“We bring creative ideas to life.”
Shantell Richardson and Thacia Turner
Trim Knowtions creates unique, high-quality branding and fashion embellishments.
Trim Knowtions creates unique, high-quality branding and fashion embellishments. Shantell Richardson and Thacia Turner began their journey as coworkers. With an extensive background in the fashion industry, Shantell worked in business development. As for Thacia, she assisted the sales team and was the company’s merchandiser, having recently completing her marketing degree. They immediately developed a strong relationship and when the company they worked for closed in 2015, this duo combined their ideas and savings to create Trim Knowtions. The company specializes in branding elements, offering creative solutions for zippers, heat transfers, labels and hang tags, beading, and much more.
“Fashion is more than looking good. It can be cerebral and help people find their identity.”
Clients either come to them with ideas, or they work together to formulate new designs. As Thacia explains, “We love complex ideas and projects. It’s a benefit to everyone involved when a designer comes to us with a completely new idea. We grow, our toolbox grows, and our client gets exactly what they want. It’s a win-win.”
Thacia and Shantell have spent a long time developing their craft and use their experiences to expertly guide clients through complicated projects. New ideas create new challenges, and Trim Knowtions helps their customers avoid potential problems with construction, development, and scale. “We’re dedicated to seeing designs come to life in the right way, so they can easily move forward to production. We have a holistic view for each design”, Shantell explains.
It almost goes without saying that fashion designs need to be aesthetically pleasing. While work from Trim Knowtions is attractive and eye-catching, the team also has deeper intentions. Green initiatives and a heavy focus on sustainability drive both decisions around materials and production methods. Thacia and Shantell also recognize that fashion offers opportunities for representation and inclusion.
“It’s fun and scary and exciting – so many things. If it’s not, there’s no point in doing it.”
Thacia and Shantell have achieved several milestones of success since founding their business. While working with both new and established brands, they seek innovative designers looking for something outside of the box. Trim Knowtions has built a strong reputation, and the team has enjoyed steady growth from loyal customers providing word of mouth referrals.
As they look to the future, Thacia and Shantell are working to expand into apparel manufacturing. The are confident in their abilities and network of resources to develop complete collections, and are ready to support designers with more robust tools. The dynamic team started with small celebrations such as hitting 100 orders or booking their first Italian designer. In a few short years, they’ve been recognized with various awards, have been featured at NY Fashion Week, and have grown their offerings to over then thousand SKUs. These accomplishments empower the women of Trim Knowtions; in addition, as Shantell explains, “Thinking outside the box encourages others to think differently. By being entrepreneurs, we’re showing that it’s possible.”
