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Parent Spotlight: Hollie Hanash
Parent Spotlight: Hollie Hanash by Leah Parodi
If you are a fashionista or have one in your home, then you know all about Omaha Fashion Week. This past August, I was fortunate enough to attend the sold out show where Hollie Hanash showed her children’s clothing line for the first time. As I oohed and aahed over each fun and adorable outfit, I marveled at how someone could be so creative, talented and make girls clothing chic and age appropriate. But then I met Hollie and found out that her clothing line is only one of many things that I would marvel over.
Hollie is originally fromPensacola,Florida and graduated from high school early as she got a college scholarship to play softball. At college she studied nursing and found that Geriatrics was her calling. “I just fit there,” she says. Hollie then met and married her husband Rami and they have three children; Chancellor (17), Rami (8) and Sierra (7).
When Hollie first began sewing clothing she and her family were living in Tennessee. “Everybody had their little girls wearing cute custom made clothes,” she says. “But they were also very expensive. So I said I’m going to make them for my daughter, I’m going to do that even though I had never touched a sewing machine before in my life!”
Hollie purchased a $300 sewing machine, which she still uses today. “It was horrible,” she says of her first outfit. “But I kept going. Soon people started stopping me in the mall asking me where they could get Sierra’s outfit. That is how it got started.”
Shortly after Hollie started sewing outfits for Sierra inTennessee, the family moved toHouston,Texaswhich Hollie refers to asTennesseeon steroids. “Everybody there wanted something unique, custom made and money was not an issue.” Hollie was getting referrals from not only the moms she left inTennesseebut now from moms in her Moms Group inTexas. Her business was starting to grow rapidly.
Three years ago Hollie and her family moved to Omahabringing Hollies’ business with her. Currently, Hollies’ clothing line; My Pouty Princess can be found in over twelve boutiques in southern states as well as the Chique Boutique located at 168th and Harrison. And then there is her website. Hollie has been selling her custom creations on her site www.mypoutyprincess.com for over four years. “I get orders from all over;England,Australia and from a lot of southern states;Tennessee,Arkansas andTexas. The website has had over 15,000 views. That’s big for a small site like mine.”
Hollies’ website also offers gift items including personalized pillows, which Hollie says are very hard to keep up on as they are extremely popular. In the mid-west, Hollie says that people are more practical so she creates clothing that is more reasonable in cost. “I have found thatNebraskaitems are very big,” she smiles.
Hollie is involved in every aspect of her business from making all of the items she sells on line and in the boutiques to traveling to upstateNew Yorktwice a year to select and purchase fabric. Hollies likes to play with fabrics and says that a lot of her ideas come from her daughter Sierra, based on what she likes to wear.
But what’s really impressive is that Hollie fits her business in and round her family. “Family before fashion,” Hollie says. Hollie is very active in all areas of her three children’s lives. From organizing school fundraisers to carpools to piano, gymnastics and football practices, Hollie manages to do it all. “I am OCD about being organized; I think this is what makes my schedule work.” Hollie admits that sometimes she feels stretched a little too thin, but with her motto: sleep is overrated and a daily Starbucks infusion, she says finds a way. “I work a lot at night and get emails done in the carpool lane!”
And adding to her already very busy schedule was Hollies’ first ever trip to Fashion Week. “Last spring we had a girl’s night out, we took a limo to a fashion show. I remember telling my friends that night that I am going to be up on that stage next year.” Sure enough, Hollie applied and was accepted for this seasons show and was one of only two children’s clothing designers. “It was such a hard process,” says Hollie of making final decisions about her runway line. “It wasn’t the sewing as much as it was leaving the clothes alone and not going back and changing things.”
Hollie created eleven different outfits and had local models as well as her daughter and her classmates walk the runway. Photo shoots of the models in the outfits were done ahead of time with the help of Hollies’ friends from Bangs Hair Salon, Shine Day Spa and Kathy Rae Photography. A full two page photo of the shoot made its way into the Omaha Fashion Magazine Fall 2011 Designer Directory.
Before and during the show, Hollie was, understandably nervous. “I think I was more nervous than the girls.” But to calm the nerves of the young models, Hollie had snacks and games on hand to make the night more fun. “One of the little girls came up to me and said: Miss Hollie, I’m a lot nervous but I’m gonna do it! That made me so proud!” Hollie says that all of the girls did a great job and the feedback from those in attendance was very positive. And almost all of her pieces from that show sold.
As for the future, Hollie is very excited about her clothing line. “My husband is encouraging me to really pursue this,” she says. “We are talking about updating the website, marketing tools and maybe even outsourcing. Hopefully, you will see me in more boutiques with more adorable girls running around!”
Hollie is tossing around ideas for a “tween” clothing line as well as adding onto her holiday wear. And she is having great success with customized rhinestone t-shirts and accessories for schools and sports teams. “I do a lot for Millard and Elkhorn. I can take any logo and bling it!”
Hollie is still nursing, a first love that she cannot turn away from and can also be found working for various local charities including Make-A-Wish and local education outlets. But at the end of the day, Hollie is happy. “I feel completely blessed every day, with my husband and my kids, and to be able to do something that I love.”
And yes, I am still marveling.
By lhath1
