Her Story
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Diamant is a fashion designer and military veteran who served in the U.S. Army JAG Corps. She began her fashion career after graduating and seeking an additional income stream, teaching herself to sew as a therapeutic hobby that involved hand-sewn couture pieces. After posting her first completed dress online and securing her initial paying customer within a week, followed by a piece worn at a 2018 music awards show, she decided to build a business from the hobby. She started her fashion business in 2017 and now sells through Wolf and Badger in SoHo, New York, as well as internationally online, with goals to become the leading brand for women's wear and outerwear on the East Coast and expand presence to London. Diamant also founded a nonprofit to bridge gaps in resources and knowledge for young entrepreneurs in the fashion industry by training them on building business infrastructure, aiming to increase access and equity stakes for women, particularly minority women, in fashion houses. She attributes her success to resilience, resourcefulness, faith in herself and her vision, daily preparation, strategic planning, and maintaining a strong social media presence that aligns her brand with opportunities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say I'm extremely resilient and resourceful, and I also have a big faith. I have a lot of faith in myself and faith in the vision. So I just keep going. Opportunity has reached a point of preparation for me in many different ways. I prepare daily, following through with things that I said I would do with my business, continually looking for ways to strategize and scale my business, revamping my marketing plan, being specific with my target market, being specific with my deliverables and my social media presence has allowed me to present my brand in a way that aligns with opportunities.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, try to find a mentor in the creative and fashion industry. It is industry, there's many channels that you can use to bring your dream to life, but if you have a mentor, it'll be easier. Also, you must have a vision for where you want to be, and you work backwards from there, and don't let anyone change your vision. Because if you get too off course, it'll be harder to find your way back.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the big challenges that I faced was access in the FAFSA industry, resources and knowledge, just about the business acumen, or the facts and terminology, who to go to for textiles. I saw an opportunity with that, so I started a nonprofit that helped bridge that gap for young entrepreneurs in the FACTA industry. Another opportunity that I saw in the industry is, for more women, especially minority women, to gain access to some of the fashion houses and get an equity stakes there as well.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say integrity above all, and one of my leading mantras is, to thine own self be true. If you go through life, it will try to tell you who you are, or mold you to be someone that you're not in order to achieve certain goals, and it's just never worth it to sacrifice your self-respect and your dignity just to have a title or just to accomplish things that you can accomplish with your integrity and dignity intact.
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