If you don’t know Stacy Igel yet, you’ll probably recognize the logo of her contemporary fashion brand, Boy Meets Girl.  This easily recognizable image featuring silhouettes of a young boy and girl facing each other not only grace pieces in her fashion and accessories line, but due to it’s massive success, it’s regularly spotted in fashion magazines, on celebrities, and on sidewalks from Brooklyn to Paris.

But Stacy is more than a fashion designer.  She has found a space at the intersection of fashion, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and female empowerment, has grown a business and a brand from there, and has done that while growing a family of her own as well. She is a self-made success story and a real-life testament to the power of hard work – and she won’t pretend that growing an international brand isn’t hard work – who was kind enough to get really open and honest with us about how she did it.

Let Stacy tell you her story herself, her business, how she faces down fear, and her recent Care Bears (!) collection, in today’s Behind the Seams interview…

(SH) A big part of entrepreneurship is learning on the job, learning as you go, and being okay to roll w that – what were some of the biggest lessons you learned as you grew your Boy Meets Girl? What did you have to learn on the job?

(SI) A few things I learned as I continued growing my business was:

• Be prepared to work like an absolute dog.

• Being a talented designer (or whatever you choose to specialize in) is necessary but not sufficient…. You need to learn how to be an effective marketer, networker, salesperson, service provider, writer, stylist, merchandiser and psychiatrist too.

• Work hard and provide great service. While you may not always be the most talented, creative, charming or brilliant person in the room, you can be the hardest working and most dedicated – that is something that is totally within your own control. By working hard, my bosses took notice at my earlier jobs and my employees take notice now. It’s leadership by example and I think it fosters loyalty and camaraderie.

• You can’t do it all by yourself. You need to work with and retain talented people in the areas where you are relatively weak. That’s a big one. Of course, I’m still learning every day.

(SH) Thinking about your first collection, what surprised you about it, from the creation process to the outcome?

(SI) Creating my first collection was very special. At that moment I created a vision that was focused but at the same time innocent. I hand sewed and screened some of my first samples. I presented this collection at my first trade show in 2001 in NYC and Bergdorf Goodman was my first department store to buy the line. And the rest is history…

(SH) You use your position as a fashion designer to shine a light on a cause that is very near and dear to your heart, The Young Survival Coalition. What drives you to do this, and do you think that designers should use their visibility to drive awareness for worthy causes?

(SI) Giving back is very important to me and I think it’s safe to say that contributing to the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) has given me a sense of hope that others will follow and continue to show their support. The fashion industry is an extremely fast paced environment where it’s a constant race to catch up – and dedicating myself to other passions of mine, like Bully Bust and YSC, allows me to take a step back and see the big picture. It allows me to slow down for a second to breathe and think, ok how can I help today?

I have been giving back since my first trade show mentioned above. That show was right after 9/11. Some of my first shirts were donated to the American Red Cross to families in need after the 9/11 attacks. I have always been reactive to what is happening around us and give back through the awareness of the brand. (Ed. Note: You can see all of the different charities Boy Meets Girl is donating to today, here).  Giving back and raising awareness is one of the brand’s identities. It is what we are about.

(See an example of one of Boy Meets Girl’s pieces that gives back to Planned Parenthood, HERE)

As for my opinion on whether designers should use their visibility to drive awareness for worthy causes …. Hmm I think you know my answer on this… (Ed. Note: We’re going to guess it’s a yes!)

(SH) Can you share with us a business moment when you faced down fear and had to rely on sheer bravery and guts to do something for your business?

(SI) Building a business from scratch is the biggest struggle. You have to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Being under financed in the beginning was hard because I was unable to grow and hire as quickly as I would have loved too against other brands who had major money and capital behind them. I took on every task as I had to be amazing at it all so I could train my team as I grew. Design time became 10% of my day and business became 90%. I struggled growing my collection season after season because I had to deal with all the components that make for a successful brand ie: sales, production, managing etc. But, I always kept moving. I always believed in my ability and the vision for the brand. You have to love what you do if you are going to own your own business. This is not a 9-5 job. It is 24/7.

(SH) Give us a sneak peek: What do you have on the horizon at Boy Meets Girl in 2017?

(SI) The Boy Meets Girl® x Care Bears™ collection will be launching exclusively to colette in Paris! Our sneak peek collection released in August 2016 and we will be releasing a bigger collection in celebration of Care Bears 35th Anniversary in February 2017 which I am extremely excited about. We are also releasing some special pieces on our website in March 2017 as well as some cool partnerships in other categories!

Lightning Round – Short Questions, Short Answers :

What would your younger self have to say about the woman  and designer you have grown up to become? Would she be surprised?

She would not be surprised but rather excited knowing that was exactly where she wanted to be

What is one strategy, tip, or action step you use to bust through fear or mental obstacles?

Keep moving.

Besides yourself, what fashion designer/s inspire you?

Coco Chanel, who famously 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.” I agree.

Follow Stacy Igel on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter and follow Boy Meets Girl on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Support and learn more about the Young Survival Coalition here, and Bully Block here.

Photos Credit { Feature Image : Jennifer Rose Keany, Amanda de Cadenet, Sophie Elgort)