Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Saavedra.
Hi Anna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
For as long as I can remember (we’re talking childhood) I have always loved dressing up and dressing other people, and it wasn’t just clothes either, I wanted the whole sha-bang…new hair, makeup and all! I’ve always been ‘that’ girl amongst my friends and then clients as I got older, the one you go to when you don’t know what to wear to an event or need a final outfit approval for an important interview or a first date.
If I land a magazine feature for a PR client, I can count on the fact that I will also be styling their wardrobe for the photoshoot, booking their hair and makeup and showing uo to style the whole thing, it’s just who I am and everyone knows it. I’m the fashion queen, shopaholic (guilty as charged) and I don’t care who knows it…YES I love to shop! I’ve been hearing the same thing for as long as I can remember, “you should do this for a living” or “you should open a store” so guess what, I decided to finally stop fighting what I truly love, take a deep breath and just go for it.
In my 20’s, I came very close to opening a swimsuit boutique in Charleston (more on that later) and starting my own line but at the time, it seemed impossible and I shelved the idea in pursuit of other opportunities.
My career took me to Chicago in 2010 and I worked in the Restaurant Industry as an Event Planner for many years before landing a job as the Advertising Director for Michigan Ave Magazine (the sister publication to Ocean Drive Magazine).
During my time there, I had the opportunity to work with a slew of luxury clients including fashion brands and lots of different startups. My 3 years there were absolutely amazing and I learned so much about what it takes to become known in the market vs. becoming obsolete. The key was communication, you have to know exactly who to target and how to reach them in their natural environment. If you can do that, you can be successful, if not you will surely fail.
After my time spent at Modern Luxury working to promote all different types of luxury companies, it was like the last piece of the puzzle was finally found and I now had all the tools I needed to do for myself what I had been doing for my clients for years. I relocated to Miami in January 2021 and after a whole lot of soul searching and many, many years of denying the inevitable, this past December 2021, I decided to finally do it! One minute I was explaining to my good friend Tina that I really wanted to pursue this dream, she told me to just go for it already and then the next thing I knew, I just started building. Once I started, it was almost a mad Scientist moment where you go down this creative rabbit hole and your mind and body won’t stop until you’ve gotten it all out. Ideas were flowing and everything was vibing for me just right, that’s when I knew I was finally on the right path.
I designed my own logo, pulled an all nighter or ten building out my own website and Saavy Styles was officially born! Never mind that I had never designed my own logo or website before. My startup budget (which was funded solely by me, myself and I) had a marketing budget of exactly zero dollars and zero cents. So let’s just say this, Youtube and google are an entrepreneurs best friend! That same friend called me the very next day and was like, “I thought you said you were THINKING about it” and pretty much overnight I had a logo, Instagram, Facebook and a website, she was in utter disbelief but I was on a role.
The next step was sourcing inventory, this was of course the fun part! With a background in PR and advertising and a real passion for it I still wanted to encompass that in my newest venture. I pulled out a few more of my puzzle pieces for this one. This time the pieces of the puzzle were all of my amazing friends, clients and even family members who all are incredibly talented in their own right. I wanted to use my new platform to shine a spotlight on them and their products too, in short I wanted to bring them along for the ride too, so if I make it, we all make it. To name just a few, I’m working on a custom candle collab with best friend Molly (haus of M), a jewelry collab with my cousin Bridget (Mon Pilar Jewelry) and custom Saavy bags with my friend and client Shelly (Shelly Perry Designs) and have future plans for my own swimsuit line (YES, finally!) and other original designs.
Not only do I believe in their work and their talents, but I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to do what I love and collaborate with people who are not only extremely talented but also such great friends and amazing people. I’m so grateful to be in a position to help them grow as I do, and that feels very fulfilling for me, I have always loved helping others with their business. Indeed, it’s the reason why I enjoyed my time with Michigan Ave Magazine so immensely and I did not want to give up that ability to still help others as I pursue this new venture,
Where am I today? Saavy Styles now has its first 2 pop up shows under its belt, and they were both an incredible success. The first at the Lincoln Rd Antique Mall on 2/20/22 and the 2nd in Chicago at SalonDJ on March 4th & 5th. I have also just purchased a vintage airstream trailer that will be the new official home for Saavy Styles and I will be hosting pop-up shops out of it at least twice a month!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m a startup in the truest sense of the word so I had to build my own website and logo, do all of my own inventory and literally everything but it’s also been extremely rewarding as I start to watch the business take off and hear the amazing feedback, there really is no better feeling.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a personal stylist and shopper who also has her own online retail store called Saavy Styles: www.saavystyles.com
My items are unique and one of a kind, hand made in many cases and I’m also getting ready to launch the Saavy Styles mobile store in my new vintage airstream trailer. Clients will be able to book the trailer to show up at events and style all of their guests including hair and makeup (think company photoshoots, etc.) and we will also do retail pop-up shopping events in Miami and Chicago several times a month.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
They can book me for personal shopping or styling sessions or purchase items from my online store and follow me on IG to stay in the know about my upcoming pop-up shows. I’m also always on the lookout for up and coming new designers to source the best styles for my clients so if you’re a designer or an artist I would love to hear from you!
Contact Info:
- Email: anna@saavyproductions.com
- Website: www.saavystyles.com
- Instagram: saavy.styles
- Facebook: Saavy.Styles
Image Credits
Picture in the black dress with sequins: Jason Kaumeyer
