NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A new boutique in The Mall at Green Hills is challenging fashion norms.
Last month, fashion designer Dara Ettinger opened The Gild. Half of the store is retail, half is used for workshops.
"People would ask me all the time how I did what I did," Ettinger said. "What was the process? How did I do things? I found this missing in the industry."
Ettinger believes there shouldn't be so many secrets.
"No one wants to share information. I felt as a woman a lot of things weren't available to me and I kind of wanted to do something about that," Ettinger said.
The products featured in the store are made by female entrepreneurs. The clothing and jewelry are mostly vintage and/or up-cycled materials.
Lauren Acevedo owns Lolly's Craft Bakery and is teaming up with The Gild.
"It's fun to see people try it out and learn and practice it on their own," Acevedo said.
Small business owners like Acevedo are leading workshops inside the store. In the workshops, shoppers can pick the brains of local designers and tap into their own creative side.
"I thought it is so much better when you're not designing in a bubble and in a vacuum," Ettinger said.
The Gild is on the second floor of the mall near Nordstrom.
