picture.

It'd be hard to flub your fashion in a Christy Dawn dress or sweater (recently launched!!), from both a fashion POV to an ethical one to yes, even a spiritual one. 

The breezy Cali brand sources deadstock fabric, manufacturing is done locally, they pay their sewers a living wage (15+ an hour), host a ping pong lunch everything Friday at 3pm, and just got everyone who works for them health insurance. “Christy Dawn isn’t just me,” the founder and lead designer says. “It’s every person who puts energy into the garment.” 

This is the pulse that beats through the company. “It’s not hard to find good people,” she says, “ if you treat them well.” As a business owner she says treating her workers well is a “non-negotiable.” 

One such person is Pedro Trujillo, the company’s production manager who has been Christy Dawn’s sewer and sounding board from the beginning. Christy and Aras Baskauskas, her husband and biz partner, used to work from his couch. He used to tell them, “Most of my clients don’t usually come down here.” But working from Pedro’s couch gave Christy insight into the people side of production. “Pedro paid people so well,” she says, “it was a priority for him.” 

Years of modeling also gave her insider info into her priorities. “I knew how to make an e-commerce site survive. I gathered so much data from jobs,” she says. “I asked so many questions.” She also gathered information ”No one ever mentioned the artisans,” she says of doing e-commerce every single day for four years. “There was no respect.”

"Abundance is about so much more than money.” 

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As Christy Dawn grew, so did the need to find a space. Last January Christy and Aras made the decision to really go for it—  they signed a lease in the Arts District, but shortly thereafter they knew it wasn’t right. “For us, the space is super important,” she says. And they made the decision to forfeit their deposit, instead moving into the 12,000-square-foot factory in downtown Los Angeles. It’s bright, clean, with a fully built out kitchen, and on tap kombucha and coffee.

It’s a place you’d be proud to work at. To show your fam. And it is a family affair at Christy Dawn. 

Pedro’s daughter Valeria is the company’s production coordinator, whom they recently gave her first raise. “We told her, we’re going to give you what you ask for.” And they were true to their word. Last year Christy and Aras also called up Pedro one day and told him and Valeria to meet  them at a Toyota dealership. They bought the father and daughter matching Rav 4s, so they could get to work safely. “Our company is growing,” Christy says, “but we don’t need 20 million dollars. We want every one of our sewers to be able to afford what they’re making. Money is just multiplication. It’s just numbers. It’s just energy.”

It’s an energy in each dress, blessed by Pedro’s wife Teresita, who does all the finishing work. “She’s the last person who has her hands on every garment,” shares Christy.  A little while back she saw Teresita talking over the garments. She asked Pedro what his wife was doing. “She was blessing each dress,” says Christy. “We had no idea.” 

What she does have an idea about are her hopes for the brand's longevity, commitment to deadstock, and sustainability. “There’s nothing timeless about a trend,” she shares of her hopes for the brand’s longevity. “I’m not afraid anymore if it’s a ‘success’ or not. Abundance,” she shares, “is about so much more than money.” 

Photography: James 

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Entrepreneur: Sugar Paper

This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with KEDS, you can view the full Entrepreneur List Here.

Making paper out of paper. 

Jamie Grobecker and Chelsea Shukov simultaneously found themselves in a similar position: unhappy with their jobs and looking for a creative outlet. But rather than start a blog, they bought a letterpress. 

A slightly heftier investment but as they learned how to print, initially for friends and family, a company was born. Thirteen years later they are still running Sugar Paper, a trusted resource specializing in bespoke letterpress stationary. 

“When I suggested opening a retail store to Jamie,” shares Chelsea, “she said I was crazy.” But in the age of digital invites and paperless communication, a brick-and-mortar location in the iconic Brentwood Country Mart, was exactly the right move. An IRL store for IRL paper. 

“I grew up in a home where manners were required and traditions were valued,” says Chelsea. “I also grew up with a mom who taught me that I could do anything I could dream up.” Combining those traits and lessons was natural. 

Sugar Paper began as a passion project. “We never intended the brand to be what it is now,” they both agree.  “Growing a company, building a team, learning distribution, manufacturing and managing a brand requires knowledge, qualities and skills we’ve had to learn along the way.”

The only constant along their journey has been change. “It’s better to embrace it,” they say. 

“When you are growing a business and running a household you are always letting someone down,” says Jamie. “The people that love you give you grace and cheer you on.”

"When you're growing a business & running a household you're always letting someone down."

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It’s a mindset derived from Jamie’s favorite advice from her dad: “People that love you know the truth… people that don’t, screw ‘em.” The two go fly fishing when she has downtime. 

The co-founders agree that if they had more time they’d focus on family first.“Becoming mothers significantly changed our relationship to Sugar Paper. Having kids while working full time has forced us to manage our time more effectively and wisely. It has challenged us to learn how to effectively give time to both work and family. Its a constant balancing act.”

One that has been bolstered over the years by a stellar team.“As founders, we understand that we need smart people to help us with specific pieces of the business.” But they still rely on “trusting our gut and remaining true to our core values.” That’s a “nonnegotiable.”

While they admit that “the amount of responsibility that you carry as a business owner can weigh you down,” they have “found that the positives outweigh the negative.

Thirteen years in and they still love what they do. 

“Making beautiful things,” and “keeping the art of the handwritten note alive,” continues to motivate their entrepreneurial journey.  “It’s incredible to see that something we’ve created has impacted so many people. Where there was nothing, we created something.”

"Where there was nothing, we created something.”

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Something that their loyal customers respond to. They remain loyal to their customer as well as other women. “This is a unique time for women,” they share. “There are so many female founders who are connected, whether by geography or social media. We are choosing to help one another rather than view each other as competition.”

Styling provided by Reservoir LA. Hair and makeup provided by Glamsquad. Photography courtesy of Light Lab and Woodnote Photography.