Today we’d like to introduce you to Alejandra Agostini.
Hi Alejandra, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I always hear people in artistic professions say they have been doing it since they were kids. Seamstresses that learn to sew from a very young age and talents passed downs through generations. That is not my story. I did not touch a sewing machine until I was 22.
After 1 year at UT, I spontaneously changed my major to Apparel Design, took my first sewing class and I discovered the power of turning your ideas into tangible items. A year later I went on to do a semester abroad in Florence, Italy and this was a turning point in my career. That semester I discovered the art of pattern-making and realized my fascination with the technicality and problem solving aspect of dressmaking. I realized that my place in the fashion world was not to dream up beautiful ideas, but to execute them flawlessly.
Fast forward to 2020, after 5 years of working a corporate banking job, I met a client that introduced me to the world of bridal alterations. Shortly after, I started taking bridal clients in my free time from home. I incubated my business while working a full time banking job for 3 years, then I took the leap and established Needle&Wand. I like to remark that: I probably would not have been able to create a successful stable business, had it not been for the half a decade I spent surrounded financial education at my corporate job and the countless interactions with my business owner clients that taught me that things take time and to always think from a business standpoint.
To sum it all up, I think Needle&Wand is the product of a talent I developed in adulthood, the business acumen from working in finance and the desire to touch people’s lives and helping them feel beautiful on their wedding day.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been, and God I hope it continues not to be! As I mentioned, Needle&Wand was three years in the making and without it’s struggles, I don’t think it would be half as good as it is now. These past five years there have been a plethora of lessons, I could write a book.
I will list the three big ones that, I consider are always a work in progress:
Struggle no.1 – knowing the limits of my abilities and learning to project manage myself.
Struggle no.2 – defining my limits with clients and finding a good work-life balance.
Struggle no.3 – advocating for myself in the wedding industry, advocating for the value of my work and how important this service is in the wedding industry.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in Bridal Alterations and within that realm: the more complex the fit issue, the better. I find it extremely fulfilling to help a bride have a gown that looks like it was painted on their body.
The thing I am most proud of and that I believe sets me apart from other bridal seamstress or alterations service is my customer centric focus. Helping someone have confidence in themselves is my absolute favorite part of my work and what truly inspires me and gives me purpose.
Needle&Wand has been carefully curated to be the best alterations experience a girl could wish for. I like to put my bride hat on and look at my business from their perspective: from the moment they land on my website, to coming in for the first time, to their pick up appointment and even beyond the wedding. I strive to always have accurate and transparent information at their disposal through my frequently updated website, Instagram profile and Google profile.
Once they book with me and we meet, my goal is to make each of them feel special and cared for. This means: 1.taking the time to really listen to their concerns, understand their bridal vision and to get to know them and their story. 2. Providing them with fair and detailed information – creating an accurate itemized invoice in their consultation, creating a custom timeline, talking through everything we are doing to their dress and what to expect at every step of the process. Always present them with real information and never make empty promises. 3. Always doing what is best for the bride – creating a safe space for them to voice their concerns and to feel comfortable giving me feedback on the changes we are making to their gown. A big part of this process is the education brides receive during their fittings, this creates a bridge between us and now, it’s us two tackling the project and this truly transforms the experience.
These are a few of the things that set Needle&Wand apart.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I am still learning but these are the most important things I wish. I knew when starting out:
1. Do your homework!! Sit down and take the time to think about what service/product you will offer and what problem this solving. Be very specific!! Then think hard about your ideal client and literally write a whole essay on them! Name them, give them jobs, personalities, hobbies. If you don’t know who your client is and what you are selling them, you will always feel lost. 2. Invest time and money in innovation! Learn how you can make your client’s life as easy as possible and invest time implementing technologies to achieve that. The easier you make it for your client to do business with you, the faster you will grow.
3. Don’t romanticize your art! Yes, we are all creative souls and love our craft, but at the end of the day, if you want to make art all your life, it needs to be a profitable business and you have to be a business owner. This means you need to learn to detach yourself from the love of your art to be able to strategically develop the foundations of a business.
4. Lastly, after every hurdle, stop and invest time dissecting in retrospective. Never walk away from overcoming a struggle without having a plan of action to either help avoid it in the future or understanding how to mitigate it moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.needlexwand.com
- Instagram: @needlexwand
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandra-agostini-51474b346/
Image Credits
Vannahlee photography, Isabella Macias photography, Thistle and Tulle photography,
