Majors: International Business and Chinese
CEO, Feltro Fashion
Feltro Fashion is a growing business that works with the techniques of Wet-felting and Shibori. With these techniques we create clothing, accessories and home decor. Our products are all hand-made, unique and one-of-a-kind. The material used all are 100% natural and of the highest quality. We have a showroom in Pittsford where we meet with our clients by appointment and also have some of our products in high-end boutiques in the Rochester area.
I was in the Young Entrepreneurs academy class in high school and my idea for a business was Feltro Fashion. The concept of felting was not known as in Italy, so I wanted to expose the Rochester community to the product. Even after the class I was so passionate about the idea I continued working on the business, as I plan on doing in the future.
My determination and ideas. I didn't have many supporters for my business concept, other than my parents of course (who turns out followed me for love but also weren't very convinced), but I had a feeling and kept going. Now it's becoming very successful year after year and my parents ended up working with me in Feltro Fashion.
When I started the business, I was an exchange student and my felting products all came from Italy. I didn't have direct access to them therefore I had a lot of shipping to take care of. Moreover, being 16 years old didn't give me the credibility I would have liked in certain occasions.
Following your "gut feeling." If you know your idea is going to work, give it a try even if the people around you don't believe it.
The importance of networking!
Update 2019:
She now owns the Giulia Letzi brand.