#FierceFemaleFriday - Erica Durousseau

Erica Durousseau is an artist and Fashion Designer from Lake Charles, Louisiana. After graduating from high school, she attended Grambling State University and graduated with a degree in Mass Communications and Broadcasting. It was in college that she discovered her love for art and fashion. Much of her inspiration was cultivated through travel to Australia, Fiji, England, Belize, Honduras and several parts of South America. She began designing and sewing women’s clothing in 2007.

In 2012, Erica developed her first clothing company, E.M.aculate Couture, debuting her first collection in New Orleans Fashion Week in 2013. She currently owns a self named fashion label, Erica Monet’, and operates her company from a small fashion studio in New Orleans, Louisiana, creating unique, one of a kind fashion pieces for a growing clientele list, corporate vendors throughout the U.S., and wholesaling designs to local boutiques and participating in large scale fashion shows throughout the region. 

Erica is a New Orleans Fashion Week Veteran, with her work being featured in Art+Design New Orleans Magazine, Ebony Magazine and currently published online in several lifestyle and fashion related sites. Erica has been invited to Small Boutique New York Fashion Week for the past two years, unveiling her third and fourth lines for Erica Monet’ with intentions to expand even more in 2017-2018. She recently graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Master of Business Administration.

What’s it like to be a female boss in the fashion industry?

Just being a boss takes a lot of hard work, and yes, a lot of failure. I think people get the wrong idea about entrepreneurship when they go into it thinking that success will be immediate. The fashion industry is ever-changing. One day you could create something really spectacular, and the next day it’s old news. Being a fashion industry boss means you’re grinding every day, and ready to move on from an idea you really love, so you can grow, keep up with industry trend, and surpass them. It’s about moving and shaking!

What advice would you give young women who are entering this industry?

I would definitely advise them to find and follow a mentor. A creative mind is a beautiful thing. The right guidance can take you from zero to one thousand, without wasting time and money on fashion shows and processes that you really don’t need to go through. Because I tried on my own at first, I spent a lot of time and money trying to get to the next level, when all I had to do was ask someone. Get a mentor!