“I draw inspiration from everything around me,” says designer Arisabel Vasquez, who makes custom clothes tailored specifically to each client.
The owner of Slay Everyday, a West Kensington studio boutique and brand, is learning how to balance custom-made fashion designs, owning a business for over a decade, and raising her two sons.
She has gravitated toward fashion since she was a young girl. As a kid, she focused on fashion while playing with her dolls, eventually specializing in making Barbie dresses out of socks. She developed her own sense of style inspired by whatever phase she was in — be it 2000s fashion or emo kid or skater style.
She graduated from Harcum College in Bryn Mawr with a degree in fashion design and she is now an adjunct professor there, teaching classes like fashion history. Following her senior collection, she was asked to take part in Atlantic City Fashion Week, New Jersey Fashion Week and SoHo Fashion Week.
After years of having small e-commerce businesses, Vasquez began building her brand, Slay Everyday, in 2015, challenging herself with custom designs. Her shop will celebrate its one-year anniversary in October.
She now caters to all occasions, be it birthdays, vacations, or weddings, but said her most popular gowns are bespoke and custom prom gowns. She makes everyday wear, ready-to-wear dresses, and resortwear, but it’s the fancier gowns that have become her trademark.
“It is hard to pick a favorite as they are all my works of art,” she said, adding that this year she has made “some very detailed prom gowns that have been custom-dyed and hand-stoned.” Every year, she finds a new favorite, but she says they are all like her babies.
When she’s asked to create a custom design, Vasquez preliminarily speaks with the client about the garments they are interested in. If they book a consultation, that’s when they’ll discuss all the specifications, and review the designer/client contract. “I take measurements and begin sourcing all materials we spoke about to begin the design. Then constructions and fittings begin to ensure everything is satisfactory for the client and me.
“I design for all body types and all ages as well. I love working with customers whose sizes are not so common or considered standard; I tell my clients I accentuate their bodies, never covering or camouflaging them,” she explained.
Although Vasquez caters mainly to women and girls, she does offer embellishments on suits for men and for boys. As a mom of two sons, she has been known to make male outfits occasionally.
Vasquez herself likes to coordinate and style a full look. In the past, juggling mom life led her to wear whatever was washed and in the closet. Now she focuses on trying to look her best — be it with accessories or her favorite pair of heels.
“I love monochromatic looks and taking a color all the way, and with a bag to match. I am also falling in love with jeans again so that’s big for me,” she said.
Her biggest style influences reach near and far. The popular designers Marc Jacobs, Gianni Versace and Halston “have always brought timeless collections that we can pull reference from until the end of time,” she said.
Living in the Olde Kensington/Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia has added a touch of regional influence to her designs as well.
“I love the diversity, the different cultures, and how people allow for so much creativity to flow,” she said, emphasizing there are many walkable places and so much city life from which she can draw inspiration. “Every day outside my store there’s so many people I can meet and connect with,” she said.
That geographical connection runs deep, also influencing her trajectory as a local small business owner.
“When I was younger, I did not imagine the possibilities, but I came from families who built businesses from the ground up in this very community, so I knew it was in me. My grandfather Jesus Sierra started APM [Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha] which still exists in the 7th district today — the non-profit organization that focuses on health, human services, and community development. My father owned furniture stores named Ari’s Furniture, one former location being across the street from my new store on Front Street, so that is very full circle for me. Bringing something and helping the community was always a goal in whatever career path I chose,” she said.
With the support of her partner Angel, and her boys, Benjamin and Luis, Vasquez tries to find work-life balance to support her family life as well.
“I finally now, after 11 years in business, feel a rhythm on how I juggle things and my boys have been a part of this their whole life so they are used to how mommy works. My partner, Angel, definitely helps me keep the flow of things going and keeps me grounded. We both own our own businesses so we really work on balancing things together and pick up wherever one another needs it so that is a blessing for sure. We do everything as a team,” she said.
For a preview of Vasquez’s designs, visit www.SlayEveryday.Com. To discuss a consultation, email shopslayeveryday@gmail.com or send a text to 267-961-2605.
Vasquez handles the majority of her business in-person at her studio on Front Street, but she will ship to clients in other states. She notes that since garments are custom-made 99 percent of the time, returns are not offered. She will offer exchanges in certain circumstances.
