Gallatin alum Leah Gans came to NYU with a passion for fashion, but left with a degree in the psychology field. Now, she’s hitting rewind and teaching herself how to channel her artistic vision into clothing as the founder and designer behind Les Miss NYC.
A vintage clothing store on Mott Street, Gans’ brand has become known for its bright colors and whimsical collections featuring vintage fruit prints and pieces paying homage to childhood ballet lessons. Ever since Gans founded Les Miss in 2020, she has been featured in Elle Magazine, The Guardian and at New York Fashion Week for her self-made brand that celebrates sustainability, collaboration and unconventional artistry.
In an interview with WSN, Gans discussed how she broke into the fashion industry, translating visual art into clothing design and the future of Les Miss.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
WSN: How did you get your start in the fashion industry?
Gans: I graduated from NYU in 2020, which was a bit of a weird time. I couldn’t find a job in 2020, so I started working retail at a jewelry store in the city. I started grad school that next fall, and around the same time when I was working at that jewelry store, I started making my own jewelry because I just got inspired being there every day. I started selling it at a flea market, Artists & Fleas in Brooklyn. I ended up going to LA and selling my jewelry at the market’s location in LA as well, and it just took off. I realized I could really make a living doing this.
Gans decided to pursue a concentration in child and adolescent psychopathology and education policy at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Despite her interest in fashion, she found her initial internships in the fashion industry to be less creative than what she hoped for in a career.
After graduating from NYU, Gans spent her weeks working a retail job, taking clinical psychology classes in graduate school and making glass jewelry — which she described as an “elevated version of what you might make at summer camp with your friends.” On the weekends, Gans sold her handmade jewelry at flea markets such as the Greenpoint Terminal Market and Hester Street Fair.
As her booth grew in popularity, Gans struggled to keep up with the demand for her product on her own. She decided it was time to dive headfirst into turning her business from a weekend hobby to a full-time career. Quitting her retail job and dropping out of graduate school, Gans put her savings toward working with a manufacturer to produce her jewelry.
WSN: What inspired you to grow Les Miss from a jewelry business at weekend flea markets to a clothing store?
Gans: I had made all of these connections through these flea markets, and I had made a lot of friends who had small businesses. The original concept for the store was that I was selling my jewelry in addition to a curated selection of these other small businesses’ handmade goods — like my friend who does tie-dye indigo stuff, we were selling her clothes and her knitwear, and then my other friend that upcycles vintage, we were selling her stuff. It was all handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces, so the business model quickly became pretty unsustainable. There would be times where we’d have nothing in store to sell, and that just couldn’t work. That’s when I really started thinking about designing my own clothing and starting my own label.
Gans opened a brick-and-mortar store in Nolita in December 2021 and launched her first clothing collection in May 2022. Following the success of this collection, Gans said that she was inspired to create collections that were larger and more complex.
WSN: Without any formal experience, how did you start designing clothes for your brand?
Gans: I had a lot of artwork that I had created for the brand. I wasn’t really thinking about the shape of clothing or the actual design of clothing — I was more coming from a graphic design standpoint. For example, I had drawn this picture of my cat that I wanted to put on something, and that was our first best-selling tank top. I just used the artwork I had already created and got it printed on sweatshirts, tank tops, T-shirts, did some embroidery with it, just played around with that — and that was really the first collection. Now, I’m definitely going through more of a design perspective whereas a lot of our clothing doesn’t even necessarily have graphics on it and it’s more about the cut, the fit and the overall look. But, that’s definitely been an evolution.
One of the brand’s most recognizable collections, “Feeling Fruity,” was a collaboration between Gans and NYU alum Jordan French, who hand-painted various fruits that Gans transformed into patterns and printed onto pieces that include skirts and tops. Originally released in the spring of 2023, the collection was featured in the 2023 Gallatin Fashion Show and was recently re-released to include more pieces.
Gans said that while she is primarily focused on creating original clothing, she still loves to collaborate with small businesses and designers — many of whom are her friends in the industry — to continue to feature their work at the store.
WSN: What is it like to run a small business in New York City?
Gans: It’s just a really tight knit community in New York. For instance, our friends at Bedford Vintage will host a rooftop flea market and then we’ll sell there, or Awoke Vintage will host something and we collaborate with them. One of the most beautiful things about doing this and the spirit of small business in New York is that everyone is always willing and looking to work together. It doesn’t really matter how much bigger or smaller they are than us. Everyone’s open to working with everyone and really supports and wants to bring each other up.
Gans has now turned her focus to growing Les Miss’ online store and social media presence to gain traction beyond New York City. While shoppers can find Les Miss’ products at Lisa Says Gah and Urban Outfitters, Gans also hopes to see the brand on other online retailers like SSENSE or Revolve.
WSN: Looking back, what do you think you have learned with owning your own business?
Gans: There are so many benefits and there are so many downfalls from owning your own business. I have a lot of freedom and when I started, I felt like I was pretty young to have all this responsibility, and that felt a little overwhelming. I’m definitely the type of person that jumps in with two feet first and thinks about the consequences later. I’m glad I was that way because otherwise, I don’t think I would have ever done it, had I even thought about how risky it is. There’s so many pros and cons, but I think at the end of the day, I’m so glad I’m doing what I’m doing. I can’t really see myself doing something else.
Contact Aashna Miharia at [email protected].
