I recently got the opportunity to sit down and have a Skype date with
Elise Vaughn, designer and owner of
The Brass Razoo. We at
Diary Of A Hip Lil Sprout came up with some questions to ask
Elise; some business related, and some personal. We got a little glimpse into her magical, creative
world and it was beyond our expectations! She is everything you would imagine her
to be…kind, honest, humble, and hilarious! I couldn’t stop laughing in between my little Addie interrupting us with
her constant updates on her potty training (TMI) and chatting about our many
similarities and interests. You may not know this, but Elise does not preview a piece until every size in that design has been created. She also sews until the morning of release day and then updates the website minutes before it goes live. She is truly a renaissance woman.
Tracy Wong: How did you come up with the name the Brass Razoo?
Elise Vaughn: The Brass Razoo has been with me since 2007. It was the name of a boutique I opened July
7, 2007. I sold mostly redesigned
vintage jewelry and clothing that was geared towards the young and working
woman. Brass Razoo is an Australian term
which means “coin of no value”. I like
to take things that people have disregarded or have found no use for and
re-purpose them to something of beauty and value.
TW: How did you get started designing? Do you think you will ever design for women again?
EV: I was working full time doing social work and in the evenings and
weekends, I would design clothes and jewelry. Then I would pack up my car at two in the morning on Saturdays to
line up to see if I could get a booth at the Orange County Swap Meet with my
friend Diana. I’d love to design for
women again and one day design “mommy and me” outfits.
TW: What inspired you to start designing for children? Where do your inspirations come from?
EV: When I was a child, I would love to play dress up in my mom’s vintage
clothes. There was always something so
magical about it when I would test my imagination as a little girl. Children’s wear has always excited me and I
love how a piece of clothing can give a girl a sense of individuality that she
can embrace. It makes me giddy and it’s an
honor that you all allow me to be a part of your family.
TW: How do you come up with the names of your pieces? Do they have special meaning?
EV: The names come from beautiful women and girls that inspire me and
that I have a lot of respect for. You
will definitely see names of my grandmothers, aunts, and nieces in every
collection.
TW: What is your most favorite piece you have created and why?
EV: I don’t have a favorite piece as I love all of them! Each piece holds special meaning to me. I can remember the excitement I felt each
time I found a particular fabric or trim.
TW: What advice can you give to other small handmade businesses?
EV: I’m not sure if this helps or hurts but my parents raised me to be
an innovator, not an imitator. I get the
greatest sense of accomplishment when I start from nothing. The excitement is indescribable…almost
euphoric. Take pride in the pieces you
create and respect the families the pieces are going to.
TW: What is one of the hardest lessons to learn being in the public eye
when dealing with social media?
EV: I don't spend time looking at others and what they are saying. I only focus on myself. What people don't know is that The Brass Razoo does not equal Elise. I try to let things
roll off my back. I don’t see comments
as negative, but as an opportunity to fix an issue. I don’t get angry and I try to see the silver
lining in those comments and I’m honored that so many people want a piece and
at how much effort they put into trying to get one.
TW: How many pieces can we expect in this collection? Do you see yourself creating for older girls?
EV: I never know until it’s done. My head is full of ideas all the time. This collection will have lots of infant styles along with big
sister/little sister designs. I actually
started out on Etsy with sizes all the way up to 10-12 years, but it didn’t
sell well so I focused on infant and toddler sizes. I do want to make larger sizes because it
makes me sad when girls I’ve watched essentially grow up, outgrow my
pieces.
TW: Where do you see Brassrazoo in 2 years?
EV: I live day to day. I don’t really have a drawn out business plan. I’m hoping to offer more options and designs and reintroduce jewelry, accessories, and shoes back into my collections. I keep my quantities limited because little girls are not mass produced so neither should their clothes.
TW: Now onto the fun stuff…Where did you and your husband, Wade,
meet? Tell me it’s a fantastic love
story…
EV: Wade…he’s my happy place EVERY DAY! We met in college. I was a senior
Resident Advisor and I was signing in the incoming freshman for the All School
Party. Wade was one of them even though
he is 4 years older than I am. He had
just gotten out of the Navy. I noticed
him right away. The school did not turn
off the scheduled sprinklers and they went off during the party. It was Wade and another guy who were helping
me deflate things. They were rolling it
and I was throwing my body weight on it. It was such a sight! What I
didn’t know was that he had his eye on me and knew that I was at the soda
machine every Tuesday at a particular time so he made it a point to always be
there to say hi to me. About 3 months
later, as I was taking my tray full of spaghetti to the dish drop off, he asked me
for my phone number. I was so giddy that
I spilled the spaghetti all over myself. He walked off just mumbling my phone number until he could find
something to write it down on and we’ve
been together ever since.
TW: What do you like to do in your spare time? What’s your favorite TV show?
EV: I love nature and being active. If I’m not working, you can find me hiking or paddle boarding. I do miss the beach though. I don’t really have time to watch TV and it’s
so bad that I don’t know what’s going on in the world anymore.
TW: What’s your favorite food?
EV: Anything with sugar in it! I
love all candy, especially Australian candy. I’m a sugar addict and possibly a borderline diabetic.
TW: What is your favorite vacation spot?
EV: I grew up traveling. I lived
in several countries as a child so when we moved to California, it was like a
permanent vacation. It wasn’t until we
moved to Idaho where vacations have become important again. But if I had to choose, it would be anywhere
with a beach.
TW: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
EV: It would definitely be back at the beach or ocean. Anywhere tropical. Or Queensland, Australia.
TW: Last question... Can we be best friends?
EV: I thought that was already established!
***
interview by: Tracy Wong
 |
| The lovely Elise Vaughn |
Exclusive to our blog readers, here is a preview of a summer to fall
transition tunic that you will only see here!
GIVEAWAY
One thing we love about Elise is how she spoke about how she is truly grateful and in awe of the community that her collections have created. She loves seeing her pieces shared, passed on and enjoyed by different families for different occasions. Elise has generously agreed to do a giveaway for a custom Brass Razoo piece. To celebrate her awesome philosophy, we have decided to choose not one but 10 winners to share this piece! We will choose the first winner to keep a custom Brass Razoo piece for one month and choose a different winner every month. [More details to follow]
To enter, you must be a member our Facebook BST group
Ace & Jig, Brass Razoo, Mabo, Wolfechild, Liboosha and More BST and be following
@elisevaughn and
@lilhipsprouts on Instagram and post here in the comments what you love most about The Brass Razoo. Winners will be chosen at random.
