Today we’d like to introduce you to Halle Rossi.
Hi Halle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my small business while I was a senior in college, with the intention of building my savings to fund a future fashion line that I have been dreaming of creating. I started by playing around with Canva and selling 8.5×11. inch posters of my friend’s favorite films and celebrities for them to hang in their college apartments, which led to other students at the university buying them after seeing them on social media. While making these in my free time, I noticed that loungewear with creative designs of self-love quotes was becoming very popular on platforms like Pinterest and TikTok, so I bought iron-on patches and cheap sweatshirts from Walmart. The first one I ever fashioned had “Be Nice to Yourself” in colorful patches, which I would frequently wear when running errands. Everywhere I went, I was stopped and asked about where I got my sweatshirt from and realized that I could create those trendy garments I had seen on social media. Later that year, my parents gifted me an embroidery machine and I began putting every design I could on sweatshirts, created a website in August of 2021, and started sharing them on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok. Now, I sell sweatshirts, sweatpants, hats, tote bags, and prints. In the past month, my store had almost 5,000 visitors!
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?
I wouldn’t call the past year a smooth road as it has involved lots of learning and moments of humility! As a 23-year-old, owning my own business has been months of hard work in the making. It has proved more difficult as the brand grows in terms of managing finances, having storage for products, and understanding social media marketing as I go. Additionally, I also have a 9-5, which takes up the majority of my day, so I tend to do any work involving my business in the mornings and evenings.
With these struggles, though, my parents have helped me every step of the way. My mother helps pack and ship every order and my father is always willing to teach me how to run a business and manage finances when I have questions (which is often). I am very lucky to have the support of my parents and would not have been able to even fathom starting my own business without their endless guidance and knowledge. I am so thankful for them!
As you know, we’re big fans of Hey Halle. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Hey Halle is a loungewear and lifestyle brand that I started in my college apartment. I design all of the pieces on my computer and then create samples myself from the embroidery machine I own, and if I like them, bulk orders are sent to an Austin local embroidery shop called Stitch Gallery in Lakeway.
I love the city I was born and grew up in, and as my business grows, I hope to give back more to the community in which I was raised. For Women’s History Month this year, portions of profits were donated to Safe Alliance Austin, an organization that aids survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, exploitation, and much more.
I am most proud of supporting local businesses as I create my own –
1. All products are embroidered at Stitch Gallery in Lakeway
2. All professional photos are by Austin’s own photographers, Courtney Cope and Carly Richardson
3. Logos and other branding were designed by Anna Steward, a graphic designer from Austin
Apart from all of the products I have for sale on my website, I also do custom orders for businesses, organizations, or just single sweatshirt orders!
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success, to me, has nothing to do with financial gain or being known but rather controlling my own destiny, as silly as that may sound. My life is entirely in my own hands, and I think once I realized that and truly grasped the concept, I just want to do what brings me happiness, and that to me is success. Achieving what I want in life, no matter how small the goal, is success in my eyes. I love designing, I love creating, and I hope to be able to continue to do so. My father has also instilled in me at a very young age that success is helping others and giving back whenever possible.
Contact Info:
- Email: shopheyhalle@gmail.com
- Website: https://shopheyhalle.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopheyhalle/
Image Credits
Courtney Cope Carly Richardson
