Autumn Adeigbo Culture Color Conscience, sells colorful, conversational artisanal women's wear to professional, high-profile and creative women.

We asked Autumn to describe her company and this is what she had to say:

"Our brand's mission is based on ethical & eco-fashion, female partnership, education, and collaboration. The Autumn Adeigbo collection pays fair-trade wages for fashion production to Maasai women in Kenya and invests in both American and African female creatives along our supply chain, with the ultimate vision of building an inclusive global community of women supporting women. By building upon the Maasai women's traditional hand-beading skills, and paying them fair-trade wages to produce our collection, the women earned an income twice what a man with a full-time job in local Kenyan tourism would make. That's #GirlPower.
All of our garments are produced between Kenya (hand-beading) and New York City (sewing) in women-owned production facilities in the garment center. Additionally, all garments have a buyer prior to manufacturing, reducing both inventory and fabric waste. At Autumn Adeigbo, we believe in returning to a time when women came together to support each other in beauty, community, and craftsmanship."

Autumn Adeigbo’s dream, since childhood, had been to become a clothing designer. Today, some of the proudest accomplishments for this Nigerian-American designer in New York have been:  

• Launching a pioneering ethical fashion collection that raised the income of unemployed Ghanaian women by 91% and employed 4 female-owned production facilities in Nigeria, paying them fair-trade wages;
• Writing a contributor column for Forbes.com;
• Working with Spicefire branding agency in Cincinnati, Ohio; and
• Dressing  Solange Knowles (Beyonce’s sister) for a music video.

Autumn's startup is gaining momentum rapidly!

She has been a friend of the Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) for several years, ever since she participated in the New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition where she won the third-place award in 2014 (video). We chatted with her to get a bit of her story and an update on her and her business.

SIBL: How is your business different than that of the competition?

AA: We are not interested in clothing the masses, our designs are very specialized, almost personal. When someone walks into a room with one of our designs, people notice. Our designs are conversation starters!

SIBL: How long have you been in business?

AA: I started the business 5 years ago, but as of February of this year (2016) I’m in it full time.

SIBL: How did you come up with your business idea?

AA: It’s been my dream since childhood to be a clothing designer. I went to Spelman College and got my BA in Economics, and then went to Parsons, The New School, to get my AAS in Fashion Design. I also knew that I would use the business as a way to give back, so in 2014 I launched a pilot production program in Ghana, Africa, training unemployed women in hand-beading. This way they raised their income 91%, all via fair-trade wages.

SIBL: What is a current business challenge that you are facing?

AA: By far, the biggest challenge has been finding the right investor. Fashion is a difficult industry to fund if you're not at a high revenue level.             

SIBL: What are the next steps for your business, within the next 6-12 months?

AA: Focusing on sales. Developing our sales model and finding the perfect, perfect investor—just  the right fit.          

SIBL: How did you learn about the New York Public Library’s StartUP! Business Plan Competition?

AA: Through advisors at Columbia’s Small Business Development Center and NYC Small Business Services.   

SIBL: Why did you decide to participate?

AA: Because of the prize! I'm very competitive and wanted the chance to develop a business model.

SIBL: What is the most valuable insight that you gained from participating in the Competition?

AA: The community. You get out of it as much as you put into it, and the more dedicated you are, the more dedicated they'll be to you.    

SIBL: If you could look back at yourself and your business two years ago (2014)—at the time when you decided to enroll in the Competition—and then take a look at yourself and your business now, what have you learned as an entrepreneur?

AA: How important execution is. I’m still learning that every day. When I had the business plan done,  I thought that was it. Then, when was trying to raise $1 million, I thought a website would do it, because it would automatically sell and get me to my goal… But in retrospect, I'd rather start where I did—small—and grow from there, as opposed to start growing uncontrollably from the start and underdeliver. I’ve learned “The Power of Broke,” which, coincidentally, is one of my favorite books by Shark Tank's entrepreneur Daymond John.

SIBL: What would you tell other entrepreneurs about the StartUP! Business Plan Competition?

AA: Go for it and put your ALL in it. I did nothing else than dedicate myself to it. I fell in love with my business plan and fell in love with my business. That way, as a startup, your plan will be your roadmap and you won’t get lost when the going gets tough (and it’s not a matter of if, but when).   

SIBL: How did the Business Library help you throughout the Competition?

AA: I did so much business research… invaluable databases, such as Dunn & Bradstreet's  (D&B) Million Dollar Database, enabled me to get my competitors annuals and revenues. It was fantastic! And the fact that this information—for which companies pay thousands or millions—is available to us at no cost at the Library is great. Where else can you do market research for free with the same tools that Fortune 500’s use?        

SIBL: Anything else you'd like to add?

AA: I’m very proud of and so grateful for my relationship with the New York Public Library. I am in touch with Library personnel who continue to help me by making connections and opening doors, following up with me periodically… Kristin McDonough, the (former) Library Director, even bought a dress from me. What an incredible institution to be associated with! Further, the small business events that the Library puts together are very valuable.  This past summer, they organized a Business Financing Fair, in which one of the exhibitors was the Women’s Enterprise Action Loan Fund (WEALF). I was able to become one of their participants and get a loan and mentoring from them. Just earlier this week, one of WEALF’s Advisors invited me to Brooklyn to see the exhibit she helped curate at the Brooklyn Museum. WEALF's founder also had a party last week where I was able to meet a fashion designer who has the exact same sales model I do. Hopefully we will connect for additional mentoring. Without a doubt, the Library is a great catalyst! I’m definitely willing to look for ways to give back.

Thanks a lot, Autumn, for letting us catch up with you. We are very proud of you and happy to be a part of your entrepreneurial journey. Best wishes for much, much continued success!!

Update as of January 2017: Autumn closed a six-figure seed round of investment capital with the support of one of her previous bosses. Congrats Autumn!!

Update as of October 2017: Autumn's Spring 2018 lookbook is out, she has a beautiful brand's vision video, and don't miss the details in this Shiloh Suit Video (a jacket that was hand-beaded by the Maasai tribe).