Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Adell.
Ebony, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised on the Northside of Milwaukee, WI. One of the most racist and segregated cities in the nation. I have three children ages 4, 11 and 22 and I’ve been an artist all my life. Fashion, music, dance and literature dominated my world. I was that girl that read a book a day, wrote my own raps, made the outfits to perform, did the choreography, and then star in the high school play. I’ve always had my own style and ideas. So I was never necessarily popular. I knew I would have my own “something,” and I pretty much worked my whole life to build the skillset to get where I am now.
I’ve been painting since I was about five and making clothes since I was around nine. My first lucrative business was a button stand at a carnival with my best friend. Before that, there were many lemonade stands, rummage and bake sales. I started selling exotic dancewear in the late ’90s, early 2000s. I did not know how to sew so the outfits were made with beads, safety pins, reconstructed, t-shirts, tied together, hot glued, redesigned panties and bras, etc. The seeds were planted then. I painted my first chakra painting in 2002 and that birthed the whole brand. I never stopped developing and growing the concept once I made that first brushstroke. Spring 2005, with no formal training, I was going to design for a brand, then I decided I wanted my own so I enrolled in Mount Mary and the rest is history.
Phoenix was introduced to me in 2015 when my daughter was accepted at ASU. I started researching the fashion scene and discovered Phoenix Fashion Week and bought tickets for all three nights. Six months pregnant I hit the red carpet and met some very famous people who gave me the best advice. When applications opened for designer boot camp, I applied but didn’t make it. I’ve been flying back and forth easing my way onto the Phoenix fashion scene, sending looks to my signature models Phailynn Marshall and Diamond Smith who reside there full time, and that’s how we get the shoots done. With some funding, I hope to bring my sustainability mission to Phoenix, establish headquarters, and produce some shows.
Since I started I’ve booked Paris Fashion Week, numerous shows out of town with, had my first independent sustainable fashion and art show, established three online stores, a blog, website, published a book SxEyecon by Ebony Adell, brick and mortar design studio, featured on PBS, filmed a trailer for my web series, about to drop another book, teaching yoga in my own space and I’m debuting as a speaker for “Entrepnuship and the Circle Economy. Life is good. And I’ve done all this as a single mother of three, with all my own money. Teaching myself as I went along.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not, the road hasn’t been smooth. Like any young brand, financing has been the biggest obstacle overall. One minute your business is making money, the next moment you’re trying to figure out how to stay financially alive. I found myself having to choose between whether I eat today or have electricity or do we pay this deposit for Paris Fashion Week. In the end I stand in my purpose and trust the process and sew in the dark on an empty stomach.
I consider my full body of work, the sustainable luxury brand umbrella TSX Design House, to be social commentary. It’s my purpose. It’s experiential, so a person has to understand and participate in eco values to embrace the products and services. We’re actively taking a stand on the environment and the future of this planet by transforming the luxury fashion industry by phasing into full sustainability.
But it’s beyond just hemp and organic t-shirts. I’ve taken sustainability to a level of luxury throughout an array of products and services that haven’t been done before by an African American female. A legacy brand without familial, specific cultural or ethnic seeds, but rooted in spiritual energy or chakras.
It’s been hard for some to see beyond some of the, what I call “Surface Projection”, which is the initial eye contact with imagery and the reaction before you understand the deeper meaning behind it. So the “Tantric Sex” part of TSX scares or rather, offends some. People aren’t always open to new ideas so although I’m gaining brand recognition, new customer acquisition and investment interest are slow.
Please tell us about TSX Design House.
I’m a social entrepreneur and TSX Design House is a socially responsible luxury brand umbrella. Our mission is to transform the fashion industry by creating luxury sustainable products and services for the socially conscious consumer and introduce a legacy brand based on chakra energy and aura pigmentation.
I specialize in luxury brand development, sustainable luxury fashion, protest art, color theory, chakras, tantra, yoga, and professional writing. We create our own designs, patterns, prints, and fabric to make limited-edition sustainable Urban Couture Collections, athletic wear, Chakra Gowns, Urban Couture Bridal.
We’re known for the longevity and cohesiveness of the cobrands and overall product mix. No matter what year or season, our products transcend the trends. We’re also known for our dynamic fashion shows and the wellness initiative we provide through yoga and fitness. TSXDH provides services such as: copywriting, ghostwriting, SEO, private lessons, and brand development consultation.
In 2019 we founded LLEDA ARTIFACTS which is an art firm that sells art, represents artists, develops new talent and hosts art events. In 2020 we will be debuting our web series “SxEyecon”(based on my book SxEyecon by Ebony Adell) written and directed by me.
I am most proud of my Paris Fashion Week show coming up. It’s 20 years in the making.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
First and foremost, I thank God. I’ve had some extremely hard times throughout this whole process; however, there’s never been an instance where I didn’t evolve and progress. There were days there wasn’t a dollar in sight and boom. There’s a check in the mail or I get a CashApp or something comes through. And at the worst moments this year, when I didn’t know what was going to happen next “boom” I’m finalizing for Paris Fashion Week bringing pieces to life, the brand is on PBS, the wellness portfolio of the brand is growing, we’re hosting our second sustainability event in Milwaukee May 15, interviewing with magazines and debuting the “SxEyecon” book and web series trailer in April… I know God provides.
My mother. She’s my foundation and inspiration. In my book “SxEyecon” I talk about how I reference her life strategy to navigate my life. I watched her graciously leap obstacles my entire journey, always landing on her feet, always playing chess, always leveling up. That lady shattered the glass ceiling, she’s a Goddess. The strongest, smartest, most beautiful, loving, authentic person I know. She took me to Ebony Fashion Fair Shows and theater from a young age and encouraged all my artistic endeavors. I could not raise my kids, go to work, school, or out of town for business without her. She’s my “Muladhara”, my rider and momager.
My daughter Phailynn, she’s my masterpiece and face of my brand. My brother for reminding me of who I am and what I represent when those insecurity and anxiety demons are creeping around. My doctors, two strong women I’ve known since I was 18, were more like aunts. They gave the best advice and encouraged me to never give up. And they led by example, showed me that success doesn’t look perfect by sharing their lives with me. When I published my first article as a fashion writer on Tyra Banks website in 2010, my doctor gave me a hug and touched my shoulder and was like, “you did it, you made it.”
Tyra Banks because her website Typef.com launched my writing career. Mount Mary University… They showed me who I am in the eyes of God and what my purpose and position is in this space. They prepared me for every aspect of the fashion industry and allowed me to use my workload to build my brand while I was in school. Particularly Sandra Tonz(RIP), Elizabeth Gaston(She encouraged me to write the book based on a paper), Reverend Adam Bonds, Jennifer Hockenberry, Mari Stanton(classmate), and the black ladies in the financial aid office. In November 2019, they officially endorsed my brand as the first female, African American sustainable luxury brand.
My clients and customers. Friends and Family.
Pricing:
- Designer-Custom, Urban Couture, Chakra Gown $500-$5000 and up
- RTW- $100-$500 and up
- Bridge-$50-$300 and up
- Handbags-$100-$2000
- Writing Services- $150 and up
- Private Yoga and Chakra Activation-$70 per hour and up per person
- Speaking Engagements-$2500 and up plus accomodations
- Brand development- $120 per hour
Contact Info:
- Address: (Flagship design studio)
3373 N. 37th
Milwaukee, WI
53216 - Website: https://www.tsxdesignhouse.com
- Email: ebonyadell@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/tsx_design_house
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GodWorldGrind/
- Twitter: https://Twitter.com/TSXDesignHouse
- Other: https://artofwhere.com/artists/tsxdesignhouse
Image Credit:
Personal photo 1:Model: (blue)Phailynn Marshall
Model: (red)Jade Knueppel
Photographer: Tameka Knueppel
Photo 2: Daplugmagazine.com
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