July 10, 2025 ⢠48 mins
On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, sits down with Wintter Alex and Chic Lauren of The Manner Co to discuss their journey from styling one of Atlanta’s most iconic music videos, “Bad and Boujee,” to building a thriving creative empire. Wintter and Chic share how they’ve navigated fashion, marketing, and community to create a business that blends style with strategic success. This conversation dives into what marketing truly means beyond advertising, how to scale authenticity, and why community remains their most valuable asset.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It was a one shoot.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
We literally had to have someone man stock while everyone
else went on steck so nothing could get missing. And
there was a moment where there was a balinciat the
track suit that they had on, and I think I
had commandeered the phone, and so I said, in order
if you get this phone back, you're gonna have to
rub me some cash, and so you know. Of course
(00:23):
they joked about it, but by the end of the
day they reached it a pocket invasion.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
They cashed out.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Here, everybody, welcome to another episode of Button Nomics. I'm
your host, Brandon Butler, found o CEO of Butter atl.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
And today.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
We got we got some special people in the building, y'all,
Like we got a two for one up in here
for one, not the one, it's the two. You can
hear it already. Y'all can smell the shade butter through
the microphone right now.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
So one and only Miss Winter Alex, they Miss Chik
Floran of the Manor Co.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
Ladies. How are you all doing?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
We're doing fantastic, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
How are you doing great?
Speaker 5 (01:05):
I was any better after y'all.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Great, a better.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
I feel y'all. Thank y'all for pulling up.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Man thank you for having us. We're so excited to.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Be here now.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Now look look Bell Winter.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
You know, like when Amen trying to get me out
this black T shirt for a couple of years, you know,
but I'm.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
Holding on to it. Hold on to it. I'm holding
on to it.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
I love it for you. Okay, I love that for you.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
But you know, y'all do amazing work around Atlanta with
the Manico. For those that don't know. Sometimes you don't
know the podcast, we'll say, like, tell them about yourself
and introduce yourself.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I'm gonna do y'all one better.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Okay, what you're gonna do?
Speaker 5 (01:43):
I asked, chat cheap et? Oh no, a bio.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Are you serious?
Speaker 5 (01:49):
So I'm gonna read what chat Chet said about I know.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Chat chat, so chat.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Cheape, said Bunch, Alex's founder and CEO of the Manor
Co and multifaceted design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Established
in twenty fifteen, the Manico offers services in interior design,
costume design, and personal styling, catering to diverse clientele. Winter
has made a name for herself by creating trend setting
looks across the nation, including the iconic look of the
(02:19):
Migos in Bad and Bougie. Her work spans various projects,
from designing interiors for Atlanta restaurants like Breakfast at Barney's, too,
styling for film and television productions such as Coming to
America and The Game. Miss Sheik l Lorenz serves as the
chief operating officer in wardrobe styles at the Manor Coach.
She is also the founder of This is Chic and
is known for her contributions to style, creative media, and music.
(02:42):
Miss Laren describes herself as a multi multi mother for
the culture, reflecting her multifaceted role for the creative industry together.
Whether or is Sheik lead the Manor Code, blending business
acumen with cultural insight to deliver comprehensive design solutions that
resonate with their lions, visions and brand personalities.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Come on, comprehensive des solution, all right? Yet like that
great thank you introducing us to the world.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, we appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I would not have done as great of a job
introducing myself. And about that she's so bodied, I would
not have done that well.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
When people ask you, what do you say? That you
do that. When people ask you what do you do
a lot.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Of times I say I work, just I generally wrap
it up and work, and then I say I work
in design, you know, and then it goes into like
interior film and personal styling. So I'm not want to
talk much about myself, especially when it comes to work.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
For some reason, I don't.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Know, but yeah, just let the work speak for itself.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I love to.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
That's my favorite thing to do because that way it
just holds more ground, you know, versus a lot of
people hype themselves up, but when you can actually see
the work, it's like, oh, yeah, she really does what
she does.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Okay, yeah, okay, So let's start at the beginning, like
how did how did you all get involved in this work?
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Like where did it all begin at?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Okay, So she and I met in college. Yeah, North
Carolina A and t A.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, shout out to Anto. Yeah, so those are our
stopping grounds. We met there. Uh, I started a couple
of businesses there. We've always worked together, worked very well there,
you say, I skipped over that little part.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, we keep right there, yes, yes, yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Then I moved here in I think six opened a
vintage store called Polar Rich Girl in two thousand and seven.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
She came down like I think a year or so later.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Oh wait, she started doing our marketing then along with
another partner Mia. Yeah, that shot for like eight years.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Mind you.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Polar Rich Girl was like just a stopping ground for
a lot of creators at the time. Janelle came through,
Saint Beauty came through. Yes, yeah, all of Wonderland like
they were. It was just a great space for creatives,
(05:13):
Like we didn't really have a place to go, but
Polar Rich Girl was like that safe haven. And now
I see like a lot of our girls that are
stylists right now, Cleo Autumn she does like production design. Uh, Sequina,
she's in La killing it, working with Kendrick and everybody.
Like it's just amazing to see what you created then
and the fruits of the labor now. So twenty fifteen
(05:34):
we sold it. Our revision went into the Manor Co.
She copped in on that, which was amazing.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah, I'm popping in. You know. She loved to skip
a couple of moments, but like, you know, I'm gonna
be straight to the poor Winter. Winter's a visionary. She's
very much she'll come up with great ideas and she
knows like who has good strength, and like, Okay, let's
let's do this, let's do that, let's try this, and
she's not afraid to do it, and I loved it
(06:05):
about her. So we started off she she did an
event at the Grill Village right when it was popping.
She did like something was it like a day party?
Something cool? Yeah, And then we started doing pop ups
outside when we were doing the Manorcho we started like
doing e commerce and jewelry and you know, putting style
(06:29):
boxes together for people and all types of things like that,
and those were like the early stages then, so events, jewelry,
and then getting into styling because Winter and me had
already started doing some styling at Poor Little Rich Girl.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
We met like David Kim who does Train Native and
his production company was doing a lot of videos at
the time, which is how I ended up doing Bad
and Bougie because he was produced seeing uh the video
and so he hit me, tod you style. I got
to work with DAPs and then that was like the
segue of us getting into the bigger platforms and more
(07:10):
celebrity clients outside of who we already knew.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
So yeah, okay, you're going into the details a little
bit too. You know, winner's like going over stuff. What
did What do you remember most about that time? She's
just like naming this person, is coming through this person.
What do you remember most about that? That poor Little
Rich Girl.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
That oh my gosh, Poor Little Rich Girl was amazing
because it really gave a lot of us, Like she said,
creative is a platform and a space to just kind
of do what we wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Our glass came from our glass first gig.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
She did her first gig. She moved from she graduated
from college, came.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Now yeah, base, but she's back and forth here a lot.
She was just she's literally yeah right now, okay, but yeah,
she she did one of their events. I think it
was like a it was a store store, so they
had opened up the second store and she she left
(08:11):
that part out too. We had to co op like
a community space, so like other designers were in that store.
And then you know, the benched shop was poor little
Rich Girl. Downstairs there was a basement. We had parties and.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
The mic and stuff.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Yeah, like the whole.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Vibe on down stuff from downtown college.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, on Main Street Histore. Yeah exactly, and you know that.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Full circle moment, right, Like I designed Breakfast Boys, so
to go back to that same place where ten years
ago we was like taking over the space that he's
currently and it's just amazing. Yeah, literally, like life just
be laughing at you sometimes.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
We just used to have so much fun. Like there
would be so many people that would just slide and
randomly come in into the store, like just so many
interesting characters. But like we just had a good time
with fashion and style and like trying new things. Vintage
was na was a big deal for us. It was
(09:13):
a look book and Tumblr and just you know, doing
those different things and I hate it and bring a book.
But I used to design look books for them. So
like Winter would modestly model because she would totally not
want to do it, but you know, you kind of
gotta brand. So it was her mia and we would
(09:36):
get a photographer, get the pictures. I put the books together,
print them out, set them up at different locations. You know,
when Creative Loafing was really popping and all that.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
We were in that a few times.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Yeah, we were quite cool with Jeff the street photographer.
He would come by and like chat with us all
the time, take photos of the space.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
It was a very nostalgic time.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yeah, yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
It was bench is just what it is now with
all this trendy stuff. We were like in the streets
in people's homes, sifting through stuff, finding the original moments
that like just spoke volumes. Like to this day, I
can be out and soone be like I still wear
my clothes from back then, and that like there is
like that's just everlasting.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Good shit. Excuse me, what.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
About that whole kind of vintage perspective and angle like
really resonated with y'all because I hear it. It sounds like
that's something that's kind of been a through line with
a lot of stuff you've done.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Oh for sure.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
It's actually just the origin of my style aesthetic. I'm
really big in like classic movies. I love old Hollywood glamour.
I love even the homes of that era, mid sidry, modern,
just old. The States just always spoke volumes. I guess
(10:52):
because I was introduced to thrifting at a young age
and even through college, that was a part of my hustle,
like putting looks together others selling them to my homegirls
or putting together shows like it's just always been a
part of my DNA. So it's stuck with me through
and through. So today even though as I get dressed today,
I got on a vengeance while I steal blazer, Like
(11:13):
so it's like, yeah, it's.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Gonna always be here, you know, and you know and
no one will.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Never know until you know you say something because it
doesn't go away, like style dosn't turn on its classic
it's Coco. She always say so absolutely, And then one
thing to add, like she also is able to use
this for when it comes to costume design, like having
that eye and knowing those period pieces and the erarors
and times. You know, it's like a cheat code actually
(11:38):
because everybody doesn't know that.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Because it's like winter, I need something from nineteen thirties?
Does this look thirties?
Speaker 5 (11:43):
Enough?
Speaker 1 (11:43):
This thirteen fifties? Like she gonna know.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Yeah, okay, so full little rich girl going and then
y'all sold that. The Manico came after that, right, now,
(12:06):
got to ask, you know the bad and Bougiere was
that was that before Paul Little Witch Girl was at
the start of the Manica, Like where does that fall
in this timeline?
Speaker 1 (12:15):
That was Manico.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
That was literally like so got rid of the shop
twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen, I got hit with bad and bougie. Okay, yeah,
Like twenty fifteen was like just a year. That was
a huge year of like transition, so like so much
stuff had changed, and I had even like went home
for a bit, regrouped, came back, and as soon as
(12:39):
I got back, I got hit with this call.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
I was like, all right, bet let's do it. Let's
run it.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
And DApps was very particular about style, and he wanted
style that wasn't seen everywhere. He wanted the girls to
look classy but sexy but still fly. I was like, oh,
that's right up my alley. So I'm throwing looks and
he like, I love it.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
And and they saw the rack and the boys came
in and Quay was like, what is this? And he
picked up like one of our red ponchos and he
put it on and he joked about it. And then
two scenes later he was sitting on top of.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
The billboard with ruby.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
And bounce into it and I was like, oh shit,
he got and it vintage. You know what I'm saying
that Pancho is from the sixties, like, it's a beautiful captain.
Did you never think he would want to put on
but he did, and he gravitated towards it. Just like
I always say, Brandon, you gotta let the clients choose
what they love, you know, because if I would have
forced them to go, he would be like, no, I'm
not doing that, you know what I'm saying. So have
(13:37):
the pieces to give them what they want.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
They'll love it.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
What do y'all remember most about that shoe because it
seems like that was definitely an inflection point early on
for the Manica.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
It was a mess.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
It's like fucking mess, but it was fun.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
It was supposed to be a day shoot. It turned
it to two day shoot. We dressed more people than
what we thought we was gonna dress. We hung closed,
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
We had to make sure for rack Like it was
one of those like get it out the mud for sure,
make sure we.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Did all our Oh man, we had the mind. It
was a lot.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
It was inside of some warehouse, like it was just
a lot, you know, But it was a very much
so moment that I would not change for anything, you know.
That relationship just guardered so many more jobs for us,
especially even working with DAPs, Like I think after that,
I did three four of they videos, you know understand,
(14:32):
I did Dad's, I did Jesus Christ, a lot of
the ones from the first Culture album. I can just
say that. And it was all after that video. So
then we kind of like got on a report and
things was great, It's cool.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
No, No, she got got to ask you, especially as
you know coo right like on the business side of that,
like what are you managing while she's out here picking
out these amazing styles and all these clothes, Like what
are you doing during.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Am I doing making sure the paperwork is good?
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Good, make people don't, make sure people don't steal.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Hey, did you manage? And even then, like I had
to learn because they're you know, like I said, most
of the clothes we had, we were some for the
women and there were some people that left with some
things on. So I had to learn right that and
there now you got to get all the at the door.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
I was like, oh ship.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
I feel like if you like one of the kind
things that you cannot get, you're saying it's not.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
You know, I'm not shopping at memans and you know,
I mean I am. But for the more curated stuff
like that stuff I go source.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
And we have a kids, so like we have things
that we accumulate from different yeah, like air laces. Yeah,
and and those things are special, a kid like based.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
It's like our backstock, backstock of clothing, bedstock, just collected
over the years and you can use them interchangeably for
different productions, depending on what's needed, what the look is.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
But I'm managing that. I'm designing the website, I'm updating
the website. I'm adding some of our stock to our
where not with our fashion library, so we have rentals
things like that, and that's she's doing this currently. Yeah,
this is current.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Yes, she's been doing it and now this is right,
and like as we grow, she's like, Okay, we gotta
do this, we gotta do this.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Yeah. And I mentioned e commerce earlier. So back in
twenty fifteen, I started our web website, our shopify, and
we've been just growing that. So I'm managing that and
looking for better ways to market and grow all sectors
of the business. So that's that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
It's a lot of curiosity, like yeah, you know, I've
never been on that side. I'm thinking about, you know, example,
this bad and bougie shoot. There's people coming and going.
There's a lot of big personalities floating around, Like how
do y'all keep track of all that stuff, the clothes
or the people the clothes and the people just trying
to walk out with the clothes.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
So let me tell you. So we was on one shoot.
My pr girl told me not to say too much,
but it was on one shoote and we literally had
to have someone man stock while everyone else went on
step so that they could not yes, you know what
I'm saying, so nothing could get missing. And there was
(17:40):
a moment where there was a Blinciaga track suit that
they had on, and I think I had commandeered the phone,
and so I said, in order if you get this
phone back, you're gonna have to drub me.
Speaker 5 (17:59):
Some cats.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Cash and so you know, of course they joked about it,
but by the end of the day they reached a
pocket invasion.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
They cashed out. At the end of the day.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
I don't think people understand like we are held and
this is just the busiest style. Yes, stylis are held
accountable for the wardrobe that they pull no matter what store, what.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Plays, costume shop, rentals. And this is a big thing
even with budget.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Like I'm talking to a production now about budget, and
I don't think people understand the magnitude of how fast
cash goes and who's held holding that ball at the
end of the day, you know what I'm saying at
the back.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
And I know with you know, certain talent or.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
What have you, they think, oh, well this is mine,
so I can do whatever.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
But no, no.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Go back. Yeah, some of these things have to go back.
For sure. Production wants to like, we we might spend
a certain amount, but we gotta do We got some
things bad.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
We gotta do checks and sounds.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
We got a joint budget, so what we might have
spent that can't be the overall, but we gotta make
we gotta take things back. Yeah, make sure we make
sure it's working out.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
So sure, so they don't understand it, and also not
really with inflation and all the things that's going on.
Things cost so much now, like a little H and
M or whatever, a little name of what a box
chain store is, A basic T shirt is expensive now,
you know what I mean? Like things are not cheap anymore.
(19:29):
And small budgets don't always give us what give us
the leeway, So we do get creative and dig into
our kids and make it. We're gonna make it happen regardless,
but we also have to be realistic, like, Okay, this
isn't enough to get us what we need, Give you
what you want and to look you design.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
So when somebody comes to you all with a new project,
kind of like what's that process? Like when you're first
starting and saying okay, like somebody wants to shoot a video,
they want to do an interior design, like how do
you all kind of go from zero to one?
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Usually they'll they'll call and say, hey, we have X
amount of talent. Let's say let's see this last job.
We just did a mix job. It was I think
four talent. They needed two looks, and they had a
budget that just wasn't reasonable for what we had to
get done. So they will present a budget to us,
and then we'll go back and do like an actual
working wardrobe budget that makes sense, and then they all
(20:23):
accommodate us like spending dollars. So I'm just this is hypothetical.
Let's say they give us twenty but we have to
come in at five. You know what I'm saying, just
to give an overview of what I'm talking about when
I say a spending budget or a working budget versus
an actual bottom line. So our bottom line is five,
but you have twenty to spend to get options for
(20:45):
these four people with eight looks.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (20:47):
Yeah, So.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
Generally that's the conversation.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Like if they say, oh, we want you to come
in at four, and we're looking like, ah, pants right
now are running one hundred and fifty dollars, geez, you're
a top loan is I think we're going to be
too close to coming at four, So let's see we
can get somewhere around fifty five to six. You give
what I'm saying, so, and then that's giving us leadway
for for heacups or for if you try something, no,
(21:11):
you get makeup on it and we can't return it.
You know what I'm saying, Like, that's all a part
of that everybody don't think about.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
So once you get into that budget, the producers whoever's involved,
the directors give that creative vision as to what they
want to see. So they'll present their mood boards and
then we'll create hours start pulling things that are shoppable,
you know what I mean, whatever the case may be.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
But sorry, yeah, but that is true. They didn't give
us a deck. They do give us a move board,
and we shop off of that. And sometimes by the
presentation of the mood board, I can say, oh, we're
gonna need more money, or I can say, oh, this
is good, We're good to go, So that works too.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Yeah, you know one thing is interesting, especially because of
being you know, created myself. I understand, you know, budgets,
the buddets put together lots of different ways. Like how
did you how did you all learn to do all
this stuff? Because again I heard you say that A
and T then you red port little rich girl, were like,
how do you figure this shit out in the first place?
Like how do you even understand how to approach these projects?
And kind to kind of estimate like I know you
kind of come from reps, but like, where'd you even
(22:16):
learn the business behind all this stuff?
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Brandon?
Speaker 2 (22:18):
To be quite honest, it's so funny you said this
because I think about this morning. I was like, am
I gonna say, like I have like accolades and uh
in degrees and all this stuff.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
It's our stelf talk.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah, from like experience from uh era and and just
doing you know, like like she said, like I'm not
going to do I will never say like, oh I can't,
like that's not even my vocabulary. Well let's say how
I would you been, and then I'd be like this
figuring it out, you know what I'm saying. So a
(22:49):
lot of it is just no, A, you gotta be
good with money. You have to have a great work ethic, yes,
and that work ethic is be transparent with your client,
be transparent with production, and that gives you the longevity
in the career. That's how we've been withthstanding this entire time.
Like it's not like we have an agent that pushes
(23:10):
us for our jobs. This is all just word of
mouth and pure work ethic, you know. And I feel
like that is the stronghold that pushes the manner code
in front of the next person.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
You know.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I don't think it's always like oh she has great style.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Don't get me.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Wrong, I'm fly, but you know what I'm saying. Yeah,
But at the end of the day, it comes to
the business behind it. They got to know that, hey,
you're gonna show up, You're gonna do what you're supposed
to do.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
And at the end of these these these receipts go
check and balance. Yeah, and that.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Just comes from us doing and working in film and TV,
like they helped a lot and her being uh she
also does coordinating in the film world.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
And if you guys don't know what that is, what.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
So I got my first job as a coordinator in
TV and film working and wardrobe and we pretty much
handle the paperwork side, so we're making sure the budget
is going through properly, like what's being spent. We're reconciling
all that kind of stuff. So we're seeing a lot
of money coming through and we're documenting you getting it
over to accounting. So that helped apply that to the
(24:16):
manor Co. I also do costuming on set and so
we're working with the actors making sure their continuity is
right though. All those things matter, So like that experience
we bring into the manor Co shopping all of that
because these jobs might sound minute, but they're very important jobs.
(24:39):
Is there's so many moving parts in the department alone.
So yeah, I was able to take a lot of
that and just learning new people skills and you know,
the film industry is very they don't play throw and
people can will say anything to you any kind of way,
and you just gotta like keep it moving, keep it moving.
(25:03):
You gotta you know, you gotta g check when you
need to, but for the most part, you still gotta
get Yeah, it's just a little quick g like, hey,
now you're not talking to me crazy, but let's get
this work style.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
People look at that because you.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Do not want you check sometimes, you know, a little
fire crack over here, got to it. But I just
you know, you gotta there is a lot of learn there.
I went to school for fashion, merchandising and design. I'm
not really making clothes or anything like that now, like
I was into in college, but there's always been that
(25:38):
love for clothing and the overall look of a person,
like creating that look from head to toe, that vision.
So those those are some things. And then like I said,
maybe my girl right here since college, I said, oh,
she went it, let's get to it. You like tightening
that hustle.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
I guess, well, no, I love it.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
I mean that's that's something I talk to people about
a lot, is just thinking you kind of tapped into
something where there's a benefit in getting like even larger
like corporate experiences sometimes and then taking those learnings and
then like putting them into which you do from a
entrepreneur's standpoint, because so much of what entrepreneurs do is
just hustle, and sometimes you got to kind of see
how it's done at like larger levels like.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
This, right, yeah, you know what I mean, Just and
then you figure out.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
What your way is.
Speaker 4 (26:28):
Like if you don't, you're kind of like just trying
stuff and trying to figure out where the ability to
kind of have those experiences where you can dip a
toe in and say like, okay, this is how it's
work at a different scale, and when do these projects
and now how can I actually apply that back?
Speaker 5 (26:40):
Is I think?
Speaker 4 (26:41):
You know, I always say like Atlanta's a very you know,
entrepreneurial city. It's a lot of hustles out here, and
that's great, but like you do find it sometimes like
when people don't have that experience, you got to try
a lot of things out and so to get examples
and situations where you can try it out on somebody
else's dimes sometimes and other situations where if it doesn't
work out, it's not necessarily all on you really kind
of helps out.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Listen, getting my thing is like getting good systems. If
I can pull a good system from you know, a
job or two, that helps me a lot and that
helps the company.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Yeah, so let me ask.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
I mean, it's been you know, past Amigos, Anthony Edwards,
Jason Tatum, a Mix, deltadt Y Shack, Like at what's
been just one of your favorite projects? Like, what's been
something that just jumps out? You're like, you know what,
whether it just went well or it was just a
great experience, like this has been one of your favorite
overall project?
Speaker 5 (27:36):
Shallow work.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
So I had the opportunity to work with Ruth Carter.
That was like major because Ruth's I don't know, you
know if you don't know, she's like a beautiful black
woman who won a Katemy Award for Costume and Design,
which is first ever. And we were right there like
firsthand able to work with her and just see the
creative genius behind what she does. That was one of
(28:00):
like my highlights in my career. Very amazing junior woman
and she's just her thought process in costume design is
just top tier at this world. I would say I
like working with Anthony Edwards. He's cute.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
That was like a fun moment.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
And heathern mcchennan McMahon McMahons worked with her, she's a comedian.
We literally just wrapped that job. It was very bold
and colorful, and we worked with a director I think
her name was Ali Roberto, and she was super open
to us being able to like throw looks and we
haven't been able to do that in a commercial world
(28:44):
in a long time. So for us to throw in
like taff of the dresses and lime green fur coats
with over the nego boots, like we don't get to
do that often, and to do that on such a
large platform, you know, and the brand was so welcoming
to color, not at first but when we actually put
her in the clothes and they saw her light up.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
You look at me when you said that, Well, yeah,
but you told me your.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Color coming out every now and so we could we
could any Let's be clear, I'm not a big color
person myself, Like you gonna catch me and a lot
of neutrals all day long, no matter.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Like even I go out, I got on a white.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Tea and some g's and fantastic like it's very easy.
But whenever you get the opportunity to Sisters was great too.
Like we did like mostly like a Rick Owen's palette
for their last promo, although you didn't get to see
it because they edited it's super dark.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
That has nothing to do with me, but well, clothing
was top tier.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
It was exceptional, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
The creative behind it, the creative director behind it was
amazing work the way, Eric, So you always champion when
you got a supportive team behind you to get your
job done. That those projects are the ones that speak
volumes to what we can do and what we're capable
of doing because we're not so limited in the direction
where we go.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
It's always great to be able to have some creative freedom. Yeah,
doesn't stifle you in the work that you're doing.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
I mentioned having a great team, and you know, I
obviously see that you all have been connected since college
and so there's obviously a friendship there while it's also
a business. But I'm sure there's been times when again,
like we got to have tough conversations, especially when just
building a team and just getting stuff together, like how
do y'all kind of manage and just balance that with
like leading and also just not just leading, but like
(30:43):
also you know, mentoring other people in the organization that
you work with, right, Like, sometimes you just got to
have like honest business conversation like yo, like either this
ain't working or we got to do something different, or
you know, somebody messed up and we just Again it's
not even about like yelling at people.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
Yeah, but I think.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Right, like at the end of the day, like we still,
especially in business, it's not all sunshines and rainbows, right,
So how do y'all balance that and like how do
you manage those kind of conversations to really get the
most out of the team that you have.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
We keep it on huntred with each other. Yeah, I'm
really sugar, I mean, because she and I can talk
like that.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
You know, we learn our team even like with our
like freelancers or you know, our employees or whomever we
work with. I'm pretty direct with what works, what doesn't work,
and then the cost of what it's going to take
for you to get out of here, because we don't
(31:36):
really have time for lackluster or you know, half fastness.
Like it's because this is a type of job, an
environment where you have to be self motivated. And we
will put a project in front of you and I'm
not going to micromanage because there's other things moving. But
when I come back to you and we're still in
the same place, your heart's not here. Yeah, so then
(31:58):
we just got to cut ties. And it's unfortunate, but
it has to happen.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
We're learning to detect early as we become better stronger leaders,
like more discerning. Yeah, like being more discerning when you
have that feeling when you're seeing a certain thing in
the work ethics saying I don't know, we're not hearing
back or this isn't there's not a flow here there, yeah,
license to it? Or what the work doesn't translate? Like
(32:26):
you know, we we try to see like hey, can
can you work in another space? Are you even open
to it? And some a lot of times people eliminate
themselves out of the situation. We're a growing business and
like I said, learning to be a better leader for
me personally. But yeah, just it can be a lot.
We just we keep it, we keep it real.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Yeah, it takes balance, right, I mean it's just it's
like those having those conversations, and that's been the hard
that's been one of the things that's been a recurring
theme with a lot of the folks that have become
on this podcast.
Speaker 5 (32:57):
It's like the team.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
It almost always comes on a team and just finding
those right people and you know, like like they kind
of say, like sometimes the folks.
Speaker 5 (33:05):
That get you here won't get you there. Yeah, you
got to.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Be able to have conness conversations. But I don't think
there's been a single entrepreneur that's come on here and
said like that hasn't mentioned like the importance of teams
and also just the difficulty that it takes in finding
the right combination and group of people in attitudes and
personalities actually make something happen.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
Team Building is very tough.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
Shout out es, yes, Yes, are Reese's pieces. Yeah, I
love you girls.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
She's our strongly in wardrobe and we have another strongly
in interiors to Rod.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
But Reese has been with us for like.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Maybe three or four feels like so much longer.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
She's or four years now, and she holds down like
if we have multiple things going on, and we have
a pretty strong roster of freelancers that can come in
because it's the beautiful thing is because we're tapped into
film and TV. When we get like our promotion, our
promo jobs, or our commercial work, they love to hop
and hop out because you know, when you're on film
(34:04):
and TV, you're on the same project college three six months.
You know us, our jobs last ten days, we're on
to the next. So it's nice to have that network
of people to come in and out as well because
they already know the business. Jo I'm saying, they already
know what's expected of them. And yeah, it makes our
life a little easier at times until you run into
someone that like to steal. Don't cut them out because
(34:29):
people do steal, now, yes, they do steal, and we
run like you know, depending on the project, you may
have like a corporate card or you may have PC
which is petty cash.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
And let me tell you, we have seen some things.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Okay, okay, And so we have this thing and they
call them top sheets. So we go through and see
like what everybody spent and then what the return looked like.
And you go and look at like, oh no, this
state twelve hundred at a store I'm not going to
say to the name, and then but.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
They only return two hundred dollar. Where is the thousand
dollars worth.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Of step right, you got to.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
People will eliminate yourself, but you got to pay attention.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
I don't care because that's the thing, Like you can't
be so caught up or buried into one area of
the department that you miss the other thing.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
Not us, because we oversee yours.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
You say, like, yes, I'm the one booking the jobs,
but then it's like levels that runs you know, the
actual project. You know what I'm saying, Like there might
be one person on mood boards, that may be one
person shopping online, that may be one person in the field,
and then I'm the one talking to production, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
So it's a fighting for great Yeah, I'm the one
that stepping like, hey, can.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
My girls get or I'll take a day and give
them those two days. You understand, Like it's a lot
of the sacrifice for that to be lead, you know
what I'm saying, and like take ownership of what it
is that we're building because you don't always you know,
as beautiful as it may seem, Yeah, we set whatever.
It's a lot of a lot of mental games that
(36:06):
goes into this.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
It's no ho, it's legit. The bar.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Like, I'm just gonna try and be mindful of my words.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
And here you go. I mean, you know, I'm sorry.
Speaker 5 (36:24):
Yeah, you'll be all good.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
I'm sure.
Speaker 4 (36:26):
Yeah, So let me ask too, I mean, and I
got to kind of ask this question because especially in
my background and you're talking about teams and stuff in
this world now we're dealing with with AI and all
these dough tools, Like how do you all implement that
kind of stuff if at all, in how you all work,
whether it's on the business side and going and checking
those estimates to make sure that what people spent.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
Is or is it on the ideation or is it all?
Speaker 4 (36:48):
Like how did you all incorporate like any AI or
any tools in the what you all do now from
a creative standpoint?
Speaker 3 (36:53):
And then we talked the chat.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
We talked the chat a lot. Chat chat help, I mean,
like social media, Yeah, and hecial media for sure. Some
mock ups for rendering. Yeah, my son just taught me
that the other day. He was like, oh my, you're
working on a coffee shop.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Look what I can do. He saw the color palette.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
The move board and brought me back like a rendition
of what I was talking about. It wasn't what I
wanted exactly, but it was an idea. It was an idea, yeah,
and it was enough of me to send over to
my three D render and give her some concept phase
of what.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
I'm thinking too.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
So yeah, it does come in handy.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
Yeah, you know, it's a love and hate relationship with AI.
You don't want it to take over completely, but it's
important for us to find ways to use it in
our business for sure. And the one strong hold that
we do have over AI is the personable relationship that
robots just don't have. They don't.
Speaker 4 (37:47):
Yeah, So I mean, look, I'm a huge advocate for AI,
but I tell people all the time, I think that
what it won't replace anytime soon is human creativity and
just an eye for style and stuff like that. Right,
so all it can definitely do a lot of things
to be more efficient. I'm one of the people that believe,
especially as a person that's like really deep in that space,
that what it should do more than anything else is
(38:09):
take some of the more mundane things off from your
plate and really allow you to be creative in ways
that might have taken you Again in the past, Am
I taking you a week to do something like minutes
or a.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
Day about how to wrap job.
Speaker 5 (38:24):
I'm I'm gonna show you all some stuff. I'm gonna
break some stuff down.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Great some stuff. We even you know, we were literally
on the.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
A MX wrap as we were wrapping that, hopped on
the different job.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
What we just get off of.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Yeah, Olie and and we're wrapped.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
That's the job shot. We wrapped up Wednesday. It's Friday.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
We still doing knows.
Speaker 5 (38:54):
Do all that in five mins?
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Okay, I appreciate that. I'm always leaning. Let me see,
those are the things, those those looks, systems, Yes, yes,
operations and systems, Yes, we need that.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
But let me ask you if we get ready to
like start wrapping this up, when you all kind of
think about just the impact that you all have had
on the industry and especially Atlanta, Like what's the legacy
you want kind of like Manrico and all the work
you've done to kind of leave on the culture of Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
I just want to continue to create a safe space
for those that's coming up after me, you know, like
I want the creatives to be able to know like
not only like a what color theory is, you know,
like just the basis of design, but the business behind it,
you know. I think so so often these younger kids
(39:44):
get into like this right now industry and it's not real,
you know, and then you hop into a position where
you're unprepared because you didn't.
Speaker 3 (39:52):
Do the follow up work.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
So I would like that just for people to understand
that we can create a space that they can come
in and they can learn, like what the business is
behind the style.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
That's important.
Speaker 4 (40:08):
I think it's you know, I don't know if you're
familiar with the term like coaching tree, okay, but like
in sports, they kind of talk about it all the time,
right where like coaches like Bill Belichick. When you look
at Bill Belichick and you look at all of the
coaches that have worked under him that now are head
coaches at other teams, it's half the damn NFL. And
I think what I'm hearing you say, it's kind of
(40:28):
something similar, right, Like it's the people that and I've
always kind of felt the same way even about the work.
Speaker 5 (40:31):
That I do in marketing too.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
It's like the people that have come up under me,
whether they were intern for me at one point or
they helped me out with a project through their freelancer,
like to see them kind of.
Speaker 5 (40:40):
Blossom and certain in their own things. Something that's like,
you know, it feels.
Speaker 2 (40:43):
Good when the girls come back and they be on
the lead jobs and they own and they be like, oh,
I remember you told me to do this, or oh
she did this, but I didn't understand why.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
She did it.
Speaker 5 (40:54):
You were actually right when you were when I was getting.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
Your nerves telling you, hey, all these hangers need to
go in this direction because I need to see from
A to Z, you know, and then somebody else come
behind you like, oh no, you're not doing it right. Yeah,
it makes you feel like, Okay, I did a good job,
you under said. Yeah, Now, hard working effort, it pays off.
Speaker 5 (41:12):
And how about you? What do you want to leave
behind for folks?
Speaker 1 (41:16):
Definitely that creative community for sure, and showing you know,
just more black and brown us, our people, you know,
having that safe space for sure to grow to learn,
especially women. I want to see more creative work and
music as well. I want to see more creative work
(41:39):
in interiors and design and like not just the typical
things you might see in Atlanta, like really take it there. Yeah,
I want to encourage that, like being creative and just
taking it to a different space, not your typical look,
And I think that's what I don't know, am I'm
(41:59):
making sense, But like you like, not your typical look
when it comes to interior or when it comes to
sound for music, and when it comes to style, like
I want people in Atlanta to take more chances with
style and creativity. Not to say that people aren't, to
(42:19):
be clear, because there are some really great and talented
people out here, but I think when it comes to style,
like we want to we talk about it a lot
about New York and being more heavy heavily received there,
you know, more alternative things or not your everyday status quo.
(42:41):
Like you see more Yeah, you see more risk takers
in the spaces outside of here. So I want to
see more of that when it comes to style and fashion,
and we want to leave that. You know, I don't
think I think it's people getting to know us more
and learning who we are. We did kind of stand up, yeah,
(43:02):
and you know we're trying to do better. I'm gonna
be outside Mare, but I think that those are some
things I definitely want to say I want to be
I want to be a part of that.
Speaker 4 (43:15):
Sure, that's one thing you're even saying right is like,
don't be don't be afraid to jump? Yeah, where'd that
mindset come from?
Speaker 1 (43:20):
My father?
Speaker 3 (43:21):
Her dad and my dad.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
My dad has been one of my biggest cheerleaders and
my hardest critic throughout my life. So I've seen him
have a multitudes of businesses and companies and I was
like Daddy's little girl right there with a maybe step.
So I mean literally he threw me in a pool
and was like, you're gonna sink or swim and I
had to learn how to swim the figure two and literally,
(43:46):
so uh, that's just been a concept of life that
I just practiced, like are the seeker?
Speaker 3 (43:52):
You swim?
Speaker 2 (43:53):
And I've just never been afraid to do. And I think,
you know, those of you who have been going go
were contemplating whether or not to take that risk. If
it's something that's eating it, you just jump at it.
Life will work itself out, yep, somehow, some way, you know,
I know, like, and it gets tough, like it's not
(44:13):
like it's all roses and slessy it being an entrepreneur.
Even just yesterday, I was like, you know, I really
don't have an option to fail because I don't have
anything to go back on.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
I didn't go to pharmacy school like my dad wanted to.
I led a career in fashion, and it took for
me to like for him to see the success to
be like, oh, I hope you do that.
Speaker 5 (44:38):
You know what?
Speaker 2 (44:39):
I know what I'm saying, So jumping for me and
doing I push it into my kid and anybody around me,
like all the team. I give them all the space
to create their own worlds, and then they have they
have a safe haven because we have tools, we have
a showroom, we have a space, so you can come
(45:00):
and actually create your world. Do you know what I'm saying, Like,
I uphold it. I fight for that because I did
it myself. So to have the support behind someone else
to do it, I think, like that's needed. Like I
guess I'm going back to the same thing that she
asked me, Like what's my legacy?
Speaker 3 (45:17):
Just to create support for those who want to do
what they love in whatever space.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
He can be interiors, it can be cost tubing, it
can be finance, you know.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
Support.
Speaker 2 (45:28):
We met a little girl the other day. What I
say to her, I said, I think we need you. Yeah,
she works.
Speaker 3 (45:32):
She works over here at.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
The at the Works, and I think she does like
luxury branding, she said scat. I was like, I think
we need you as chat you know, like anytime I
see an opportunity, especially for growth within you know, especially
within our community.
Speaker 3 (45:47):
Hell, we didn't know half.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
These jobs exist until the and TV world got here,
you know what I'm saying, Like religion being or wardrobe started.
My mother still be like, well, what is it that
you do?
Speaker 1 (45:58):
And I said, Tyler Perry, you don't know.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
Okay, okay, you know, like sometimes you just have to
dumb it down for those who don't know. But it's
it's great that now we have this space to create it.
And that's one thing I love about Atlanta. Like I
came here to start a business. I literally moved to
the city to start a business. I was going to
do it in Charlotte, and my dad was like, nah,
I hear Atlanta up and coming for us. Literally the
(46:26):
red tape I had to go through in Charlotte and
what I had to do here to open up my
store back in two thousand and six, two thousand and plus,
that was a recession, you know what I'm saying. I
opened it up with what nobody get money, but we
found a way, you.
Speaker 3 (46:37):
Know, so I love it here.
Speaker 1 (46:41):
Well, you know what, so far, so great.
Speaker 4 (46:43):
Atlanta appreciate you too. Yeah, they appreciate all the impact
y'all are having. Yeah, you know, thank y'all so much
for pulling up BEFO we got out of here. Please
tell folks how they can find y'all, how they can support,
how they can reach out, like give them all the
things I think, how they track Manico down, how they
track y'all down for whatever.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
Yes, you can visit our website, The Manor and that's
m A N N E R dot co CEO And
from there, you know, you can see our portfolio. You
can reach out to us if you want any of
our services, whether that be interior design or wardrobe style
and costume design what have you. And you can also
(47:21):
check out our shop on there as well. And if
you want to follow us, you can follow us on
Instagram and TikTok The Manor dot c O at The
Manor dot c O.
Speaker 4 (47:33):
Ask I was getting I was getting ready say, like
have I've been saying this for on the whole time?
Speaker 5 (47:37):
It is the Manor co right.
Speaker 1 (47:41):
Some people say the manor company. It is little like
we don't even say company. It is the manor co. Yeah, okay,
you're right, manner in which things are done, your style, yeah, okay.
Speaker 5 (47:56):
All right, ladies. Well, thank y'all so much for pulling up.
Speaker 1 (47:58):
Hit us up if you want us to a show. Look,
thank you, thank you for having Brandon. Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (48:05):
This is great, No, y'all, it's so amazing. Y'all so welcome.
Thank y'all for pulling up. And that's the pod. J'all,
We out appreciate peace. Sag you've been listening to button
Nomics and I'm your hosts Brandon Butler.
Speaker 5 (48:15):
Got comments, feedback? Want to be on the show.
Speaker 4 (48:17):
Send us an email today at hello at butternomics dot com.
Butter Nomics is produced in Atlanta, Georgia at iHeartMedia by
Ksey Pegram, with marketing support from Queen and Nikki.
Speaker 5 (48:27):
Music provided by mister Hanky.
Speaker 4 (48:29):
If you haven't already, hit that subscribe button and never
miss an episode, and be sure to follow us on
all our social platforms at butter dot atl Listen to
button Nomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
It was a one shoot.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
We literally had to have someone man stock while everyone
else went on steck so nothing could get missing. And
there was a moment where there was a balinciat the
track suit that they had on, and I think I
had commandeered the phone, and so I said, in order
if you get this phone back, you're gonna have to
rub me some cash, and so you know. Of course
(00:23):
they joked about it, but by the end of the
day they reached it a pocket invasion.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
They cashed out.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Here, everybody, welcome to another episode of Button Nomics. I'm
your host, Brandon Butler, found o CEO of Butter atl.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
And today.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
We got we got some special people in the building, y'all,
Like we got a two for one up in here
for one, not the one, it's the two. You can
hear it already. Y'all can smell the shade butter through
the microphone right now.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
So one and only Miss Winter Alex, they Miss Chik
Floran of the Manor Co.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
Ladies. How are you all doing?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
We're doing fantastic, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
How are you doing great?
Speaker 5 (01:05):
I was any better after y'all.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Great, a better.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
I feel y'all. Thank y'all for pulling up.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Man thank you for having us. We're so excited to.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Be here now.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Now look look Bell Winter.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
You know, like when Amen trying to get me out
this black T shirt for a couple of years, you know,
but I'm.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
Holding on to it. Hold on to it. I'm holding
on to it.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
I love it for you. Okay, I love that for you.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
But you know, y'all do amazing work around Atlanta with
the Manico. For those that don't know. Sometimes you don't
know the podcast, we'll say, like, tell them about yourself
and introduce yourself.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I'm gonna do y'all one better.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Okay, what you're gonna do?
Speaker 5 (01:43):
I asked, chat cheap et? Oh no, a bio.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Are you serious?
Speaker 5 (01:49):
So I'm gonna read what chat Chet said about I know.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Chat chat, so chat.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Cheape, said Bunch, Alex's founder and CEO of the Manor
Co and multifaceted design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Established
in twenty fifteen, the Manico offers services in interior design,
costume design, and personal styling, catering to diverse clientele. Winter
has made a name for herself by creating trend setting
looks across the nation, including the iconic look of the
(02:19):
Migos in Bad and Bougie. Her work spans various projects,
from designing interiors for Atlanta restaurants like Breakfast at Barney's, too,
styling for film and television productions such as Coming to
America and The Game. Miss Sheik l Lorenz serves as the
chief operating officer in wardrobe styles at the Manor Coach.
She is also the founder of This is Chic and
is known for her contributions to style, creative media, and music.
(02:42):
Miss Laren describes herself as a multi multi mother for
the culture, reflecting her multifaceted role for the creative industry together.
Whether or is Sheik lead the Manor Code, blending business
acumen with cultural insight to deliver comprehensive design solutions that
resonate with their lions, visions and brand personalities.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Come on, comprehensive des solution, all right? Yet like that
great thank you introducing us to the world.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, we appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I would not have done as great of a job
introducing myself. And about that she's so bodied, I would
not have done that well.
Speaker 5 (03:21):
When people ask you, what do you say? That you
do that. When people ask you what do you do
a lot.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Of times I say I work, just I generally wrap
it up and work, and then I say I work
in design, you know, and then it goes into like
interior film and personal styling. So I'm not want to
talk much about myself, especially when it comes to work.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
For some reason, I don't.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Know, but yeah, just let the work speak for itself.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I love to.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
That's my favorite thing to do because that way it
just holds more ground, you know, versus a lot of
people hype themselves up, but when you can actually see
the work, it's like, oh, yeah, she really does what
she does.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Okay, yeah, okay, So let's start at the beginning, like
how did how did you all get involved in this work?
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Like where did it all begin at?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Okay, So she and I met in college. Yeah, North
Carolina A and t A.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, shout out to Anto. Yeah, so those are our
stopping grounds. We met there. Uh, I started a couple
of businesses there. We've always worked together, worked very well there,
you say, I skipped over that little part.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, we keep right there, yes, yes, yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Then I moved here in I think six opened a
vintage store called Polar Rich Girl in two thousand and seven.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
She came down like I think a year or so later.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Oh wait, she started doing our marketing then along with
another partner Mia. Yeah, that shot for like eight years.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Mind you.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Polar Rich Girl was like just a stopping ground for
a lot of creators at the time. Janelle came through,
Saint Beauty came through. Yes, yeah, all of Wonderland like
they were. It was just a great space for creatives,
(05:13):
Like we didn't really have a place to go, but
Polar Rich Girl was like that safe haven. And now
I see like a lot of our girls that are
stylists right now, Cleo Autumn she does like production design. Uh, Sequina,
she's in La killing it, working with Kendrick and everybody.
Like it's just amazing to see what you created then
and the fruits of the labor now. So twenty fifteen
(05:34):
we sold it. Our revision went into the Manor Co.
She copped in on that, which was amazing.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah, I'm popping in. You know. She loved to skip
a couple of moments, but like, you know, I'm gonna
be straight to the poor Winter. Winter's a visionary. She's
very much she'll come up with great ideas and she
knows like who has good strength, and like, Okay, let's
let's do this, let's do that, let's try this, and
she's not afraid to do it, and I loved it
(06:05):
about her. So we started off she she did an
event at the Grill Village right when it was popping.
She did like something was it like a day party?
Something cool? Yeah, And then we started doing pop ups
outside when we were doing the Manorcho we started like
doing e commerce and jewelry and you know, putting style
(06:29):
boxes together for people and all types of things like that,
and those were like the early stages then, so events, jewelry,
and then getting into styling because Winter and me had
already started doing some styling at Poor Little Rich Girl.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
We met like David Kim who does Train Native and
his production company was doing a lot of videos at
the time, which is how I ended up doing Bad
and Bougie because he was produced seeing uh the video
and so he hit me, tod you style. I got
to work with DAPs and then that was like the
segue of us getting into the bigger platforms and more
(07:10):
celebrity clients outside of who we already knew.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
So yeah, okay, you're going into the details a little
bit too. You know, winner's like going over stuff. What
did What do you remember most about that time? She's
just like naming this person, is coming through this person.
What do you remember most about that? That poor Little
Rich Girl.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
That oh my gosh, Poor Little Rich Girl was amazing
because it really gave a lot of us, Like she said,
creative is a platform and a space to just kind
of do what we wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Our glass came from our glass first gig.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
She did her first gig. She moved from she graduated
from college, came.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Now yeah, base, but she's back and forth here a lot.
She was just she's literally yeah right now, okay, but yeah,
she she did one of their events. I think it
was like a it was a store store, so they
had opened up the second store and she she left
(08:11):
that part out too. We had to co op like
a community space, so like other designers were in that store.
And then you know, the benched shop was poor little
Rich Girl. Downstairs there was a basement. We had parties and.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
The mic and stuff.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Yeah, like the whole.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Vibe on down stuff from downtown college.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, on Main Street Histore. Yeah exactly, and you know that.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Full circle moment, right, Like I designed Breakfast Boys, so
to go back to that same place where ten years
ago we was like taking over the space that he's
currently and it's just amazing. Yeah, literally, like life just
be laughing at you sometimes.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
We just used to have so much fun. Like there
would be so many people that would just slide and
randomly come in into the store, like just so many
interesting characters. But like we just had a good time
with fashion and style and like trying new things. Vintage
was na was a big deal for us. It was
(09:13):
a look book and Tumblr and just you know, doing
those different things and I hate it and bring a book.
But I used to design look books for them. So
like Winter would modestly model because she would totally not
want to do it, but you know, you kind of
gotta brand. So it was her mia and we would
(09:36):
get a photographer, get the pictures. I put the books together,
print them out, set them up at different locations. You know,
when Creative Loafing was really popping and all that.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
We were in that a few times.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Yeah, we were quite cool with Jeff the street photographer.
He would come by and like chat with us all
the time, take photos of the space.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
It was a very nostalgic time.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yeah, yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
It was bench is just what it is now with
all this trendy stuff. We were like in the streets
in people's homes, sifting through stuff, finding the original moments
that like just spoke volumes. Like to this day, I
can be out and soone be like I still wear
my clothes from back then, and that like there is
like that's just everlasting.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Good shit. Excuse me, what.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
About that whole kind of vintage perspective and angle like
really resonated with y'all because I hear it. It sounds like
that's something that's kind of been a through line with
a lot of stuff you've done.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Oh for sure.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
It's actually just the origin of my style aesthetic. I'm
really big in like classic movies. I love old Hollywood glamour.
I love even the homes of that era, mid sidry, modern,
just old. The States just always spoke volumes. I guess
(10:52):
because I was introduced to thrifting at a young age
and even through college, that was a part of my hustle,
like putting looks together others selling them to my homegirls
or putting together shows like it's just always been a
part of my DNA. So it's stuck with me through
and through. So today even though as I get dressed today,
I got on a vengeance while I steal blazer, Like
(11:13):
so it's like, yeah, it's.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Gonna always be here, you know, and you know and
no one will.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Never know until you know you say something because it
doesn't go away, like style dosn't turn on its classic
it's Coco. She always say so absolutely, And then one
thing to add, like she also is able to use
this for when it comes to costume design, like having
that eye and knowing those period pieces and the erarors
and times. You know, it's like a cheat code actually
(11:38):
because everybody doesn't know that.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Because it's like winter, I need something from nineteen thirties?
Does this look thirties?
Speaker 5 (11:43):
Enough?
Speaker 1 (11:43):
This thirteen fifties? Like she gonna know.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Yeah, okay, so full little rich girl going and then
y'all sold that. The Manico came after that, right, now,
(12:06):
got to ask, you know the bad and Bougiere was
that was that before Paul Little Witch Girl was at
the start of the Manica, Like where does that fall
in this timeline?
Speaker 1 (12:15):
That was Manico.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
That was literally like so got rid of the shop
twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen, I got hit with bad and bougie. Okay, yeah,
Like twenty fifteen was like just a year. That was
a huge year of like transition, so like so much
stuff had changed, and I had even like went home
for a bit, regrouped, came back, and as soon as
(12:39):
I got back, I got hit with this call.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
I was like, all right, bet let's do it. Let's
run it.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
And DApps was very particular about style, and he wanted
style that wasn't seen everywhere. He wanted the girls to
look classy but sexy but still fly. I was like, oh,
that's right up my alley. So I'm throwing looks and
he like, I love it.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
And and they saw the rack and the boys came
in and Quay was like, what is this? And he
picked up like one of our red ponchos and he
put it on and he joked about it. And then
two scenes later he was sitting on top of.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
The billboard with ruby.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
And bounce into it and I was like, oh shit,
he got and it vintage. You know what I'm saying
that Pancho is from the sixties, like, it's a beautiful captain.
Did you never think he would want to put on
but he did, and he gravitated towards it. Just like
I always say, Brandon, you gotta let the clients choose
what they love, you know, because if I would have
forced them to go, he would be like, no, I'm
not doing that, you know what I'm saying. So have
(13:37):
the pieces to give them what they want.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
They'll love it.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
What do y'all remember most about that shoe because it
seems like that was definitely an inflection point early on
for the Manica.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
It was a mess.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
It's like fucking mess, but it was fun.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
It was supposed to be a day shoot. It turned
it to two day shoot. We dressed more people than
what we thought we was gonna dress. We hung closed,
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
We had to make sure for rack Like it was
one of those like get it out the mud for sure,
make sure we.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Did all our Oh man, we had the mind. It
was a lot.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
It was inside of some warehouse, like it was just
a lot, you know, But it was a very much
so moment that I would not change for anything, you know.
That relationship just guardered so many more jobs for us,
especially even working with DAPs, Like I think after that,
I did three four of they videos, you know understand,
(14:32):
I did Dad's, I did Jesus Christ, a lot of
the ones from the first Culture album. I can just
say that. And it was all after that video. So
then we kind of like got on a report and
things was great, It's cool.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
No, No, she got got to ask you, especially as
you know coo right like on the business side of that,
like what are you managing while she's out here picking
out these amazing styles and all these clothes, Like what
are you doing during.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Am I doing making sure the paperwork is good?
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Good, make people don't, make sure people don't steal.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Hey, did you manage? And even then, like I had
to learn because they're you know, like I said, most
of the clothes we had, we were some for the
women and there were some people that left with some
things on. So I had to learn right that and
there now you got to get all the at the door.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
I was like, oh ship.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
I feel like if you like one of the kind
things that you cannot get, you're saying it's not.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
You know, I'm not shopping at memans and you know,
I mean I am. But for the more curated stuff
like that stuff I go source.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
And we have a kids, so like we have things
that we accumulate from different yeah, like air laces. Yeah,
and and those things are special, a kid like based.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
It's like our backstock, backstock of clothing, bedstock, just collected
over the years and you can use them interchangeably for
different productions, depending on what's needed, what the look is.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
But I'm managing that. I'm designing the website, I'm updating
the website. I'm adding some of our stock to our
where not with our fashion library, so we have rentals
things like that, and that's she's doing this currently. Yeah,
this is current.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Yes, she's been doing it and now this is right,
and like as we grow, she's like, Okay, we gotta
do this, we gotta do this.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Yeah. And I mentioned e commerce earlier. So back in
twenty fifteen, I started our web website, our shopify, and
we've been just growing that. So I'm managing that and
looking for better ways to market and grow all sectors
of the business. So that's that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
It's a lot of curiosity, like yeah, you know, I've
never been on that side. I'm thinking about, you know, example,
this bad and bougie shoot. There's people coming and going.
There's a lot of big personalities floating around, Like how
do y'all keep track of all that stuff, the clothes
or the people the clothes and the people just trying
to walk out with the clothes.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
So let me tell you. So we was on one shoot.
My pr girl told me not to say too much,
but it was on one shoote and we literally had
to have someone man stock while everyone else went on
step so that they could not yes, you know what
I'm saying, so nothing could get missing. And there was
(17:40):
a moment where there was a Blinciaga track suit that
they had on, and I think I had commandeered the phone,
and so I said, in order if you get this
phone back, you're gonna have to drub me.
Speaker 5 (17:59):
Some cats.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Cash and so you know, of course they joked about it,
but by the end of the day they reached a
pocket invasion.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
They cashed out. At the end of the day.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
I don't think people understand like we are held and
this is just the busiest style. Yes, stylis are held
accountable for the wardrobe that they pull no matter what store, what.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Plays, costume shop, rentals. And this is a big thing
even with budget.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Like I'm talking to a production now about budget, and
I don't think people understand the magnitude of how fast
cash goes and who's held holding that ball at the
end of the day, you know what I'm saying at
the back.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
And I know with you know, certain talent or.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
What have you, they think, oh, well this is mine,
so I can do whatever.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
But no, no.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Go back. Yeah, some of these things have to go back.
For sure. Production wants to like, we we might spend
a certain amount, but we gotta do We got some
things bad.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
We gotta do checks and sounds.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
We got a joint budget, so what we might have
spent that can't be the overall, but we gotta make
we gotta take things back. Yeah, make sure we make
sure it's working out.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
So sure, so they don't understand it, and also not
really with inflation and all the things that's going on.
Things cost so much now, like a little H and
M or whatever, a little name of what a box
chain store is, A basic T shirt is expensive now,
you know what I mean? Like things are not cheap anymore.
(19:29):
And small budgets don't always give us what give us
the leeway, So we do get creative and dig into
our kids and make it. We're gonna make it happen regardless,
but we also have to be realistic, like, Okay, this
isn't enough to get us what we need, Give you
what you want and to look you design.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
So when somebody comes to you all with a new project,
kind of like what's that process? Like when you're first
starting and saying okay, like somebody wants to shoot a video,
they want to do an interior design, like how do
you all kind of go from zero to one?
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Usually they'll they'll call and say, hey, we have X
amount of talent. Let's say let's see this last job.
We just did a mix job. It was I think
four talent. They needed two looks, and they had a
budget that just wasn't reasonable for what we had to
get done. So they will present a budget to us,
and then we'll go back and do like an actual
working wardrobe budget that makes sense, and then they all
(20:23):
accommodate us like spending dollars. So I'm just this is hypothetical.
Let's say they give us twenty but we have to
come in at five. You know what I'm saying, just
to give an overview of what I'm talking about when
I say a spending budget or a working budget versus
an actual bottom line. So our bottom line is five,
but you have twenty to spend to get options for
(20:45):
these four people with eight looks.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (20:47):
Yeah, So.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
Generally that's the conversation.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Like if they say, oh, we want you to come
in at four, and we're looking like, ah, pants right
now are running one hundred and fifty dollars, geez, you're
a top loan is I think we're going to be
too close to coming at four, So let's see we
can get somewhere around fifty five to six. You give
what I'm saying, so, and then that's giving us leadway
for for heacups or for if you try something, no,
(21:11):
you get makeup on it and we can't return it.
You know what I'm saying, Like, that's all a part
of that everybody don't think about.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
So once you get into that budget, the producers whoever's involved,
the directors give that creative vision as to what they
want to see. So they'll present their mood boards and
then we'll create hours start pulling things that are shoppable,
you know what I mean, whatever the case may be.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
But sorry, yeah, but that is true. They didn't give
us a deck. They do give us a move board,
and we shop off of that. And sometimes by the
presentation of the mood board, I can say, oh, we're
gonna need more money, or I can say, oh, this
is good, We're good to go, So that works too.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Yeah, you know one thing is interesting, especially because of
being you know, created myself. I understand, you know, budgets,
the buddets put together lots of different ways. Like how
did you how did you all learn to do all
this stuff? Because again I heard you say that A
and T then you red port little rich girl, were like,
how do you figure this shit out in the first place?
Like how do you even understand how to approach these projects?
And kind to kind of estimate like I know you
kind of come from reps, but like, where'd you even
(22:16):
learn the business behind all this stuff?
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Brandon?
Speaker 2 (22:18):
To be quite honest, it's so funny you said this
because I think about this morning. I was like, am
I gonna say, like I have like accolades and uh
in degrees and all this stuff.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
It's our stelf talk.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah, from like experience from uh era and and just
doing you know, like like she said, like I'm not
going to do I will never say like, oh I can't,
like that's not even my vocabulary. Well let's say how
I would you been, and then I'd be like this
figuring it out, you know what I'm saying. So a
(22:49):
lot of it is just no, A, you gotta be
good with money. You have to have a great work ethic, yes,
and that work ethic is be transparent with your client,
be transparent with production, and that gives you the longevity
in the career. That's how we've been withthstanding this entire time.
Like it's not like we have an agent that pushes
(23:10):
us for our jobs. This is all just word of
mouth and pure work ethic, you know. And I feel
like that is the stronghold that pushes the manner code
in front of the next person.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
You know.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I don't think it's always like oh she has great style.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Don't get me.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Wrong, I'm fly, but you know what I'm saying. Yeah,
But at the end of the day, it comes to
the business behind it. They got to know that, hey,
you're gonna show up, You're gonna do what you're supposed
to do.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
And at the end of these these these receipts go
check and balance. Yeah, and that.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Just comes from us doing and working in film and TV,
like they helped a lot and her being uh she
also does coordinating in the film world.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
And if you guys don't know what that is, what.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
So I got my first job as a coordinator in
TV and film working and wardrobe and we pretty much
handle the paperwork side, so we're making sure the budget
is going through properly, like what's being spent. We're reconciling
all that kind of stuff. So we're seeing a lot
of money coming through and we're documenting you getting it
over to accounting. So that helped apply that to the
(24:16):
manor Co. I also do costuming on set and so
we're working with the actors making sure their continuity is
right though. All those things matter, So like that experience
we bring into the manor Co shopping all of that
because these jobs might sound minute, but they're very important jobs.
(24:39):
Is there's so many moving parts in the department alone.
So yeah, I was able to take a lot of
that and just learning new people skills and you know,
the film industry is very they don't play throw and
people can will say anything to you any kind of way,
and you just gotta like keep it moving, keep it moving.
(25:03):
You gotta you know, you gotta g check when you
need to, but for the most part, you still gotta
get Yeah, it's just a little quick g like, hey,
now you're not talking to me crazy, but let's get
this work style.
Speaker 5 (25:15):
People look at that because you.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Do not want you check sometimes, you know, a little
fire crack over here, got to it. But I just
you know, you gotta there is a lot of learn there.
I went to school for fashion, merchandising and design. I'm
not really making clothes or anything like that now, like
I was into in college, but there's always been that
(25:38):
love for clothing and the overall look of a person,
like creating that look from head to toe, that vision.
So those those are some things. And then like I said,
maybe my girl right here since college, I said, oh,
she went it, let's get to it. You like tightening
that hustle.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
I guess, well, no, I love it.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
I mean that's that's something I talk to people about
a lot, is just thinking you kind of tapped into
something where there's a benefit in getting like even larger
like corporate experiences sometimes and then taking those learnings and
then like putting them into which you do from a
entrepreneur's standpoint, because so much of what entrepreneurs do is
just hustle, and sometimes you got to kind of see
how it's done at like larger levels like.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
This, right, yeah, you know what I mean, Just and
then you figure out.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
What your way is.
Speaker 4 (26:28):
Like if you don't, you're kind of like just trying
stuff and trying to figure out where the ability to
kind of have those experiences where you can dip a
toe in and say like, okay, this is how it's
work at a different scale, and when do these projects
and now how can I actually apply that back?
Speaker 5 (26:40):
Is I think?
Speaker 4 (26:41):
You know, I always say like Atlanta's a very you know,
entrepreneurial city. It's a lot of hustles out here, and
that's great, but like you do find it sometimes like
when people don't have that experience, you got to try
a lot of things out and so to get examples
and situations where you can try it out on somebody
else's dimes sometimes and other situations where if it doesn't
work out, it's not necessarily all on you really kind
of helps out.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Listen, getting my thing is like getting good systems. If
I can pull a good system from you know, a
job or two, that helps me a lot and that
helps the company.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Yeah, so let me ask.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
I mean, it's been you know, past Amigos, Anthony Edwards,
Jason Tatum, a Mix, deltadt Y Shack, Like at what's
been just one of your favorite projects? Like, what's been
something that just jumps out? You're like, you know what,
whether it just went well or it was just a
great experience, like this has been one of your favorite
overall project?
Speaker 5 (27:36):
Shallow work.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
So I had the opportunity to work with Ruth Carter.
That was like major because Ruth's I don't know, you
know if you don't know, she's like a beautiful black
woman who won a Katemy Award for Costume and Design,
which is first ever. And we were right there like
firsthand able to work with her and just see the
creative genius behind what she does. That was one of
(28:00):
like my highlights in my career. Very amazing junior woman
and she's just her thought process in costume design is
just top tier at this world. I would say I
like working with Anthony Edwards. He's cute.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
That was like a fun moment.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
And heathern mcchennan McMahon McMahons worked with her, she's a comedian.
We literally just wrapped that job. It was very bold
and colorful, and we worked with a director I think
her name was Ali Roberto, and she was super open
to us being able to like throw looks and we
haven't been able to do that in a commercial world
(28:44):
in a long time. So for us to throw in
like taff of the dresses and lime green fur coats
with over the nego boots, like we don't get to
do that often, and to do that on such a
large platform, you know, and the brand was so welcoming
to color, not at first but when we actually put
her in the clothes and they saw her light up.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
You look at me when you said that, Well, yeah,
but you told me your.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Color coming out every now and so we could we
could any Let's be clear, I'm not a big color
person myself, Like you gonna catch me and a lot
of neutrals all day long, no matter.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Like even I go out, I got on a white.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Tea and some g's and fantastic like it's very easy.
But whenever you get the opportunity to Sisters was great too.
Like we did like mostly like a Rick Owen's palette
for their last promo, although you didn't get to see
it because they edited it's super dark.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
That has nothing to do with me, but well, clothing
was top tier.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
It was exceptional, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
The creative behind it, the creative director behind it was
amazing work the way, Eric, So you always champion when
you got a supportive team behind you to get your
job done. That those projects are the ones that speak
volumes to what we can do and what we're capable
of doing because we're not so limited in the direction
where we go.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
It's always great to be able to have some creative freedom. Yeah,
doesn't stifle you in the work that you're doing.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
I mentioned having a great team, and you know, I
obviously see that you all have been connected since college
and so there's obviously a friendship there while it's also
a business. But I'm sure there's been times when again,
like we got to have tough conversations, especially when just
building a team and just getting stuff together, like how
do y'all kind of manage and just balance that with
like leading and also just not just leading, but like
(30:43):
also you know, mentoring other people in the organization that
you work with, right, Like, sometimes you just got to
have like honest business conversation like yo, like either this
ain't working or we got to do something different, or
you know, somebody messed up and we just Again it's
not even about like yelling at people.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
Yeah, but I think.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Right, like at the end of the day, like we still,
especially in business, it's not all sunshines and rainbows, right,
So how do y'all balance that and like how do
you manage those kind of conversations to really get the
most out of the team that you have.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
We keep it on huntred with each other. Yeah, I'm
really sugar, I mean, because she and I can talk
like that.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
You know, we learn our team even like with our
like freelancers or you know, our employees or whomever we
work with. I'm pretty direct with what works, what doesn't work,
and then the cost of what it's going to take
for you to get out of here, because we don't
(31:36):
really have time for lackluster or you know, half fastness.
Like it's because this is a type of job, an
environment where you have to be self motivated. And we
will put a project in front of you and I'm
not going to micromanage because there's other things moving. But
when I come back to you and we're still in
the same place, your heart's not here. Yeah, so then
(31:58):
we just got to cut ties. And it's unfortunate, but
it has to happen.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
We're learning to detect early as we become better stronger leaders,
like more discerning. Yeah, like being more discerning when you
have that feeling when you're seeing a certain thing in
the work ethics saying I don't know, we're not hearing
back or this isn't there's not a flow here there, yeah,
license to it? Or what the work doesn't translate? Like
(32:26):
you know, we we try to see like hey, can
can you work in another space? Are you even open
to it? And some a lot of times people eliminate
themselves out of the situation. We're a growing business and
like I said, learning to be a better leader for
me personally. But yeah, just it can be a lot.
We just we keep it, we keep it real.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Yeah, it takes balance, right, I mean it's just it's
like those having those conversations, and that's been the hard
that's been one of the things that's been a recurring
theme with a lot of the folks that have become
on this podcast.
Speaker 5 (32:57):
It's like the team.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
It almost always comes on a team and just finding
those right people and you know, like like they kind
of say, like sometimes the folks.
Speaker 5 (33:05):
That get you here won't get you there. Yeah, you
got to.
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Be able to have conness conversations. But I don't think
there's been a single entrepreneur that's come on here and
said like that hasn't mentioned like the importance of teams
and also just the difficulty that it takes in finding
the right combination and group of people in attitudes and
personalities actually make something happen.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
Team Building is very tough.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
Shout out es, yes, Yes, are Reese's pieces. Yeah, I
love you girls.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
She's our strongly in wardrobe and we have another strongly
in interiors to Rod.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
But Reese has been with us for like.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Maybe three or four feels like so much longer.
Speaker 2 (33:43):
She's or four years now, and she holds down like
if we have multiple things going on, and we have
a pretty strong roster of freelancers that can come in
because it's the beautiful thing is because we're tapped into
film and TV. When we get like our promotion, our
promo jobs, or our commercial work, they love to hop
and hop out because you know, when you're on film
(34:04):
and TV, you're on the same project college three six months.
You know us, our jobs last ten days, we're on
to the next. So it's nice to have that network
of people to come in and out as well because
they already know the business. Jo I'm saying, they already
know what's expected of them. And yeah, it makes our
life a little easier at times until you run into
someone that like to steal. Don't cut them out because
(34:29):
people do steal, now, yes, they do steal, and we
run like you know, depending on the project, you may
have like a corporate card or you may have PC
which is petty cash.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
And let me tell you, we have seen some things.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Okay, okay, And so we have this thing and they
call them top sheets. So we go through and see
like what everybody spent and then what the return looked like.
And you go and look at like, oh no, this
state twelve hundred at a store I'm not going to
say to the name, and then but.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
They only return two hundred dollar. Where is the thousand
dollars worth.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Of step right, you got to.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
People will eliminate yourself, but you got to pay attention.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
I don't care because that's the thing, Like you can't
be so caught up or buried into one area of
the department that you miss the other thing.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
Not us, because we oversee yours.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
You say, like, yes, I'm the one booking the jobs,
but then it's like levels that runs you know, the
actual project. You know what I'm saying, Like there might
be one person on mood boards, that may be one
person shopping online, that may be one person in the field,
and then I'm the one talking to production, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
So it's a fighting for great Yeah, I'm the one
that stepping like, hey, can.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
My girls get or I'll take a day and give
them those two days. You understand, Like it's a lot
of the sacrifice for that to be lead, you know
what I'm saying, and like take ownership of what it
is that we're building because you don't always you know,
as beautiful as it may seem, Yeah, we set whatever.
It's a lot of a lot of mental games that
(36:06):
goes into this.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
It's no ho, it's legit. The bar.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
Like, I'm just gonna try and be mindful of my words.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
And here you go. I mean, you know, I'm sorry.
Speaker 5 (36:24):
Yeah, you'll be all good.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
I'm sure.
Speaker 4 (36:26):
Yeah, So let me ask too, I mean, and I
got to kind of ask this question because especially in
my background and you're talking about teams and stuff in
this world now we're dealing with with AI and all
these dough tools, Like how do you all implement that
kind of stuff if at all, in how you all work,
whether it's on the business side and going and checking
those estimates to make sure that what people spent.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
Is or is it on the ideation or is it all?
Speaker 4 (36:48):
Like how did you all incorporate like any AI or
any tools in the what you all do now from
a creative standpoint?
Speaker 3 (36:53):
And then we talked the chat.
Speaker 1 (36:55):
We talked the chat a lot. Chat chat help, I mean,
like social media, Yeah, and hecial media for sure. Some
mock ups for rendering. Yeah, my son just taught me
that the other day. He was like, oh my, you're
working on a coffee shop.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Look what I can do. He saw the color palette.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
The move board and brought me back like a rendition
of what I was talking about. It wasn't what I
wanted exactly, but it was an idea. It was an idea, yeah,
and it was enough of me to send over to
my three D render and give her some concept phase
of what.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
I'm thinking too.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
So yeah, it does come in handy.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
Yeah, you know, it's a love and hate relationship with AI.
You don't want it to take over completely, but it's
important for us to find ways to use it in
our business for sure. And the one strong hold that
we do have over AI is the personable relationship that
robots just don't have. They don't.
Speaker 4 (37:47):
Yeah, So I mean, look, I'm a huge advocate for AI,
but I tell people all the time, I think that
what it won't replace anytime soon is human creativity and
just an eye for style and stuff like that. Right,
so all it can definitely do a lot of things
to be more efficient. I'm one of the people that believe,
especially as a person that's like really deep in that space,
that what it should do more than anything else is
(38:09):
take some of the more mundane things off from your
plate and really allow you to be creative in ways
that might have taken you Again in the past, Am
I taking you a week to do something like minutes
or a.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
Day about how to wrap job.
Speaker 5 (38:24):
I'm I'm gonna show you all some stuff. I'm gonna
break some stuff down.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Great some stuff. We even you know, we were literally
on the.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
A MX wrap as we were wrapping that, hopped on
the different job.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
What we just get off of.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Yeah, Olie and and we're wrapped.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
That's the job shot. We wrapped up Wednesday. It's Friday.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
We still doing knows.
Speaker 5 (38:54):
Do all that in five mins?
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Okay, I appreciate that. I'm always leaning. Let me see,
those are the things, those those looks, systems, Yes, yes,
operations and systems, Yes, we need that.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
But let me ask you if we get ready to
like start wrapping this up, when you all kind of
think about just the impact that you all have had
on the industry and especially Atlanta, Like what's the legacy
you want kind of like Manrico and all the work
you've done to kind of leave on the culture of Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
I just want to continue to create a safe space
for those that's coming up after me, you know, like
I want the creatives to be able to know like
not only like a what color theory is, you know,
like just the basis of design, but the business behind it,
you know. I think so so often these younger kids
(39:44):
get into like this right now industry and it's not real,
you know, and then you hop into a position where
you're unprepared because you didn't.
Speaker 3 (39:52):
Do the follow up work.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
So I would like that just for people to understand
that we can create a space that they can come
in and they can learn, like what the business is
behind the style.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
That's important.
Speaker 4 (40:08):
I think it's you know, I don't know if you're
familiar with the term like coaching tree, okay, but like
in sports, they kind of talk about it all the time,
right where like coaches like Bill Belichick. When you look
at Bill Belichick and you look at all of the
coaches that have worked under him that now are head
coaches at other teams, it's half the damn NFL. And
I think what I'm hearing you say, it's kind of
(40:28):
something similar, right, Like it's the people that and I've
always kind of felt the same way even about the work.
Speaker 5 (40:31):
That I do in marketing too.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
It's like the people that have come up under me,
whether they were intern for me at one point or
they helped me out with a project through their freelancer,
like to see them kind of.
Speaker 5 (40:40):
Blossom and certain in their own things. Something that's like,
you know, it feels.
Speaker 2 (40:43):
Good when the girls come back and they be on
the lead jobs and they own and they be like, oh,
I remember you told me to do this, or oh
she did this, but I didn't understand why.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
She did it.
Speaker 5 (40:54):
You were actually right when you were when I was getting.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
Your nerves telling you, hey, all these hangers need to
go in this direction because I need to see from
A to Z, you know, and then somebody else come
behind you like, oh no, you're not doing it right. Yeah,
it makes you feel like, Okay, I did a good job,
you under said. Yeah, Now, hard working effort, it pays off.
Speaker 5 (41:12):
And how about you? What do you want to leave
behind for folks?
Speaker 1 (41:16):
Definitely that creative community for sure, and showing you know,
just more black and brown us, our people, you know,
having that safe space for sure to grow to learn,
especially women. I want to see more creative work and
music as well. I want to see more creative work
(41:39):
in interiors and design and like not just the typical
things you might see in Atlanta, like really take it there. Yeah,
I want to encourage that, like being creative and just
taking it to a different space, not your typical look,
And I think that's what I don't know, am I'm
(41:59):
making sense, But like you like, not your typical look
when it comes to interior or when it comes to
sound for music, and when it comes to style, like
I want people in Atlanta to take more chances with
style and creativity. Not to say that people aren't, to
(42:19):
be clear, because there are some really great and talented
people out here, but I think when it comes to style,
like we want to we talk about it a lot
about New York and being more heavy heavily received there,
you know, more alternative things or not your everyday status quo.
(42:41):
Like you see more Yeah, you see more risk takers
in the spaces outside of here. So I want to
see more of that when it comes to style and fashion,
and we want to leave that. You know, I don't
think I think it's people getting to know us more
and learning who we are. We did kind of stand up, yeah,
(43:02):
and you know we're trying to do better. I'm gonna
be outside Mare, but I think that those are some
things I definitely want to say I want to be
I want to be a part of that.
Speaker 4 (43:15):
Sure, that's one thing you're even saying right is like,
don't be don't be afraid to jump? Yeah, where'd that
mindset come from?
Speaker 1 (43:20):
My father?
Speaker 3 (43:21):
Her dad and my dad.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
My dad has been one of my biggest cheerleaders and
my hardest critic throughout my life. So I've seen him
have a multitudes of businesses and companies and I was
like Daddy's little girl right there with a maybe step.
So I mean literally he threw me in a pool
and was like, you're gonna sink or swim and I
had to learn how to swim the figure two and literally,
(43:46):
so uh, that's just been a concept of life that
I just practiced, like are the seeker?
Speaker 3 (43:52):
You swim?
Speaker 2 (43:53):
And I've just never been afraid to do. And I think,
you know, those of you who have been going go
were contemplating whether or not to take that risk. If
it's something that's eating it, you just jump at it.
Life will work itself out, yep, somehow, some way, you know,
I know, like, and it gets tough, like it's not
(44:13):
like it's all roses and slessy it being an entrepreneur.
Even just yesterday, I was like, you know, I really
don't have an option to fail because I don't have
anything to go back on.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
I didn't go to pharmacy school like my dad wanted to.
I led a career in fashion, and it took for
me to like for him to see the success to
be like, oh, I hope you do that.
Speaker 5 (44:38):
You know what?
Speaker 2 (44:39):
I know what I'm saying, So jumping for me and
doing I push it into my kid and anybody around me,
like all the team. I give them all the space
to create their own worlds, and then they have they
have a safe haven because we have tools, we have
a showroom, we have a space, so you can come
(45:00):
and actually create your world. Do you know what I'm saying, Like,
I uphold it. I fight for that because I did
it myself. So to have the support behind someone else
to do it, I think, like that's needed. Like I
guess I'm going back to the same thing that she
asked me, Like what's my legacy?
Speaker 3 (45:17):
Just to create support for those who want to do
what they love in whatever space.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
He can be interiors, it can be cost tubing, it
can be finance, you know.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
Support.
Speaker 2 (45:28):
We met a little girl the other day. What I
say to her, I said, I think we need you. Yeah,
she works.
Speaker 3 (45:32):
She works over here at.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
The at the Works, and I think she does like
luxury branding, she said scat. I was like, I think
we need you as chat you know, like anytime I
see an opportunity, especially for growth within you know, especially
within our community.
Speaker 3 (45:47):
Hell, we didn't know half.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
These jobs exist until the and TV world got here,
you know what I'm saying, Like religion being or wardrobe started.
My mother still be like, well, what is it that
you do?
Speaker 1 (45:58):
And I said, Tyler Perry, you don't know.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
Okay, okay, you know, like sometimes you just have to
dumb it down for those who don't know. But it's
it's great that now we have this space to create it.
And that's one thing I love about Atlanta. Like I
came here to start a business. I literally moved to
the city to start a business. I was going to
do it in Charlotte, and my dad was like, nah,
I hear Atlanta up and coming for us. Literally the
(46:26):
red tape I had to go through in Charlotte and
what I had to do here to open up my
store back in two thousand and six, two thousand and plus,
that was a recession, you know what I'm saying. I
opened it up with what nobody get money, but we
found a way, you.
Speaker 3 (46:37):
Know, so I love it here.
Speaker 1 (46:41):
Well, you know what, so far, so great.
Speaker 4 (46:43):
Atlanta appreciate you too. Yeah, they appreciate all the impact
y'all are having. Yeah, you know, thank y'all so much
for pulling up BEFO we got out of here. Please
tell folks how they can find y'all, how they can support,
how they can reach out, like give them all the
things I think, how they track Manico down, how they
track y'all down for whatever.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
Yes, you can visit our website, The Manor and that's
m A N N E R dot co CEO And
from there, you know, you can see our portfolio. You
can reach out to us if you want any of
our services, whether that be interior design or wardrobe style
and costume design what have you. And you can also
(47:21):
check out our shop on there as well. And if
you want to follow us, you can follow us on
Instagram and TikTok The Manor dot c O at The
Manor dot c O.
Speaker 4 (47:33):
Ask I was getting I was getting ready say, like
have I've been saying this for on the whole time?
Speaker 5 (47:37):
It is the Manor co right.
Speaker 1 (47:41):
Some people say the manor company. It is little like
we don't even say company. It is the manor co. Yeah, okay,
you're right, manner in which things are done, your style, yeah, okay.
Speaker 5 (47:56):
All right, ladies. Well, thank y'all so much for pulling up.
Speaker 1 (47:58):
Hit us up if you want us to a show. Look,
thank you, thank you for having Brandon. Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (48:05):
This is great, No, y'all, it's so amazing. Y'all so welcome.
Thank y'all for pulling up. And that's the pod. J'all,
We out appreciate peace. Sag you've been listening to button
Nomics and I'm your hosts Brandon Butler.
Speaker 5 (48:15):
Got comments, feedback? Want to be on the show.
Speaker 4 (48:17):
Send us an email today at hello at butternomics dot com.
Butter Nomics is produced in Atlanta, Georgia at iHeartMedia by
Ksey Pegram, with marketing support from Queen and Nikki.
Speaker 5 (48:27):
Music provided by mister Hanky.
Speaker 4 (48:29):
If you haven't already, hit that subscribe button and never
miss an episode, and be sure to follow us on
all our social platforms at butter dot atl Listen to
button Nomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Host
Brandon Butler
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.