Local Female Entrepreneur Starts Fashion Business

By Elizabeth Dawejko

In this series, Creative Director Elizabeth Dawejko interviews industry newcomers and entrepreneurs hustling to take the fashion world by storm.

Zoey Bennaim is a 22-year-old Gaithersburg native who turned one of her main passions - design and fashion- into a business. Bennaim curated the first collection of her designer-inspired brand, that is extremely impressive and all custom-made, this Spring. Bennaim’s drive and dedication to her craft could not be more prominent and as for her plans for the future of her business -Bennaim is one to watch. ED: What inspired the name behind your new online business? ZB: I was between two names, Bennz or It’s Designer. I still go back and forth, trying to decide which is my favorite, but Bennz is to represent my last name and first name. Bennaim being my last name and "z" is the first letter of my first name. It’s Designer was inspired by everyone nowadays, always wanting to wear a label. Not all people can afford to buy a ridiculously expensive Givenchy, Gucci, or Balenciaga sweatshirt, so I decided to create custom clothing inspired by designers and name it the “Its Designer Collection.”

Bennaim has struck gold with her target market, who also happens to be her peer group, which can only assist her in the long-run. Everyone wants to wear the brands above, but so few college-aged people can afford to. Zoey’s designer inspired niche solves the problem.

ED: How did you get the idea to start your business? ZB: I’ve always been into anything that had to do with beauty. Whether it be nails, hair, makeup, lashes, shoes, clothing, you name it, I love it! Most of the time, I would learn how to do it and make a business out of it. I’m a certified lash tech, certified makeup artist, and certified nail tech. Now, I plan to take over the fashion industry. ED: Have you always been into fashion? ZB: As a kid, I was the biggest tomboy you would’ve ever met. But as much of a tomboy as I was, I always put my touch on what I thought looked good! I even had a math teacher in 5th grade who would always call me fashionista because she would be intrigued by what I would wear to school every day. Luckily my fashion sense has become progressively better. ED: Where do you find the inspiration behind your pieces? ZB: My inspiration comes from me just always enjoying simplicity with a statement piece. I used to love being super eccentric, even when it came down to my makeup. As time passed by, I liked more of a tone down look with neutral colors but always with a statement piece to make my look pop. ED: Is this something you plan to do long-term? What’s the endgame? ZB: Yes, I would love to do this long term. The goal is to eventually start making my own pieces and move away from the designer-inspired pieces. I’ve had family members teach me how to sew so I could get the basics down of what it really takes to create an amazing piece of clothing. I didn’t want to just be someone who instructed someone else to do all the hard work, I wanted to be put in their shoes and know the worth of all the hard work that goes into creating. ED: What would your ideal outcome be for Bennz? ZB: The ideal outcome would be for my brand to eventually take off, and then the business to turn into an array of different beauty brands. Not only do I want to have a successful clothing line, but also a makeup line and a shoe line, so that would be the ideal end goal for me!

Zoey Bennaim is new to the fashion industry but plans to take it by storm. Her natural talent is undeniable, in the way that she adds her own personal accent to traditional designer patterns, as is her innovation. Bennaim has begun to build her empire, and according to her, it is not going anywhere.

Check out Zoey's Instagram here.

All photos courtesy of Zoey Bennaim.