This blonde girl is the girl who wants to break free, who wants something new, edgy, playful and who wants to brighten up the world. She embodies what TEYXO stands for and she is the smile of TEYXO
This is an amazing question! Never thought about it! I think I’d be a very colorful coat or jacket, I’d love to hug the person and I’d love that someone to feel embraced and confident every time he or she wears me!
She realized that she can do anything she sets her mind to, but she has to work for it. So, she started working on her limits, working on becoming better on every single aspect of her life. She became more confident and more happy, as you start working for yourself and for bringing good into the world, so there is no complaint. You can’t have any negative thoughts, there is no time for that. And the world has room for everyone. I do not believe in those who say “yes, but now there is too much of… anything, so what innovations can you bring?” You can bring yourself! The raw and honest you! Genuine, passionate people who follow their dreams and speak from the heart will always inspire other people! It’s a timeless thing! And to be honest, there has never been a better time to be seen and heard by the whole world!
I know you as a dreamy traveler. How do people see you now since you’ve been involved in TEYXO?
I have a very special relationship with TEYXO. I feel that I have nurtured and developed the brand, but the brand also made me more mature and brought me in a place that I haven’t thought I would be. I’m still a dreamy traveler, but now I’m much more aware of the surroundings, the world and the fact that there are other dreamy travelers and dreamers and people who would love to be dreamers and so on and we can all build an amazing thing together. I have always received lots of encouragement from other people and from my friends and some good friends told me that they like the change and this “very positive presence” who I am becoming.
TEYXO means “I love you”! It’s from the Romanian “Te iubesc”, so “TE”… but instead of “I” we have “Y” and then the internet slang XOXO for hugs and kisses, expressing love and friendship.
I was brainstorming with my mom one evening and we were having a laugh and playing with letters, names, ideas and we got this “TEYXO” all of the sudden and it was funny and sounded good, so we stuck with it.
TEYXO was born from the need of having both practical and stylish clothes. I could never find affordable clothes, colorful, beautiful that fit well too. All the jeans in malls are short for me and all the jackets have short sleeves and I am not that extremely tall. So I have started first of all to make some pieces for myself, along with my mother who had her own fashion house for the Romanian market. Everybody was complimenting me on these first pieces and seeing this huge interest, I thought that I need to bring them into spotlight, offering them to the whole world, so I teamed up with my mom and with my ideas and her experience, we have started to build TEYXO.
When you are your own boss, you kind of do them all, you’re the one-woman show by doing design, modeling, editing, marketing, customer service, social media, vlogging and even paperwork from time to time. But I do have an excellent production team with whom I couldn’t have made it so far. I thank them all! They are amazing, excellent craftsmen! And of course, my mom who is the main engine of the production team! A force of nature she is!
Changing the world (laughing) No, serious! I have to quote Coco Chanel on this. She said “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Fashion played a huge role in history and most of all, in how the women were perceived. And now I think it’s one of the best times for women, but they are still faced with stereotypes every day and I’m not even talking about other cultures, but our own. I think fashion can be a tool in changing that, changing the stereotypes and empowering women. This is what TEYXO stands for: Offering women a new and fresh way of dressing. This is one of my motivations and another strong one is bringing joy into people’s lives. When I receive a beautiful message from one of my customers saying that we’ve made her so happy with the dress and that she feels so beautiful and confident or that she has never had something custom made and that the fit is perfect – this is the greatest satisfaction
In all that I do. I think that everything that we do that has to do with our education, knowledge and personal development helps us at some point in our life. Studying acting helps tremendous and I believe that everyone should have at least a summer course of acting. It helps you knowing yourself, understanding the others, seeing the world in a different light and I could go on and on. In the end is about who you are, I’m an actress and that’s a big part of me and I think it shows in the designs, in the way I model, the videos that I make, in everything. A big retailer in the USA said about TEYXO once “When Theater meets Street!” I couldn’t have said it better.
No, clothes don’t make the man. They can fool you, but in the end you’ll see the real man. And I am sure that you’ve seen interesting people wearing something simple and wearing it with such grace and style that made that outfit look expensive! Or the other way around – people wearing elegant and expensive clothes and looking rather ridiculous. And I have to quote again Chanel on this. I have a thing going on with Coco these days, but she said it perfectly: “If a woman is poorly dressed, you notice her dress, and if she’s impeccably dressed, you notice the woman.It’s not about the clothes, it’s about the way they make you feel.”
My mom! She loved the idea of TEYXO from the start and we have both taken such a fascinating ride so far. We have both grown in so many ways, evolved and opened up a lot, pushing ourselves all the time. And the best thing is that we have become really close. We were close before, but working together every day, talking all the time has strengthen our relationship in a way that I have never thought about.
We are about 15 people now and growing! I personally take care of all orders, carefully speak with all the customers to make sure we offer the perfect fit. The production team is very well organized and every item is carefully verified and packed with love! This is one of the best things of handmade businesses, as we do add this personal touch that the big companies and factories do not have.
My mom and I.
Everything from paintings, forms, photos, images, street styles that I see, fashion of other decades, music, other artists like the Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto. I also follow the current trends and love the styles worn by some of the daring celebrities like Lady Gaga.
Creativity is the way we react to the world by using all our tools from our mind and imagination to the expressions of our body to express or show our feelings and ideas.
I’ve had a long time of having ideas all the time, being really overwhelmed with ideas, but then… it happened… two or three weeks ago I was completely blank and it is terrible. I get scared and really feel that I’m losing something, a big part of me! I still haven’t learned how to cope with it as luckily it happens very very rare and it lasts just a couple of hours. So, I try to relax, disconnect, listen to classical music, always! And browse my folders of inspiring photos, paintings, images and so on. this usually works! If not, just see a good film and try to get some sleep, hoping my muse will be back very soon! I really feel that my inspiration and my creativity are my biggest possessions! I kind of know that as long as I have ideas, I will be okay, I will survive, no matter what!
One of our first designs! I’m wearing this coat for 3 years now. I am still wearing it. You have probably seen me in it! (laughs) It’s extremely comfortable, practical and steals the spotlight all the time, wherever I go from Bucharest to London or Milan
They are colorful, edgy, daring, comfortable, yet elegant and stylish, like an explosion of colors and soft fabrics. They breath confidence and they smile. They brighten up the world in an attempt to make the person who is wearing them extremely comfortable and wonderful! And they are all custom made for you! We don’t have any stocks so each garment is made especially for the customer!
That’s really tricky, as we design for women, so creating a suit for him would be a challenge. But I’d probably research a lot before, look at interviews with him, to see what he generally wears, what colors suit him and how he moves and most important, think about the event where he will wear this new suit. And I will make him something out of the box, asymmetrical, edgy, something that he has never worn before and I bet that he will steal the show!
A really beautiful helmet! That’s a really cool idea! I bet no one sells moto helmets embellished with macrame. I would even paint the helmet to match the macrame.
Every day I face new challenges as the online is evolving so fast, at such a great speed, that you always need to be on top. Competition is huge nowadays, so I need to be a little bit better every day and to improve my service and offer something extra every day. Every couple of months Facebook, for example, changes its algorithm so what works today, may not work tomorrow. I think these strategies would be impossible to teach in classrooms because the subject will become outdated every semester. So, this is my biggest challenge now – to get more exposure, more visitors, to get known. I’ve had other challenges in the past that I may have seen them huge at that time but now when I look back, I see them as little obstacles… so, I think I am facing the “biggest challenge” every week or month when I need to “learn again” the tools that bring customers to my shop and to continuously update my methods, my strategies, my plans. It’s a tough game, but very exciting. I love that it keeps me so anchored in the present!
I think creativity is the core of every business! I have even said this in a vlog on How to sell on Etsy and be successful. Creativity is everything! From the way you address your customers, to the way you pack your product and not to mention, the product itself, the design and the final piece. And this applies to even selling soaps and detergents. I mean it’s soap, you need it, how creative do you need to be to sell a soap? Well, what about Procter & Gamble who created Soap Operas, that were first radio serial dramas in the 1930s. That’s definitely a business turning into a creative one! The more creative you become with your product, the more success you may have and the more people you will get engaged. People want new and fresh ideas all the time, new things and you as a business need to give them exactly what they need! The first mistake a business makes is following the rules and following other stories of success. That’s done! That is not your story. You need to create your own. Of course, it is mandatory to know other people stories, to see what they did well and what they did bad, but the key is to create your own story, as crazy as it is! You need to have the courage and have the power to fail, because you will fail, but then you will get more confident and strong and the second time you will not fail, you will do a right thing, even if it’s a small thing. It will count! Follow your instinct! I always listen to it and I just know what to do and I was lucky so far, my instinct hasn’t been wrong!
Oh, wow! I hope you are right with this and you can predict the future! 20 years from now I will look back at this interview and say: “REframe was brilliant!”
You have to seize the moment! I wouldn’t go out celebrating, just yet, as number 1 doesn’t last forever, so I will make the best out of it. Make a huge campaign, maybe a worldwide tour! Definitely! I would celebrate by traveling the whole world, bringing TEYXO to every country, filming it all, hoping to go viral! And having giveaways and events all over the world! That would be a dream come true! You don’t have to be a musician to make a world tour! (laughs)
I hope to be on this tour for at least 2 years, maintaining the status of “leader in clothing and accessories” and maybe then take a break! A vacation somewhere more private, to relax and think of the next stage, of a new collection, better than the last one. I always compete with myself and my previous work, so I always try to have better ideas, better photos, better ads and push myself to do a little better every month and I hope that when I look back from now in 2 or 3 years to see the ascension.
So hard to pick just one! we have over 2000 5-stars reviews, all incredibly beautiful and sweet!
This is one of the latest:
Worldwide, to all continents. I think I have sent our clothes to over 70 countries by now. I have got visitors from all over the world every day. Customers mostly from USA, Australia, Canada, Japan, UK, Italy, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Saudi Arabia.
I have a very peaceful feeling at the end of this interview and I thank you for that. I have had quite a ride in my memories and feelings from the past 3 years and I am really happy with what I have achieved so far. I have realized that I would kind of like to thank my “old” me, 3 years ago, for putting up with everything and not giving up and most of all, I would like to say to her that things will get much more easier because you will become more knowledgeable and confident, but the stakes will rise so you will need to work harder, but in the end it will be more fun and you will enjoy it more.
I do remember one of her sweaters, a pale pink, cashmere sweater, very soft and beautiful. I remember more the feeling that it gave me, but later, in my teens I have started wearing all her clothes, sweaters, jackets, dresses, just everything and we were kind of fighting for clothes like two sisters. And then she started buying or making 2 identical pieces so we wouldn’t have more arguments. There was harmony afterwards!
Really impressive and expressive interview of Lara’s contribution behind the TEYXO successiz…. You made TEYXO one of smartest and fast growing BRAND NAME of the GLOBE and really gona make the streets of the GLOBE colorful, presentable and beautiful…. KEEP UP DOING LARA YOU ARE DOING STUNNING…. Goodluck