At 21 years old Elena Bonvicini is the face and founder of EB Denim, a sustainable fashion brand based out of Southern California. EB Denim specializes in reconstructing vintage 501 Levi’s into extremely flattering and unique denim pieces. Elena has managed to combine her love for fashion and upcycling into a successful business all while attending USC. SHEESH! had the opportunity to sit down with Elena to find out more about the inspiration behind EB Denim, her goals for the future, and her advice for budding entrepreneurs.
Q: How did you get your idea for EB Denim?
“I began to thrift for vintage jeans while on vacation in the Midwest visiting my family. I would cut the vintage jeans into shorts and started wearing them to school. Soon after, several of my friends and fellow classmates expressed interest in my shorts and I began selling them in my high school locker rooms. From there, I started to play around with reconstructing the denim and created what are now known as the ‘OG Shorts’ which we continue to sell online to this day. “
Q: What was the mission of establishing this brand at the outset?
“I didn’t go in with a mission at the outset, because I didn’t even realize I was creating a business. Every aspect in the progression and development of my brand was built so naturally and intuitively that it enabled EB Denim to become what it is today and will be in the future.”
Q: What have you learned from running a business?
“I have learned a tremendous amount from running EB Denim. It has enabled me to grow in self-confidence in who I am, what I create, and what I believe is necessary in order to maintain self-growth. The beauty of running a business is that you learn something new everyday which enables you to innovate and be the next wave of what’s new and hot.”
Q: How do you handle adversity and doubt?
“In the face of adversity I always try to remember everything is a learning experience and it will only aid in the development of your pursuits. In the face of doubt I always remember if I had listened to my detractors I wouldn’t be where I am today. Success is the best revenge.”
Q: To what do you attribute your success?
“My parents. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. My mom has been extremely supportive of me building my business and providing me with important structural advice. My dad is my cheerleader and has always supported my creative instincts and taught me to always follow your gut.”
Q: What are your plans for the future?
“I plan to continue creating new designs, building organic relationships within the industry while fostering inclusivity, hitting our sales mark, and to continue to give back to the community by supporting social justice issues, like BLM, and Covid-19 Direct Relief.”
Q: If you had one piece of advice for someone starting out, what would it be?
“Be fresh and unique. You are entering a market that is heavily saturated so if you can be disruptive and new you won’t get lost in everything else that is already out there and repetitive. For a small business, I think Instagram is the way to go. It doesn’t cost anything to create an account in order to help you gain awareness and establish relationships with influencers.”
Q: Who inspires you?
“My grandfather is my biggest inspiration. His story of growing up in the Midwest with nothing, building his own company, and becoming a successful parallel entrepreneur motivates me to be a successful entrepreneur.”
Q: How do you find inspiration for your designs?
“I love being inspired by vintage fashion because a lot of trends always recycle back and I think you can predict the future by looking at the past.”
Q: What trend do you hope comes back?
“I really want low-rise to come back even though I don’t think I can pull it off. I’ve been predicting it for months and I am just starting to see it slowly come back so I’m excited for that.
Q: What trend do you hope disappears?
“I hope that the puff sleeve disappears. Bathing suits with puff sleeves are not cute.”
Q: What is the best/worst purchase you’ve ever made?
“Best: Converse Worst: A neon sweater zip-up that was out of style in 30 seconds.”
Q: What are you reading right now?
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey”
Go check out EB Denim’s Instagram to stay up to date for new releases!
This interview has been edited and condensed.
