Special Occasion Clothing for Children: An Interview with Bean & Company

This weeks interview features Jenna Lang from Beane & Comany.  Jenna is located in Los Angeles, CA.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello everyone! I currently live in Los Angeles with my husband I and my daughter Roxy. I started Beane and Company in 2007, shortly before my daughter was born. We affectionately call her Beane.  I have been involved with arts and crafts all my life. I absorbed it through my mother a seamstress, and my grandmother who was very accomplished with the art of crochet. I was a professional dancer for years and out of necessity taught myself to sew. It soon became a passion. After the birth of my daughter I began a love affair with children's clothes, there was really no other direction to go! There is lots of love and excitement in everything I make. I hope you enjoy.

What special things do you create for weddings?

I create wedding attire for children. I do what I call "vintage inspired with a modern twist" for flower girls and ring bearers. I've had so many requests over the last year for bridesmaids dresses that I have added bridesmaids and "Indie" bridal gowns to my personal website.

Who or what sparked your interest in making wedding-related items?

The first thing being, I am a girl! Like most girls I had been planning my wedding since I was 5! After I had my own wedding in 2002 I found that I still couldn't stay away from the bridal magazine isle. It didn't really take hold until my daughter was born and I began making her "special" dresses. It was then that it clicked...this was the perfect way to incorporate my love for weddings and making beautiful children's clothing. It was then that Beane and Company was created!

What is a little known fact, or something unique about your work that is interesting?

I guess it not so much a little known fact...but I will change any color to suit the color palette of the wedding at no extra charge. If brides send me a swatch of color I will re-design a dress and incorporate the color anyway the bride wants. I also use 100% cotton linings so the fabric next to the child's skin is soft and they will be comfortable. Lastly...I use traditional couture sewing techniques on all the clothing. Even children deserve to have well made clothing!

If you are married, what’s the one thing you wish you had for your wedding that you didn’t?

When I got married in 2002 there wasn't nearly as much accessible on the internet. There are so many blogs and great informational sites with great ideas out there today. It was mostly magazines then and you didn't get as much diversity as you have out there today. I tell my husband all the time that we have to have a new wedding every few years just so I can incorporate all the new trends that pop up! I guess that is the beauty of being on the vendor side of the wedding industry...you get to live vicariously through other brides!

What trends do you see happening in your specialty at the moment?

People are very interested in vintage right now. That really excites me! I am also very excited that brides are using brighter more non-traditional colors mixed with the more traditional ones. I am also excited about this "Indie" movement that is taking place now. People are not afraid to be creative with their weddings these days. Simplicity is coming back. I love it!

What is your favorite part of the wedding journey?

Absolutely the idea/early planning stage. I love the blank slate that you have in the beginning when you are just throwing ideas around trying to find out what direction you want to go! Just standing back and looking at every idea you've collected and letting the perfect thing for your wedding jump out at you...with that feeling of "that's it!"

What advice can you share for all the brides getting married this year?

Use your instincts and take your time in making decisions. Also invest in good photography...you will have those pictures forever! One huge thing I regret about my own wedding. I look back at the pictures and I'm very disappointed. Paying for a good photographer is worth it!

What is your perfect honeymoon spot?

Any place warm and tropical!! Or maybe Paris!

If you could pick anyone famous that would purchase your items for their wedding, who would they be?

Living...Sarah Jessica Parker! I know she's already married but I can dream. Also Anne Hathaway or Drew Barrymore...they have great style! Deceased...would absolutely be the greats Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O, and Grace Kelly.

If you could choose 1 item from your shop that you wish every bride could have, what would it be?

So hard to choose...I am attached to everything I make. Each time I create something I think it's even better than the last! I guess I would have to say the Feather dress I have in my shop.

What are some of your favorite shops on Etsy, wedding or otherwise?

I love Silvia66. She knits the most beautiful things! Also bonzie...I've seen their stuff in magazines. It is so signature it jumps right out at you. A few others are giantdwarf and LoBoheme.

Do you have a website, blog, where we can read more about you and your work?

I don't have a blog...but I do have a website http://www.beaneandco.com/.