“Obsessed” is the only word we can use to describe how we feel about Carrie Hammer’s clothing line, upbeat attitude, and overall wonderful outlook on life. Hammer is the phenom behind her eponymous fashion line that seeks to give professional women clothing that’s office-appropriate but also fashionable and well-made.
She recently gained even more traction this past week when she had an inspirational quadruple amputee, Karen Crespo, walk in her show for New York Fashion Week (and Crespo looked FIERCE!).
Hammer was kind enough to take some time out of her super busy schedule to chat with us about her line, her quest for role models, and her advice for women hoping to start a business.
One of Hammer’s absolutely fantastic designs. Image courtesy of Bushan Ahire.
HelloFlo: Can you tell us about your fashion line and what inspired you to start it?
Carrie Hammer: Carrie Hammer is a custom clothing line for professional women. I decided to start it when I was working in advertising and I was really frustrated by the options available for the professional woman. There weren’t very many choices offered that were in a flattering fit so I decided to create a custom clothing line to fix that.
Could you talk a little bit about your “role models not runway models” mission?
CH: I’m all about role models not runway models because I think runway models are often underage and don’t represent a healthy body image to clients or really anyone. My clients are professional women, and I think putting clothes on various runway models doesn’t represent a healthy image for them or young women. So using role models who are just very incredible women who exude confidence based on their accomplishments and not just on this beauty standard is really important to me.
Carrie Hammer and Karen Crespo. Image courtesy of Hiokit Lao.
You recently had quadruple amputee Karen Crespo walk in your show! How has the reaction been?
CH: It’s been overwhelmingly positive amazingness! There’s been very little negative feedback; you always have your trolls, but it’s been an overwhelming and outpouring amount of “Thank you so much for doing this!”, especially from women who are amputees or are disabled. A lot of women have been writing us to say, “Thank you for reminding me how fortunate I am and how beautiful I am.”
What advice do you have for women hoping to start and run their own businesses?
CH: Just start! Just do it. The hardest part is starting and once you get going, it becomes all about the momentum where one thing leads to the next. But the hardest part for me was starting, and I hear that that’s a resounding response from a lot of my entrepreneur friends.
Check out Carrie Hammer on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!
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