Self-Love Celebrated Through Fashion | Crown + Pride
The headline above may seem more like an oxymoron. Does Fashion truly celebrate self-love? Some consumers would argue that Fashion only makes people see their short comings. Fortunately for the industry, we have positive leaders out there who preach what we preach, “Love yourself. You are enough.” Heather Loduca, founder of Crown + Pride has found her outlet to spread the message of self-love through clothing. After working in television within the beauty industry, Heather re-focused her ambitions towards the online fashion industry. We had a great chat with Heather about Self-Love through Fashion, her positive thinking brand Crown + Pride and how she tried her best to practice self wellness.
Most people would say clothes makes them feel bad about themselves. How did you come to the conclusion that clothes could only Help people feel Great about themselves? We agree with your findings, by the way!
Everything is all about perspective. Something that runs deep through Crown + Pride’s veins is seeing the positive in everything. I could easily point out lots of clothes that make me feel bad about myself but how is that helping me? I’d rather pick the things I love and have my focus there. After a bit of repetition, I now have the philosophy that clothes make me feel great about myself! I believe any woman can get there with the right direction and support. And that is what C+P is here to help with.
In what other ways do you practice self-love? Running a business is tough and it can be brutal to the body physically and mentally.
I practice self-love in as many ways I can! Whether it’s exercising and stretching, eating well, watching a funny movie to give my mind a break or sleeping in, and not feeling bad about it. Running a business can take its toll but it’s also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done for myself which is the ultimate nod to self-love.
What elements in your clothing makes women feel great? It’s more than just “looking pretty” isn’t it?
I genuinely believe it all starts in the way you feel about your outfit. I like getting into my outfit first and THEN looking in the mirror because I can feel if I’m going to love it or not (I think many woman can do this). The cuts of my pieces, the stitching, THE FABRIC (huge) and the overall way the piece sits on the body are all elements I take into consideration when designing a new piece. These things, I believe are what make woman feel their best in their outfit and by default they will look fantastic.
Explain what #crownandprideyourlife is about? And how does one contribute to sharing the mission?
There are a couple of social elements that live inside the Crown + Pride brand. The main one is definitely loving yourself but there are a few other messages like, ‘see the bright side of things’, ‘encourage yourself to keep going’, ‘persevere, and don’t apologize for who you are’. Those sub-messages, I believe, all file under overall self-love. To #crownandprideyourlife means that you are celebrating all of those social elements mentioned, and that you are incorporating some, or all, into what you’re doing too. Whatever ones work best for you and makes you feel great!
How has your past work in broadcasting helped your fashion business?
Believe it or not it’s helped in a laundry list of ways. A few big ones would be, not being afraid to be me and show my ideas to the world. You can wing anything. And it’s helped me develop being able to connect with others through a camera or speaker.
You stepped out into an industry that many fear trying out. What advice would you give to someone who is passionate about a business that promotes a great cause or social issue?
You’re going to hear from a thousand people, three thousand reasons why you shouldn’t do something. If you believe in it with all of your being and get the right planning in place, you should jump every time because if you’re like me and you don’t, you’ll spend the rest of your life thinking “what if?”
photo credits: Boathouse Products and Leah Chan Photography
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