by Melanie Gubernik and Lauren Veum
“Fashion is not Revolution; it’s Evolution”: A Deep Dive into Christine Griffith and Charlotte Betts’ Fashion and Business Expertise
Business women Christine Griffith and Charlotte Betts graciously visited the UW-Madison campus and offered their business and influencing guidance on October 4th, 2023. As independent, creative, and intelligent women, they were able to provide students with insight on their daily work lives, as well as what business and influencing entails.
Griffith first described her move to Chicago in 2003 and her enthusiasm for fashion. She shared that her enthusiasm for fashion is rooted from her grandmother who was a skilled seamstress, working for icons such as Elvis Presley. She recalled playing with dolls as a young girl and using her grandmother’s fabrics. Griffith had always wondered why there were so many distinct types of dresses, each with their own unique forms, colors, and styles.
When Griffith was younger, she would go thrifting with her grandmother. She loved to collect magazines, which inspired her clothing and style. Griffith said that, “the real inspiration comes from real life, where you can see the racks and feel the fabric of clothes because you can only use your imagination when shopping online.”
When Griffith was older, she began working for Chicago Parent Magazine, a company that provides advice on parenting techniques to reduce behavioral problems in their children. In 2018, she founded BLK BRWN Market, where she helped build a fashion and beauty industry. Moreover, in 2021, she concentrated on her creative goals while working in a coworking environment– where workers from different companies share one workspace instead of having all of a company's workers work in the same location. She described how coworking spaces foster an intellectual environment where you can learn from others.
Griffith also expressed her admiration for the e-commerce industry. She enjoys shopping on Poshmark and, given her business expertise, she is aware that the site's popularity increased after it went public, anticipating that trend to continue.
Like Griffith, Charlotte Betts is a businesswoman who has a passion for fashion and influencing. She describes herself as “creative by nature,” so inspiration comes easy. Betts, born in Africa, moved to Chicago and rapidly became involved in content creation. She first got involved in social media through blogging in 2008, starting off as a gossip blogger before becoming a style blogger, then moving on to mom blogging.
After her blogging career, she got her first fashion deal with J. Jill in 2014. Betts emphasized the value of forming connections inside the industry. She still maintains close relationships with the individuals she worked with are J. Jill,, and uses these connections when engaging with her current clients.
Betts is now a full-time content creator. Despite calling herself a "micro-influencer," she favors the term "content creator" because she believes the word “influencer” can sometimes carry a negative connotation. Although it's widely believed that creating content is "easy,” Betts feels differently. According to her, creating content is "extremely demanding," and in order to succeed as an influencer, you must be able to identify your niche or what makes you stand out from the rest.
A significant business component exists in the industry of being a content creator. Regarding business deals, contracts, and partnerships, Betts urges everyone to "read the terms!" She also emphasized the importance of keeping your options and opportunities open, even when a business offers you a substantial amount of money in exchange for a contract.
Overall, Betts and Griffith encourage everyone to start a business if they have the passion, while also conducting research and understanding the obligations that go along with it. If starting your own business isn't your thing, they believe working for a hands-on company is equally fantastic. Betts concluded the discussion by saying, “If you are passionate about starting a business, do it. But if you can work for a hands-on company, that is an awesome place to start.”
Edited by: Maggie Bond, Olivia Daly, Annie Stockwell, Nicole Borras, and Adele Hoinacki