Today we’d like to introduce you to Janelle Funari. They and their team shared their story with us below:
How it all began: Maxine Avenue NYC was born from love, happiness, and inspiration that the beloved creature Maxine the Frenchie brought to the designer, Janelle Funari. When couture designer and fashion consultant Janelle Funari of Funari New York could not find anything stylish that could fit her curvy French bulldog, Maxine, she created unique pieces for her fur baby to strut the streets of New York City! Janelle was getting married and planned to make her special dress, but she realized she had to have a MINI ME wedding dress for her Maxine for the Big Day! This was only the beginning of an unplanned business venture. The collection began to grow.🌿🌿🌿 Upon working on her NYFW collections with vegan leather and other exotic one-of-a-kind materials, she decided to recycle the remains of her amazing fabrics into a MINI ME Pup couture collection. It all began with 1 leather jacket with fur trim, and from there, the orders came in from Frenchies and many unique small breeds who could not find things to fit them as well! What makes Maxine Avenue NYC by Janelle Funari Unique? The collection is unique and special for the pup owner who wants something stunning but also something eco-friendly, organic, hypoallergenic, and vegan. All designs are unique, memorable, made of the highest quality, and approved and Tested by Maxine and her friends in NYC! Follow online on IG @maxineavenuenyc, www.maxineavenuenyc.com
- Designer’s Work/Experience
In addition to Maxine Avenue NYC, Janelle Funari is an established Fashion Consultant and Designer and has launched over 100 brands in the past 2 decades. Her consulting company is accredited by the CFDA and is acknowledged as a Sustainable Eco-Friendly firm. - Funari New York
The brand is Inspired from streets of New York city and is an Edgy RTW Eco Couture collection for Men, Women and Pets! FUNARI NY was launched in 2012 and began with an Athleisure Line for Women and Men. Now has a men swim, and intimates line.The brand has been part of NYFW and is now at Paris Fashion Week.The women’s intimates line was launched at Paris Fashion Week in 2023 and will be available for wholesale purchase at the CURVE show 2024 in New York City!
- Bridal
Janelle Funari was among the first in the global industry to launch a Platinum Organic Destination Bridal collection in 2008. - Children’s
Then, she launched Janelle Funari’s children’s couture and organic sportswear & baby line in 2007. - Sportswear
She created the first Yoga-inspired athletic collection for Champion Sportswear. - Lingerie & RTW
Janelle Funari designed Lingerie and RTW collections for private labels for all luxury department stores, including (Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, Anthropologie, and Barneys. Lingerie for Eberjey, Soma, Victoria’s Secret, Black House White Market, Nordstrom, Limited, Urban Outfitters and Lulu Guinness London - Swimwear
She designed Ashley Paige’s swim designer implementation for all 200 Target stores and Soma Swim and Xhilaration Swim for over 200 Target stores.Janelle Funari’s work has been seen on red carpets In Miami, Los Angeles, and NYC, and celebrities such as Cheryl Burke, Fanny LU, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, and Bridget Marquardt (on her TV show Bridget Sexiest Beaches and the red carpet. Worn on multiple celebrities at the People Espanol event). Her designs have been published in Vogue China, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Eurasia, Fashion Week Online, Fashion Magazine 24, British Vogue, Elle, NY Post, AM NY, People En Espanol, Bride Magazine, and The Knot.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
The struggle has been real! The way to stay relevant and successful is to shift when the economy shifts. This is why you see how many twists and turns I have taken in my fashion journey and developing new lines and products. As the economy changed, so did I! The goal of success is to find what people are willing to spend on and move with those changes. Designers who don’t want to make changes or decide to close will only create 1 product line. Those brands may have challenges when the economy changes without diversification.
Thanks for sharing that. Could you tell us more about your business?
Funari New York is an eco-conscious brand inspired by the Streets of New York City! The brand stands out from others with its innovation, technology, and zero-waste manufacturing initiative, making it a sustainable “Fashion with a purpose” brand. We strive to be a leader in the luxury market by creating these kinds of unique materials and pushing for quality and reduction in waste and water. Utilizing natural eco-cellulose fibers and recycling bottles into our fabrics and recycling fibers from landfills to create fabrics for our line is something to be proud of! However, we need our consumers to know the price and value is involved in purchasing high-quality Eco- Friendly products. Our brand stands out as essential products like jackets, pants, and pet apparel, and we now offer intimates that will stand the test of time due to the high-quality fiber and construction. We like our clients to feel good about buying our brand, as it will stand the test of time, and we know they are not hurting the environment and have ethical working conditions for all working for the brand. Lastly, our brand stands for all-inclusivity, which means our brand fits all shapes and sizes and promotes healthy, eco-organic life and living! We like our clients to know we showcase our brand with not only all ethnic backgrounds and sizes wearing the brand but also support the LGBTQ community and many disabilities with our product line. We want our line to inspire, to include our shapes, sizes, cultures, and disabilities, and to bring the world together in unity! We want to be known for ethical, eco-conscious couture.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
We love to collaborate with model photographers and videographers! This way, we promote their work in an industry that works on recommendation. We love collaborating with artists to design and create unique, exclusive artwork for the brand. Last season, we were lucky to work with artist Jodi Decrenza from the Louvre exhibition to paint our clothing. We are open to other collaborations like this or working with artists, celebrities, or anyone looking to collaborate with us on a collection that makes sense to both parties.
Regarding support, we ask for sales of the brand and promotion of what you sell through social media. We will do the same with other small businesses and artists. We like to shop local and shop small! All that we do will help keep small businesses open!
Pricing:
- Jackets $150-$2000
- Pants $115-$450
- Pet apparel $29-$1500
- Intimates $22-$249
Contact Info:
- Website: www.funariny.com and www.maxineavenuenyc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxineavenuenyc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janellefunarinewyork
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janelle-funari-couture-designer-consultant-29b39b8/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@funarinewyork634
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/funarinewyork?utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Janelle Funari wedding image- Jeremy Harris Runway image Paris – Alvin Toro Model in the street with lingerie and cape- Quentin Victor Model in black with dog street- Dez Santana group shot in the street- Noel Valero group shot after runway show- Noel Valero
