While sitting on her couch, 17-year-old Julia Presten made the ambitious decision to start her own clothing company, ANGELIC NYC.
Now a freshman at UW-Madison, Presten said she is studying retail and consumer science so that her company can continue to thrive. She is currently selling clothes out of her apartment in Madison.
The clothing line incorporates lifestyle shirts. All of the items feature angel wings, which encourage Preston to practice the angelic goodness of her company by donating 10 percent of the profits to various charities.
“The point of the company is to be a good person,” Presten said. “I’m going to promote this for as long as I can.”
The brand is categorized as unisex clothing, but women primarily purchase the items. In the future, Presten plans to make more clothing specifically geared towards men.
Presten started her company as a required independent project in her junior year. During her senior year, she said most of her classmates had to find a job. Presten, however, worked for herself, which she said she is now she hopes to do forever.
The company boomed quickly. In the same exciting spring break that Presten learned she was accepted to UW-Madison, her first 100 items sold out in less than nine days.
She sold items out of her suitcase at school every day. The designer took advantage of living in fashionable New York City and ventured to the Garment District, where she met with store owners and buyers. She still uses the same Garment District resources today to make her clothing.
Preston’s company continued to expand, and her shop moved from a bag with wheels to her Madison apartment. She now receives regular online orders and visitors at her door.
She has discovered several models that were photographed wearing Presten’s clothing. The young entrepreneur said she loves perusing the Internet to find that numerous people don her clothing, including celebrities like model Gisele Bündchen.
“I’m not in it for the money,” Presten said. “It’s exciting to have my brand out there and see people wearing my stuff. It’s just fun to do and makes me happy.”
