Ep 199 | Aired 7/1/2020
Join me today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, as I speak with entrepreneur, longtime friend, and clothing designer for the stars, Ms. Connie Fails. Fails has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Vanity Fair, People, Today Show, and on Good Morning America.
I first met Connie while she sat sewing in her small shop above "Run of The Mill," a times-past boutique in the Hillcrest neighborhood. She was a hippy of sorts -- artsy, creative and different; married to another interesting person - a New Yorker - Leslie Fails.
She would later move her business into a store front that was simply called "Connie Fails" and begin her retail and design career in earnest. And what a career it has been!
One of Connie’s designs was Hillary Rodham Clinton’s first Gubernatorial inaugural gown worn in 1979, and is on permanent display at the Old State House Museum in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. When Bill Clinton was elected President, Connie designed the First Lady’s inaugural patterned suit and famous blue hat.
When the Clinton Museum Retail Store was founded in the River Market district of Little Rock, Hillary naturally called upon Connie - with her years of experience in retail, design and a good eye for buying - to execute the opening and manage the new store.
Today, Connie, a forever fashion designer, is most proud of her work developing and managing a fashion show called Curbside Couture. This innovative concept is a student mentoring program where youths design fashion out of recycled materials, culminating in a gala runway show at the Clinton Center.
