It’s no joke when I say I like the feminine, sophisticated clothing of Fleet Collection– quite honestly, how could anyone not? Their line is chock full of sweet dresses that are easy to accessorize, made of quality fabrics, and look like the bees knees. They are one of those companies that just about every woman can shop from because the look is both consistent and flexible. We sat down with Eileen Chai, one half of Fleet Collection, and got the scoop.

–Aurora

please introduce yourself?

We are Lisa and Eileen and we co-founded our clothing line, Fleet Collection, in 2011. We’re based in Los Angeles, California, where all of our designs are made. Lisa currently resides in Long Beach and Eileen lives in Claremont, a small college-town suburb.

what do you make or do?

We design the pieces for our line Fleet Collection, a new brand of women’s apparel that feature vintage-inspired dresses that emphasize timeless charm, classic elegance, and feminine sophistication. We create beautiful, well-made pieces locally and at accessible prices.

where can we find your creations?

Fleet Collection original designs are available at our Etsy shop. In addition, our designs are sold at our online shop alongside a delightful selection of carefully curated finds in a separate Boutique section of our shop. Fleet Collection original designs can be found at various brick & mortar boutiques across US and Canada, as well as online at numerous websites such as Modcloth.com and shopruche.com.

how long have you been creating and is it your full-time job?

We started Fleet Collection in 2011 and it has been a full time endeavor. Lisa and I both quit our jobs in order to truly commit ourselves to the budding project. It was a definite risk but in hindsight, it was the best decision we ever made.

when you’re not making things, what do you do?

We are very hands-on with our creation process. In addition to designing together, Eileen manages the company’s business development, PR and finances while Lisa takes care of branding, photography and graphic design.

where do you find inspiration?

We design things we would want to wear ourselves. We draw inspiration from vintage fashions, art books, magazines, what people are wearing and everyday life. The philosophy behind our brand is to create beautiful, well-made dresses and jewelry that have wearable ease and comfort.

what’s on the horizon for you and what you do?

It took a lot of hard work and many sleepless nights to get here, and now we are just trying to keep up with demand! We’d like to introduce more styles to add depth to the collection and the request for bridemaids dresses is a frequent one. We’re working on a few fun, dressy pieces for holiday 2013 and our Fall collection will debut very soon.