By Elizabeth Jones

In 2012, I arrived in Chicago with my newly minted bachelor’s degree in fashion design. My arrival brought with the all-to-common realization that pursuing my career of choice appeared mutually exclusive with the ability to keep the lights on in my small apartment. Trying to be realistic, and my love of being able to eat regularly led me to the only profession in which I had any marketable skills – retail. Importantly, I do not want to imply in any way that retail is a lesser career – I had just thought I was on the way to designing the dress hanging in the window instead of selling it. While my retail job let me pay for rent, I never stopped searching for my chance to break into the fashion design industry. In a year of searching, the closest I came was an entry-level design position that was unpaid, but unpaid internships are the avenue into difficult fields,right? The designer quashed that hope – “You can’t be a fashion designer in Chicago anymore.”

Frustrated, I looked for anyway in which I could jumpstart my design career.  After researching the paths of others like me, I launched my Etsy shop, Factor Eleven, in May 2013. Initially, I sold what I knew, women’s hair accessories, but was never able to make consistent sales. By 2014, having tried the traditional 9 to 5 office job, I started to nanny for a three-month-old baby girl with a very stylish mother, which turned out to be a great fit. As she grew, I made her gifts like bibs, bow holders, and personalized onesies. For her one-year photo shoot, her mother asked me if I could make a tutu that matched the colors of her room. Having never made a tutu, I did my research and at the shoot Julie Newell, the photographer, ended up loving it. They asked if I would collaborate with them, which has led to the rebooted Factor Eleven you can find online today.

Some might see designing for infants and toddlers as a compromise, but the market is diverse and active, allowing a bold and over-the-top look that just would not work with women’s wear. My tutus are inspired by seasons, color trends, walks through fabric stores, and the ideas of customers. A few months ago a mother of twins came to me looking for a tutu set for her daughter and a matching bow-tie for her son to wear for a golden safari themed birthday shoot. After lots of research on the golden safari theme I created custom matching accessories in burlap and lace, a combination I wouldn’t have previously thought would work. Sometimes customers offer the inspiration themselves. asking if I could design  After the photo-shoot, many use the tutus to play dress up – some even order them specifically for that purpose. I love hearing that a little girl wore one of my designs to school or “just won’t take it off.” I am proud to have designed items that are cherished.

I do not design couture wedding dresses in a fashion house overseas, but I am proud to tell people all about what I do. Not because I “work in fashion” rather because I am doing something I love and am passionate about. I have fun creating new designs, get excited to seeing the beautiful photos that Julie Newell Photography takes of them, and am truly happy to hear stories about the little girl’s who wore them.

Learn more about Elizabeth Jone’s Factor Eleven Designs at Factoreleven.etsy.com or email her at factor11designs@gmail.com. You can also follow her on the following social media pages:

• Facebook – Factor Eleven
• Twitter @FactorEleven
• Instagram FactorEleven
• Pinterest FactorEleven