It’s officially boot season. And Kayla D. Shelton has an ingenious product for any woman to rock an over-the-knee boot! LeGlove By Kay Dané offers flexible fabric to transform any of your shoes into a sexy boot. See how this singer and songwriter became a designer and entrepreneur building a business in chic, functional fashion.Name: Kayla D. Shelton
Age: 31
Title: Merchandise consultant and creator of LeGlove By Kay Dané
City: Atlanta, GA
Twitter: @legglovesbykd
LinkedIn:Kayla SheltonInstagram: @kaykaystyle and @legglovesbykaydane
The gig: I am the president and head designer of LeGlove by Kay Dané. I developed a fashion accessory for women to make sexy boots with any of their shoes. We received a United States Design Patent. So many women can’t fit high boots comfortably. It brings me joy to see more women have the opportunity to now wear a knee-high or thigh boot with this product. I also am a merchandise consultant for several companies. I design and manufacture merchandise for clients from soccer balls to a full line of apparel.
The journey: After spending my late teens and early twenties working in the music industry as a signed artists and songwriter, I finally took the step to pursue fashion full time a few years ago. I wanted to create something unique and useful. Even in developing my product, nobody knew how to make it. It took me a year to develop the product because it wasn’t something industry professionals had seen often.
Confessions of an entrepreneur: Working with record labels like Epic and Warner Brothers provided a lot of structure for me in music because their brands are huge. I simply showed up and got paid for my contribution. Now that I have LeGlove, I have to create my own structure and blue print. It is definitely challenging for a person with an artistic mind. I have learned so much about the importance of infrastructure. Establishing a team isimportant.
Her lesson learned: The mistake of starting my first clothing line in 2009 without any kind of business plan and insufficient capital ultimately tanked my business. I recovered by learning from that mistake and starting over with a solid plan and a better financial foundation.
Her superpower: Optimism. I always believe something good will happen.
How she unwinds: My downtime is spent outdoors at parks, yoga, and looking at blogs to see street style around the world. I manage my stress by going for a long walk, prayer and venting to a close friend.
Her tech fix: I currently spend most time on my Shopify app. It helps me manage orders so easily. I like Viber to talk to my vendors internationally. It’s really cool.
Her beauty bag: I love skin products! I swear by my Calendula Herbal Extract Toner from Kiehls. It helps sooth my acne prone skin and calm down any irritation. I try to use a mask twice a week.
Her fall fashion tips: Get yourself a well-made coat that feels comfortable enough to live in. I have a grey robe coat with a tie in the front I bought in 2008. It still gets compliments. Also get a couple of cute hats. It’s the perfect season to dress up a bad hair day. Moisturize your skin and lips regularly. Great skin is always in style! And this fall, you must have a pair of Leg Gloves. I suggest the Classic LeGlove in stretch lambskin or Suede available at www.shopkaydane.com.
Her theme song: “BBHMM” by Rihanna.
