Life and Work with Leilani Angel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leilani Angel.

So, 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 in O’ahu, Hawaii to an eclectic family of artists. Growing up, I was surrounded by fashion design, interior decorating, music, jewelry design, architecture, modeling, and painting. Some of my fondest childhood memories consist of being a dresser backstage at a fashion show, sewing sequence on an evening gown after school and doing wardrobe pulls for photo shoots. I planned my very first fashion show when I was 10 years old. Our modeling instructor wasn’t able to conduct our class graduation fashion show so I stepped up and took on the mentality of, “the show must go on!”… and that it did! At a young age, it was clear that I was destined for a professional path in the arts.

I earned my Associate of Arts Degree in Fashion Merchandising at Fashion Careers College and continued my education at the Academy of Art University earning my Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Merchandising. Throughout my educational journey, I was able to continue my modeling career which provided me with a unique insight into the synergies between the fashion, beauty, and modeling industries. I decided to continue my graduate education at the Fashion Textile Museum in London alongside Dame Zandra Rhodes which provided me with a global perspective on the inner workings of an international fashion house. This exposed me to working in trade shows in Paris, New York, and London as well as fashion week events all around the globe.

After years of working as a Visual Merchandiser, Event Planner, Runway Coach, Fashion Stylist, and Merchandise Manager, I realized it was time to combine my passions and pay it forward. This led to the formation of Style Sorbet, a boutique agency specializing in model development workshops, event production, promotional strategies, fashion merchandising, and image consulting workshops for emerging artists. My happy place has always consisted of wearing many hats but what gives me great joy is being able to share my passions with others. I’ve worked with companies large and small in a creative educational capacity to showcase and highlight how connected the fashion, beauty, and modeling industries are and how we can all collaborate together for mutual success.

I have always considered myself to be an ethical fashionista as I have a deep love of fashion and beauty and a deep love of animals and our planet. Andrew Morgan’s eye-opening film, “The True Cost” documentary had a huge impact on me as it changed my relationship with fashion both personally and professionally. After several years of working with socially responsible brands and designers, I made the decision to expand Style Sorbet into the ethical fashion and ethical beauty arena by way of a curated pop-up boutique featuring Rescued Fashion, Eco-Friendly Fashion, Fair Trade Accessories, and Vegan Beauty. Style Sorbet continues to collaborate with conscious artists within the community on special projects that support the ethical fashion and ethical beauty industries. As an ethical fashionista, I believe in supporting brands and initiatives that are mindful of people, animals, and the planet.

My goal is to share my passion for ethical fashion awareness and initiatives with my students, clients, and customers in order for the future of fashion and beauty to thrive in an ethical, sustainable, and responsible way.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think completely smooth roads would make for a boring story and my journey has not been boring at all! To be perfectly honest, there were times when I let other people dictate what they thought my path should look like and I did veer off course a few times to appease them. Thankfully, I learned to surround myself with a healthy network of people who all share a similar vibe both personally and professionally. Having the right support system in place makes a world of difference. I think it’s important to “lift as we climb” as activist Mary Church Terrell stated and acknowledge that another woman’s success is not my failure but something that should be celebrated. We are all in this together and I want everyone to succeed.

The best advice I have to give is to always be curious. Keep reading. Keep researching. Keep moving. Keep meeting people. Keep learning and keep growing. From personal experience, I can say that there was a time when young Leilani thought she knew it all… that makes me laugh now, which is good. I think it’s healthy to laugh at yourself. I’ve done so much and I’m well aware of the fact that I will never know everything and that’s exciting to me because I don’t ever want to stop learning. Now, unlike any other time before, we have so many resources at our fingertips from podcasts to blogs, webinars, and meetups. There are several avenues for learning and professional development all around. I’m constantly sharing podcasts and articles within my tribe that I find useful and insightful. A couple of my favorite podcasts are Stuff Mom Never Told You and Bossed Up. I’ve learned so much from them!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Style Sorbet – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
So, I’m going to start with my first hat…I am the tribal leader of Style Sorbet, a traveling curated eco-friendly boutique. You can normally find me popped up at the La Jolla Farmer’s Market, a fashion show, a community event, or a pop-up shopping event. The collections that I have curated are all mindful of people, animals, and our planet. My Rescued Fashion Collection consists of pre-loved pieces that do not want to end up in a landfill. My Eco-Friendly Collection are items that are ethically made with ethically sourced materials. My Vegan Beauty Collection features plant-based lipsticks and eyeshadows that are not tested on animals and not made with any animal products whatsoever. I also sell Fair Trade handbags and necklaces that are made from upcycled materials. I do work with a small but mighty team of freelance stylists and event managers that I am extremely grateful to who all work their magic to help Style Sorbet to shine! A portion of all Style Sorbet sales is donated to local animal shelters such as the San Diego House Rabbit Society.

My second hat is all about community outreach and collaboration. I LOVE partnering with socially responsible brands and artists to help nurture their vision and to help them grow. Projects range from social media campaigns to LookBook photo shoots, to private trunk shows, fashion shows, trade shows, and sales representation. One of the best parts about my journey has been experiencing first hand what the modeling, fashion, and beauty industries are all about both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. This understanding has given me an organic way of customizing services that are exactly what my clients need in order to thrive.

Education has always been important to me which is why my other hat is all about higher learning. I’ve worked for several schools over the years including specialty fashion colleges, beauty schools, and modeling schools. I’ve created Community Relations Departments, along with school curriculums. I am most proud of the customized workshops that I have created for emerging artists; Business Etiquette for Creative Industries, Synergies in Fashion, Beauty, and Modeling, and The Business of Modeling. It makes my heart sing being able to share what I’ve learned throughout my journey with the next generation of artists.

While working with my customers, clients, and students I am extremely transparent. I’ll share everything, the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable, along with my magic juju. That’s how we all grow. That’s how we lift as we climb! I customize my services based on my own experiences, my own research, and my values. I don’t sell anything I wouldn’t wear or put on my own face. I wouldn’t create a PR strategy for a brand that I wouldn’t implement for myself. I teach by sharing experiences that I’ve had backstage while dressing models with cell phone lights, or that one time I was lit on fire on the runway. (Little tip…don’t line your runway with candles, bad idea!) Everything is a learning experience and I think transparency is crucial for real growth. I think sometimes people get caught up with the idea of being “perfect” so they might be hesitant to fully open up and share some of the grit that comes with the territory. Not me, I like gritty conversations!

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Individuals that identify as female are natural born leaders. We are nurturing but fierce. We listen, we strategize, and then we organize. It’s a challenging time in the world but women are rising to the occasion because not doing so is not an option. Historically, that has always been our role. The Women’s March and the #MeToo Movement have ignited global conversations that have been kept in the dark for far too long and out of these turbulent situations commeraderie has strengthened and we are united now more than ever. We are celebrating intersectional feminism and we are having meaningful discussions. The future is indeed female!

I think women are well positioned for whatever the heck they want and society needs to recognize that and embrace it. If women want to stay at home with their babies they should do that without feeling pressured to juggle a career and family life. If women want to climb the corporate ladder while getting help with their children at home they should do just that and not be judged. If a woman wants to rock the mompreneur world we should cheer her on. Also, if a woman decides to focus on her career and not have children we should respect her decision and not think of her as any less of a woman. In short, women are well positioned for anything and everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stylesorbet.com
• Email: leilani@stylesorbet.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylesorbet/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stylesorbet/

Image Credit:
Abby Jane, Diana Cavagnaro, Cindy Matalucci

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