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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Kris Hall had seen hundreds of yards of silk, satin and lace -- all of it was white. She had been sewing wedding dresses for 10 years and while she enjoyed her work, she felt that there was something missing.
On a trip to Jackson Hole, Kris and her daughter were wandering through boutiques and noticed beautiful leather jackets -- Kris knew she had found her new direction. After purchasing colorful pieces of suede, Kris began to design. As the creativity began to flow, she knew she had made the right choice. The outcome was a combination that was a little bit of the West with a lot of edge. Kris named her new company Kristine Elizabeth Designs.
Kris showed me some of her designs, which can only be described as colorful and fun. One was a jacket made of brick red, mustard yellow and teal suede with bottle cap buttons and fringe. She also showed me a beige strapless suede design that opens at the waist, runs to mid-calf and can be worn with jeans or whatever else mood may dictate. When I asked what to call it, she just laughed -- it isn't quite a dress and it isn't quite a shirt -- but it is fun she said.
Kris decided early on that she would keep business operations simple; she cut out the middleman and makes custom work at moderate prices. Currently she works out of her home in South Ogden. As business grows, she plans to contract out piece work to stay-at-home-moms while retaining design control of her company.
Where does she see the market for her jackets and clothes? Kris designs her clothes as personality pieces that can be worn for a lifetime, which she describes as "attitude pieces." She sees them as souvenirs for those who want to take a bit of the West back to whatever part of the world they live in. She also sees her clothes as something the wearer will treasure and wear all the time -- a lot more than they would wear a wedding dress.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
