It’s no secret to those a part of the Arizona fashion scene that it can sometimes feel scattered and insufficient. Those that are a part of the local industry complain that they don’t have access to local resources required to efficiently run their business.

One woman is hoping to change that.

Angela Johnson, designer, educator, and founder of LabelHorde, is hoping to change that. LabelHorde acts as a directory to help Arizonans find the people and services they need to further their business.

Angela Johnson by Larry Alan Photo

We were so excited about this concept that we asked the founder of LabelHorde, Angela Johnson, more about the origin of the idea, how Arizona will benefit from the site, and what the future of her business entails. Find out more about LabelHorde and then, if you are as excited as we are, create a listing on LabelHorde.com (You’ll find Couture in the Suburbs listed under “Publications”).

Where did the idea for LabelHorde originate?

LabelHorde is the brainchild of Angela Johnson, a locally well-known fashion industry professional with nearly 20 years’ experience in the fashion industry who has earned a reputation as an Arizona fashion industry insider and supporter.

In 2003, Angela originally created LabelHorde to fill a need for the fashion community in Arizona and her reputation has been synonymous as a trailblazer and supporter of the local independent fashion community ever since. Having worked in design and production in the Los Angeles garment district, Angela immediately recognized the lack of fashion resources available when she attempted to relocate her mass produced clothing line, Monkeywench, to Arizona.

She originally created LabelHorde to act as a foundation/hub for the emerging fashion industry in Arizona in order to make local sourcing easier for everyone. LabelHorde started as a glossy magazine/directory and then moved to an online presence. Shortly after its creation, it quickly grew to include hundreds of local designers, boutiques, stylists, photographers, models, sewing contractors and more. It was the predecessor to the local fashion weeks and the inspiration to countless local fashion businesses that operate in Arizona today.

When LabelHorde originally closed its doors, the gap it left in the community was clearly evident and has still not been filled. With more and more fashion businesses emerging, there is even more of a need for a centralized hub/foundation for the industry and a directory to scaffold its resources. Resurrecting LabelHorde fills that need.

Dress by Italia Rocks Couture

Why was Arizona the right market to launch the site?

Arizona is home to so many emerging and even established designers.  It is situated so close to LA which has an actual fashion industry.  Many designers who have moved to Arizona from LA have found that it is more affordable to live here and life is simpler so they want to call Arizona home, but they have a hard time continuing to manufacture their collections without the resources that exist in LA.

Many designers end up moving back or closing up shop because of this. However, we believe that it wouldn’t take much to get some manufacturing resources in Arizona and it wouldn’t require very many manufacturers to establish themselves here because if all of AZ’s clothing designers used the same manufacturers to make their clothing, we could easily keep those manufacturers in business.

Jeans by Diego Milano

But without something like LabelHorde to unite everyone and provide a place where everyone knows they can find what they need in AZ, no one knows where to look.  And if a designer finds someone to make their clothing for them locally, they don’t share the information and that contractor goes out of business because they can’t sustain their services just for one or two clients.

The goal of LabelHorde is to unite everyone working in fashion in Arizona so everyone can find the resources they need to operate their businesses and stay here. We could all try to go to LA for resources and supplies, but it would be so much cheaper and easier to use what is local.

How can the community benefit from listing their business of LabelHorde?

The more fashion businesses listed in the directory, the more useful it becomes. If everyone used it (industry people as well as the general public) then the businesses would make more sales and the public would have an easier time finding what they need in fashion as well.

Dress by Amelia Walsh

What are your plans to grow the site?

Eventually, after we have graduated from the beta version and we know that the site is functioning perfectly, we will officially spread the word to more press outlets and try to reach many more fashion businesses. Then we will launch the Calendar function, where we will list all AZ fashion events and then the Resources function where we will offer industry supplies and services like pattern paper, sewing tools, illustration books and services like fashion show production, photography and more.

We will also add a classifieds section for fashion related job listings. Then after things are working great and we are filled up in Arizona, we plan to expand to all states around the nation that don’t already have a service like this but do have an emerging fashion community.

Don’t waste one more minute complaining about the lack of resources in Arizona. Sign up for LabelHorde and start growing your business and the local fashion industry. Visit LabelHorde to create a listing here.