A fresh face in fashion: Grand Forks native Anna Hovet establishes clothing brand

A fresh face in fashion: Grand Forks native Anna Hovet establishes clothing brand
 At the height of the recession that rocked the nation's economy in 2008, Anna Hovet was laid off from her first fashion design job in Chicago.

    ADVERTISEMENT
"It was a blessing in disguise," she said.

The Grand Forks native had recently graduated from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and had begun working there as a designer of baby clothes for Target, Ecko, Kenneth Cole and Calvin Klein for a company based in New York.

"The company laid off our whole office in Chicago," she said.

Even so, she was not filled with regret; there were drawbacks to her job.

"I sat at a computer all day," she said. "It was boring."

The layoff was just the push she needed to start her own clothing design company "at a time when other businesses were going out of business," she said.

"It's funny how things work out."

Alexy Johnston, creative director, at Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique, models clothing by Anna Hovet
Alexy Johnston, creative director, at Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique, models clothing by Anna Hovet

Things have worked out well for her and the company she launched in January 2009. At Anna Hovet Designs, she is chief executive officer and head designer.

A few months later, she was selected as designer-in-residence at the Chicago Fashion Incubator, a City of Chicago-sponsored program to help fashion designers start businesses.

Since then, Hovet has made an impression on Chicago's fashion scene with her contemporary, street-style clothes that are on trend but are also cozy and comfortable, she said.

Her collections feature jersey dresses, cozy sweatshirts and outerwear.

"I have really become known for hoods—beautifully draped hoods," she said.

This summer, she was named "Best Local Clothing Designer in Chicago" by the weekly Chicago Reader, which posts its top picks in various categories—like bars and restaurants—each year.

It's an honor that Hovet cites as one of her proudest accomplishments.

"I design things that I like to wear," she said.

Her garments are marketed in eight retail stores in Chicago, one in New York City and Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique in downtown Grand Forks. It's also sold online (www.annahovet.com) to customers around the nation and even internationally.

"It's cool to have people in Saudi Arabia buying on your site," she said.

Her sweatshirts and sweatpants have become popular as luxury sportswear—also dubbed "sports-luxe" or "athleisure"—which is machine-washable and stylish.

"It's what has propelled my business," she said.

Alexy Johnston, creative director, at Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique, models clothing by fashion designer Anna Hovet
Alexy Johnston, creative director, at Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique, models clothing by fashion designer Anna Hovet

Male customers have noticed, too. After fielding numerous requests from men to make clothes for them, she started a menswear line which now accounts for the majority of her online sales.

Hovet takes her design inspiration from Japanese street style and picks up ideas for specific design elements from pieces on display in local art museums.

She uses color blocking to "play with the eye," directing it to a particular feature of the body, she said. "I use light colors where I want the eye to go."

The technique helps create the look of a slimmer waist or wider hips, for example.

Exclusive retailer

Last spring, after reviewing the retail clothing landscape in Grand Forks, Hovet selected Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique as the exclusive retailer of her designs in North Dakota.

She returned to Grand Forks this summer to host a trunk show featuring dozens of her garments.

"We had a huge turnout," said Alexy Johnston, creative director for Kittsona. "It was very successful."

Because Hovet is a home-grown talent, focuses on environmentally sustainable products and produces her clothing line in America, Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique is a "perfect fit" to introduce her designs to area consumers, Johnston said.

"We stock a lot of local artists' and small-businesses' products," she said.

Tessa Hiney, co-owner of Kittsona, said Hovet has forged a name for herself in streetwear.

"Her clothing is fashionable but comfortable at the same time," she said. "It's a little bit edgy. It's daywear but it can be transitioned to nightwear. There's a versatility that makes it distinctive."
wholesale bodycon dresses Hot Bandage Bodycon Dresses Wholesale Women Jumpsuits Wholesale Women Jumpsuits Rompers
"The cut and fit are so nice, too," Hiney added. "And the quality of the fabric is top-notch."

Hovet's choice of fabric, a rayon derived from bamboo, is a key element of her designs that appeals to customers.

"It's incredibly soft—it has a softer feel than cotton," Hovet said. "Once I get them into my clothes, they won't take them off."

Early interest

Hovet's interest in art and fashion took root early in her life, as a kid in Grand Forks.

"I always loved art," she said. "Growing up, I was always interested in art in general."

As a 10-year-old, she became fascinated with MTV music videos and watching pop music, R&B and hip-hop artists. She took special note of what they wore.

"I got really interested in clothing," Hovet, who taught herself to sew, said.

Her interest was further fueled by working as an assistant to the costume designer in Red River High School's theater department.

"She taught me a lot about sewing and making costumes for theatre productions," Hovet said.

That educational experience was the springboard for her enrollment in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her eventual foray into fashion.

She returns, on occasion, to Grand Forks, where her father, Duane Hovet, and brother, David Hovet, still live. Her mother, Charlotte Hovet, lives in Eden Prairie, Minn.

Marketing

In marketing her clothing line, Hovet relies on social media, especially Instagram and Facebook, she said.

She has employed publicists for special campaigns, but many potential customers learn about her clothes through word of mouth.

Hovet is pretty selective about the stores she chooses to carry her designs, she said.

Alexy Johnston, creative director, at Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique, models clothing by  fashion designer Anna Hovet
Alexy Johnston, creative director, at Kittsona Lifestyle Boutique, models clothing by fashion designer Anna Hovet

She focuses on "boutiques that specialize in local designers, local artists and clothing made in America," she said. "Their customers know the store's items are special, and that they only carry a few of them."

Hovet is a staunch proponent of the "Made in America" trend, even though it pushes the price a bit higher than items produced out-of-country.

"I take pride in manufacturing right here in the U.S.A.," she said. "It's nice to employ Chicagoans."

And since her garments have been produced at a local plant for years, she has gotten to know the seamstresses who sew her clothes, which end up ranging in price from $30 to $140.

"The majority of my garments sell for about $100," she said.

Some have caught the eye of people in the entertainment industry. Her garments have worn by actress-singer Jennifer Hudson, TV host Giuliana Rancic and comedian Hannibal Buress, who recently landed his own show on Comedy Central, Hovet said.

Her clothes have also been featured in Lucky magazine and the Chicago Tribune.

In addition to her fashion design business, Hovet runs a tutoring business for high school students—a business she launched to earn money while she was trying to get her clothing design company off the ground.

She also teaches fashion illustration at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in 2007.

But the biggest kick she gets is seeing a stranger walking down the street, wearing one of her garments.

"It's mind-blowing," she said.

"Even if I see just a part of garment in a photo—like on Instagram—I know it's mine."