Alicia Mock ’21 is putting her LMU entrepreneurship degree to good use as founder of Asesina Designs, a fashion line for women with athletic bodies. She officially launched the business after graduation but developed the brand during her time in the “Business Incubator” course. Alicia says she took every opportunity to incorporate the brand in her business classes and apply her newfound knowledge and skills.
“I am so thankful for my experience at LMU, not only for everything I learned but for all of the wonderful people I met along the way,” she said. “LMU professors have deep real-world experience and foster a supportive, collaborative environment with so many tools for students to succeed."
Alicia talks more about the launch of Asesina Designs, challenges she’s faced along the way, and how her LMU education played a key role in its growth and success.
How did you come up with the idea for Asesina Designs?
Asesina Designs was born from my own struggle. I grew up as an athlete and could never find fashion that fit my build. After researching this common issue, I found there is a gap in the fashion industry that does not provide athletic sizing for women.
How did your LMU education prepare you to launch your own business?
Professor Rochelle Webb’s “Entrepreneurship Marketing” course helped prepare me to launch Asesina Designs. She taught us Facebook marketing, Google advertising, and how to create a crowdfunding campaign. Her class expanded my knowledge of social media advertising which is vital for an e-commerce business.
LMU also provided many resources for entrepreneurs, from networking to informational panels, and multiple opportunities to pitch in front of a crowd. The staff was always so supportive, taking a real interest in my projects and highlighting areas where I could improve and develop further. I’ve found that all the curriculum under the entrepreneurship major has been applicable to my work after college.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in growing the business?
One of the biggest challenges in starting Asesina Designs has been our production timeline and the creation of our products. I set out to design jeans that fit a woman’s athletic figure with a sizing scale different from what is currently offered. It took nine months to develop a design for a pair of jeans with the fit I was looking for. In those first five months, we created many unique samples to analyze different fabrics, the sizing scale, and fit. We then had multiple athletes try on and test-run the jeans to get their honest feedback and incorporated their comments into the next round of prototyping. Once I had an approved sample, I kicked off production which took another four months to manufacture a small batch of 100 units. It was challenging to keep our audience updated and engaged during this process.
I anticipate this to be an ongoing challenge. The timeline around the production is difficult to manage due to the possibilities of unpredictable complications. When planning a launch, we have to be tactical on when to begin production so that there is enough time and funding to complete the concept, design, samples, and final manufacturing all before the start of the season we need to launch in.
What advice do you have for other budding entrepreneurs?
Ask questions whenever you can and always be learning. Be self-aware and know your strengths and weaknesses. Recognize where you need to learn something new and improve a skill or outsource support from somewhere else. Don’t quit your day job so fast.
A Kickstarter campaign for Asesina Designs is currently underway to expand production volume and cultivate new product collections. Click here to learn more and pledge your support. The campaign ends May 25.