Zelma Rose : Me & ModCloth

I have such an exciting announcement today! Zelma Rose is on ModCloth!!! How did a partnership with one of my favorite businesses come about? Read on...

Is it crazy to follow the business advice of a fictional character? Probably. Don Draper, the dapper and mostly tortured ad exec of Mad Men once said something to the effect of, the right time is all the time and the right place is everywhere. After being at the helm of ZR for the last 3 years, I can't argue. Sometimes it is all about putting yourself out there over and over again. You never know what good will come of it.

I met COO Susan Gregg Koger of ModCloth at Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco this past July. I have been doing Renegade for years and always hear stories of other designers having dream encounters at RCF, but so far it had never happened to me. I felt like I was always the one listening to friends tell their tale and cheering from the sidelines as a buyer from Anthropologie picked up their line of coasters, or a famed blogger blasted their wares out into cyber space.

Here in SF we are big fans of ModCloth. While the company has offices across the country, anytime a brilliant business has an outpost in SF of course we claim it as our own. Of course, right?! As a businesswoman, Susan always impressed me with her brilliant idea for the company along with her ability to get it up and running and turn her vision into what we know ModCloth to be today. Perhaps my favorite thing about her is that she is adventurous in terms of fashion and style and carries that message to her loyal fans. I remember watching a super stylish woman enter the booth with a Miu Miu bag to die for. She scooped up a few of my items and moved on to my booth mate PF Candle Co for some candles. While at the cash wrap I hear Kristen of PF Candle Co say, "Aren't you from ModCloth?" My heart practically spit out of my mouth when Susan said yes, and handed us both her business card. As she left our booth Kristen and I shared an enthusiastic high 5.

A few days later I decided to follow up. In my head it always seems like I am a bother, but if someone gives you a way to contact them, then maybe they want you to keep in touch, right? I reached out to Susan to thank her for stopping by and to see how she liked her purchases. Turns out the ZR Ursa Major Necklace she bought was a major hit and I was going to be contacted by one of ModCloth's buyers. The rest as they say, is history.

My partnership with ModCloth has been one of a few major leaps and bounds that Zelma Rose has experienced in the past few months. It's amazing to say the least. My friend Sarah of Portraits To The People sent me a screen shot the other day of a ModCloth ad that featured my necklace. SO crazy! If you haven't been over to the website, here's a glimpse of what's going on: