196: From Lay-Off to Comeback: How Designer Dionna Dorsey Created Her Own Thriving Design Boutique and Apparel Line

Today in the Side Hustle Pro guest chair is Dionna M. Dorsey, a gifted designer and brand development strategist and the creator of apparel line DISTRICT of CLOTHING. 

After graduating from Villanova University in 2002, Dionna moved to Italy to study fashion design and pursue a job in the fashion industry. 

She ended up relocating to New York City and designed outerwear for Oscar de la Renta and men's apparel for several other licenses. After rocky times hit the retail industry, she was eventually laid off from her job. She applied for job after job, but no one would hire her, so she made a decision to hire herself. 

She went on to open Dionna Dorsey Design, a design boutique that specializes in being creative – from graphic design to art direction, brand strategy, and website development. Then, she launched DISTRICT of CLOTHING, a signature apparel line developed with the conventional and avant-garde dreamers and doers in mind. The rest is HERstory.

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Social Media Info

Dionna Dorsey (Instagram) - @dionnadorsey 

Dionna Dorsey (Twitter) - @dionnadorsey

DISTRICT of CLOTHING (Instagram) - @districtofclothing

DISTRICT of CLOTHING (Facebook) - @districtofclothingco

Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro

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Om Podcasten

Side Hustle Pro spotlights bold black women entrepreneurs who have scaled from side hustle to profitable business. Join Chief Side Hustler turned full-time entrepreneur Nicaila Matthews Okome for your weekly installment of Side Hustle Pro and learn actionable strategies to start small and get going–wherever and whoever you are. Side Hustle Pro features interviews with inspiring Black women entrepreneurs who started out as side hustlers, including interviews with Myleik Teele, Morgan DeBaun, Tiffany "The Budgetnista" Aliche, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.