“In all things, in all conversations, in all moments – act out of love.”Reagan Shantz

Noblivity Spotlights Emerging Designer Reagan Shantz

Company/Designer Name:  Goodsociety/Reagan Shantz

Designer Background Summary:  I’ve been altering  my clothes since I can remember.  Taking what’s old & making it new.  Taking the new & making it better.  It was what I did as a hobby because I was a perfectionist when it came to clothing.  I wanted the best fit.. best material… for all the lines to match up & for it to drape on the body just so.  I always dreamed of designing but never really thought about it seriously…. Not until now.

How did you get started?  My brother bought a denim company & looked to me (because of my innate fashion sense & style) to come on board.  I find myself in the most amazing position to actually work to create the best pair of jeans imaginable – both in quality & cut.  It’s very exciting.

What inspires your designs?  Lines. Cleanliness.  Extraordinary simplicity.  Details… everything is in the details.  I’m inspired by other designs, artistic photographs & art.  By other cultures in seeing how they use clothing to flatter the human form. 

How would you describe your design style, design signatures and who is your targeted customer?  I’m a minimalist.  I don’t follow trends.  I love that which is versatile & has longevity.  Classic.  It only gets better with age.  It’s not flashy, but it is of the highest quality & very flattering.  Our target consumers are those who can truly appreciate quality & details.  Those who love their denim.  We are organic & fair trade.  We strive to reach those who believe in the environment & social justice.  Those who are environmental, social AND fashion conscious. 

What designers inspire you? Coco Chanel.  She was unapologetically meticulous.  Her designs were classic, not trendy.  Valentino.  Nothing but the best & no detail overlooked.  They inspire me from a personal & artistic standpoint.  Neither are my “style” but both inspire me for being unique & being the absolute best.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?   The obstacle in learning that it’s ok not to be perfect.  To make mistakes.  That it’s a journey of constantly striving to be better… that perfect is not a destination & that it’s all in the beauty of the journey.  To believe in myself.  To trust my instincts.  To find the balance between being inspired by others, but at the same time being completely true to myself and let my own unique talents, design & style emerge.

How did you overcome them?  One day at a time.  The worst that can happen is that I make mistakes and I learn from them.  Not so bad.

What has been your greatest moment on your journey so far?   Seeing the people try on the jeans and LOVE them.  They love the way they look & feel in them.  So rewarding.  A close second would be seeing the first samples of a new line come back from our manufacturers.  So exciting. 

What has been the biggest change in your designs so far?  Not a lot as I’m just starting out… but in my personal style, absolutely more willingness to be daring & more unique.  To have more fun with the material.

If money were no object what would you do right now?  Give more.  A lot more.  Take some more classes… in design and language.  Buy more art. 

What are the best and worst things about being a designer? You’re an artist – kind of crazy, right?  Realizing that not everyone feels so passionately about esthetics, lines, material can be frustrating.  Never being satisfied with what you see in stores.  You wonder if you’re normal sometimes.  What do I love about it?  It’s freedom and beauty.  Nobody can take it away from you… it’s yours.  It’s in your heart & mind.  It’s art and it’s the furthest thing from static or boring.  You start with nothing & create some amazing.

Describe your typical day?  I’m in business.  Sales actually.  I work with entrepreneurs on how to strengthen their business.   I love people & love that I get to help people through my work.  In my free time I spend a lot of time looking at photographs, altering clothes, socializing, drawing, reading, learning.  I appreciate art, but beauty & detail mostly.  I am esthetically driven and enjoy all environments that offer that.  Relationships & helping people is also extremely high on my list.  It’s what the journey is ultimately all about.

What’s your philosophy of life?  Love.  In all things, in all conversations, in all moments – act out of love.  First and foremost.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?  Nothing.  My mistakes have taught me more than my accomplishments.  I maybe would wish that the lessons didn’t have to be learnt over again sometimes… but I truly regret nothing.  I am where I’m suppose to be right here in this moment.

When will you know you have made it?  We are all worthwhile in this moment today.  An accomplishment doesn’t define us or give us self worth.  I’m driven in design because I love it… not because of any recognition it might offer.  We are worthy simply because of who we are.  We were made to let our unique gifts shine through us & in doing so I honestly believe we encourage others to do the same.

The GoodSociety Organic Collection is available at The MarketPlace Noblivity.com