Whether you are new to Salt Lake City or been around the town for awhile, it feels good to be connected. We introduced the Local Legend series in our June 2017 newsletter. Our idea of a local legend is a person who has had great impact on Salt Lake City. This person is not only well connected around the town but also has the inside scoop and does their part to positively impact the community.
We are honored to name Natalie Workman as our August 2017 local legend. We asked her a few questions to get insight into her experience as a Salt Lake resident.
- How long have you lived in Salt Lake City? 2.5 years, and I’ve absolutely loved it!
- Describe how what you do makes Salt Lake City great (self-promotion encouraged): The purpose of Utah Fashion Week is to bring together the local fashion industry and create opportunities for it to grow. We’ve been blown away by the amount of people who have participated. This year (#2 in Salt Lake City); 5 days, 9 shows, 50+ designers, 200 models, hairstylists, and makeup artists, with thousands of people in attendance. I’ve been so impressed by the talent that comes out of this area in the field of fashion. My co-founder and team are thrilled to have found so many wonderful, talented people, and to be able to promote them.
- What has your experience been like as an entrepreneur in our area? When I moved back to Utah from fashion school, I couldn’t find many resources or connections for fashion entrepreneurs, but I did have friends who were in the same boat, so we started Utah Fashion Week as a way to give ourselves what we needed for our own fashion line startups, as well as create the opportunity for others. Now we’ve been able to help many fashion entrepreneurs get a good start through our workshops, conferences, and promotional events etc., and we hope to help many more!
- How would you describe the people of Salt Lake City? Surprisingly diverse! I thought I’d miss the diversity when I came to SLC after living in San Francisco, but I’ve met so many wonderful people who have taught me so many things.
- What is your favorite thing about Salt Lake City? It’s small enough to have a great sense of community, but big enough that you’ll always be able to find new things.
- What do you wish more people knew about Salt Lake City? I want EVERYONE to know about Utah Fashion Week and our designers, and come to our shows next year!
- What are your favorite places to shop in Salt Lake City? This year I’ve tried to only buy from local companies and small businesses whenever possible. I love Katie Waltman’s boutiques, or I’ve been buying clothes from our Utah Fashion Week designers and getting things custom made. It’s been much less of a challenge than I anticipated, and I love being able to tell people who made my handbag or the story behind my skirt. I’ve found that I value my purchases much more when I’m connected to the person it came from.
- What would you tell someone if they told you they were moving here? I would tell them to live in the Avenues, eat at Finca, and go see the Spiral Jetty for the pink part of the Great Salt Lake.
- What advice would you give to a young professional considering starting their own business?
Jump in over your head with no easy way out so that swimming hard is your only option.
Find a good support system of trustworthy people doing similar things who will understand what you are going through.
Learn how to say “no”. Entrepreneurial people often tend to get excited about many different things, and like to take any and every opportunity presented to us, but you have to stay insanely focused in order to build your own opportunities, and that means saying “no” a LOT to things that might seem really great, but will just take your time and complicate your life. Make your plan, and stick to it.
Name your favorite local legend: I’m obsessed with Ayana Ife! She’s a fashion designer who showed in Utah Fashion Week this year. She’s so talented, sweet and gracious, and she’s on Project Runway airing this month! It’s a major accomplishment and I’m so proud of her!
heckout cool upcoming Fashion Events in Salt Lake City:
Art Meets Fashion Runway Event - September 16, 2017
IndieWalk - September 17, 2017
Past Local Legends:
Chris Holifield - I Am Salt Lake Podcast
Lindsey Kneuven - Head of Social Impact @ Pluralsight