CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE CONCEPT BEHIND 19TH AMENDMENT?

19th Amendment is a portfolio / kickstarter platform for emerging designers to showcase, get critiqued on, and sell their designs. We help young designers by facilitating the manufacturing process, which is all done in the United States, and by getting them the early stage sales and consumer support that they need to break into the fashion industry. Consumers are able to interact with designers (think real time Project Runway) and discover fresh designs from some of the most talented young designers around the country.

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO START THE COMPANY, AND WHAT SORT OF SPACE DO YOU HOPE IT WILL FILL IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY?

After graduating from Parsons I was very optimistic about one day launching my own brand. However, after entering into the industry I quickly realized that in order to do so I would need a substantial amount of capital, no matter how much talent I had. I knew that there had to be a way to showcase new talent, and help young designers get the resources they need without spending a ton of money. It would just take a change to the current structure of the fashion system.

I used my marketing and tech start-up background to formulate a plan with the thought that if I could prove current market demand for new designers, through garment sales, I could help them break into the fashion industry. By tweaking the model of traditional crowd funding to be more retail specific I knew that I could create a workable business model.

WHAT HAS STARTING 19TH AMENDMENT BEEN LIKE SO FAR?

Starting 19th Amendment has been a thrilling experience, not unlike putting on a fashion show. I have worked backstage at Lincoln Center and this is the same kind of adrenaline rush that is routed in knowing in your heart that you’re creating something great but not knowing how the audience will perceive it. I’m more fulfilled by 19th Amendment because I know that what I’m doing will ultimately benefit many designers.

YOU USED TO LIVE IN NEW YORK -  WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO BOSTON?

The tech startup scene brought me back to Boston. I’ve always known that I wanted to start my own company and I felt that while New York has a lot of traditional fashion companies that start there, Boston has some of the most innovative.

HAVE YOU FOUND THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF RESOURCES FOR ENTREPRENEURS HERE?

There are almost too many resources in Boston for entrepreneurs.  My co-founder Gemma Sole and I usually end up splitting events because their tends to be an overlap. Both Gemma and I are graduates of the inaugural class of the Start Up Institute (www.startupinstitute.com) . It was there that we were introduced to the startup scene and taught how to effectively navigate it.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FASHION COMMUNITY HERE VERSUS IN NEW YORK?

While the fashion community in Boston is much smaller than in New York, I find that it is a lot more accepting of innovation. The New York fashion scene is established, it’s much harder to try to change the way things are done, while in Boston the fashion scene is still evolving so there’s more opportunity for change.

WHERE DO YOU ULTIMATELY HOPE TO TAKE YOUR COMPANY?

I hope that 19th Amendment can one day be open to emerging designers all over the world. We would love to help designers start out on the right foot, by helping them manufacture locally and source sustainable materials.

WHY DID YOU NAME IT 19TH AMENDMENT- IS THERE A STORY THERE?

The 19th Amendment guaranteed the right to vote for all Americans, specifically women. Looking at the fashion industry as a whole I saw that there was such a disconnect in communication between all parties; the designers, the buyers, and the consumers. We live in an age of hyper communication and connection and I wanted to bring that to the fashion industry, to create an ecosystem where all parties have a voice.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW?

Our beta is launching soon with our first round of designers. In the meantime people can register on our site. Inquiries can be made on our site http://19thamendment.co/connect.php

Photos by Andrew Wang

In a city known for high-tech startups and world-class universities, Christina K. Pierce is establishing herself as a Boston business leader in an unlikely industry…fashion. Pierce, a former merchandiser at TJX (parent company of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls) owns an eponymous showroom and fashion agency on Newbury Street, the purpose of which is to propel young, promising apparel and accessories brands to success through a combination of sales and marketing strategy. While Pierce has a number of lines she represents from Boston, she has clients from around the country, and hopes to expand her reach internationally in the near future.

We caught up with Pierce at her showroom earlier this week to learn more about her business, to see what’s in store for 2013 and, of course, to discuss her plans for New York fashion week.

BEFORE YOU STARTED YOUR OWN BUSINESS, YOU WORKED AS A MERCHANDISER AT TJX. WHAT MADE YOU BREAK OUT ON YOUR OWN?
I did! I got into styling [on my own] while I was still at the TJX Companies and I noticed the more time I devoted to it, the bigger it became. I’ve always had a business mindset (and a business background) and it was through styling that I uncovered a couple of emerging brands with great products, but that were in need of an image to make their way into stores. I was determined to work with them on growing their businesses. Soon it became a struggle to devote my time to two places so I figured it was worth breaking away from TJX to explore my own business ventures. Again, the more time I devoted to it, the faster it grew. Those brands’ successes began opening me up to new designers and companies who wanted similar growth, so we adapted our company’s business services to function as a full-fledged showroom, with reach across the United States and, hopefully soon, internationally as well.

WHAT WERE THE EARLY DAYS LIKE? DID YOUR COMPANY TAKE OFF RIGHT AWAY?
Like anything, it takes persistence, drive, and not getting discouraged when life hands you a setback. I am a firm believe in “feeding the beast” so I try as best I can to feed the company as it grows, devote as much of myself to it as humanly possible, and not to give up. We quickly went from four local lines that were housed in my guest room (when not on the road) to a full showroom of clothing and accessory lines from around the country.

YOU STARTED OUT STYLING—DOES  THAT SIDE OF YOUR BUSINESS STILL EXIST?
We still have personal styling clients, which we try to keep limited to our “Black Card Members,” an elite group of styling clients. Membership is on a referral basis and typically not open to the public. Think of our styling as a fashion concierge on demand. We handle everything from red carpet to everyday and have worked with everyone from movie starts, reality TV stars, to notable men and women in cities from Boston to New York and Los Angeles.

YOU’RE SUCCESSFUL AT A YOUNG AGE.  ANY SECRETS?
I’ve always felt very old for my age! I usually lie about it because if you say you are young people assume you don’t know what you are doing. My secret is I am really 45.

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM FOR YOUR BUSINESS? WHERE WOULD YOU LOVE TO TAKE IT?
I would love to ultimately have full-time offices in some of the major cities [we already have a presence in] across the country. I would also love to expand further into the UK market.

YOU’RE ABOUT TO HEAD TO NEW YORK FASHION WEEK. WHAT SHOWS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING MOST?
I am very excited for Milly! Though I love Milly year round, Fall/Winter Milly and I have a strong connection and I usually have a laundry list after the show of must haves for my personal collection. It’s my season! I am also excited for some of our gown favorites as I have Oscar event selections to make this month. Some of my favorites are Yuna Yang, Carmen Marc Valvo, Bibhu Mohapatra, Reem Acra, Monique Lhuillier, andTadashi Shoji.

HOW MANY PRESENTATIONS DO YOU GO TO AND DESIGNERS DO YOU VISIT DURING AN AVERAGE FASHION WEEK?
When I started attending fashion week I used to go to as many as I could humanly fit into my schedule. I actually remember being in line for an event once and hearing some serious editors have a conversation about how they were attending five-10 shows throughout the week. A magazine editor from Paris said he was attending 20 and they laughed at him and said they weren’t sure how he would keep his head on straight. I couldn’t help myself and I chimed in “I’m going to 34,” and they all looked at me and gasped. That’s when I learned it’s okay to say no. When you see that much, it all blurs together and you honestly can’t remember DVF from Herve Leger. I like to say I will see 14 shows but at the end it might be more like 20. I’ve still made progress but the fashion lover in me just wants to see it all!

WHAT CAN’T YOU GET THROUGH FASHION WEEK WITHOUT?
My BlackBerry and I are very close. I never leave home without it.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE STYLE OF BOSTON WOMEN?
I think it is evolving. I see more and more fashion forward people everyday. I think that Boston is very up and coming in a fashion sense. We’ve always had style, but I think we are getting a little more “fashion” thrown into the mix.

All photos by Andrew Wang.