Most new designers start with a sketch. Elene started with a question: what is the garment actually made of?
The founder and designer of ELENE, an independent, self-funded label she launched in 2026, spent four years in fashion product development and production in New York City before going out on her own. That work, with some of the world’s largest retailers, covered sourcing fabrics and trims, negotiating costs and managing factories and vendors. It taught her where a garment’s quality is decided. It also left her frustrated.
“You can spend hundreds of dollars on a dress, but what is it actually made of?” she says. “I kept thinking: why aren’t we putting that same level of investment into the materials themselves?”
ELENE is her answer. The label works in 100% silk and repurposed leather and deer hide, and colors its fabrics with natural dyes.
A Map Drawn in Sketchbooks
Elene grew up outside Washington, D.C., but spent every summer since birth in Georgia, the country her mother is from. The long trips there took her family across the world, and at each stop she filled notebooks with sketches of landscape colors, patterns and architecture.
That connection now runs through her production. ELENE’s silk is hand-dyed in Georgia using plants, herbs, minerals and roots, then cut and sewn there. The label’s leather, suede and repurposed deer hide pieces are made in New York City.
Repurposing hide, she says, gives materials “a second life rather than letting them end up in a landfill after their initial use in the meat industry.”
An Early Runway Moment
ELENE says its repurposed deer hide slingback heels appeared in JASPER’s Fall/Winter 2026 presentation, shown on February 12 as part of the CFDA’s official New York Fashion Week schedule.
Today the label spans ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories, from naturally dyed silk gowns and low-rise mini skirts to deer hide boots and bags.
In Her Words
What inspires your designs?
Honestly, anything and everything! My favorite part of being a designer is taking all the different things that inspire me, whether it’s a texture, a color combination, a particular hemline, or an interesting structure, and bringing them together to create an effortlessly chic look. Inspiration can come from absolutely anywhere, and one of the most exciting parts of designing is constantly finding new inspiration and bringing those ideas to life.
What’s your process?
For each style, I start by sketching and thinking about the overall structure of a garment and how I want it to move on the body. I then develop and sample each design, experimenting with the silhouette and draping until the piece feels just right.
For me, luxury starts long before a garment is made. It starts with the quality of the materials, the fabric sourcing, and the dyeing processes.
How did your production background shape the brand?
That experience gave me an intimate understanding of how garments are made, where costs come from, and how sourcing decisions impact the final product. It also made me very intentional about the kind of brand I wanted to build myself.
Being intentional about what touches your skin is just as important to me as how a garment looks. I wanted ELENE to be built around the idea that luxury should feel good, look good, and be made thoughtfully, right down to the dyes used to achieve each color.
Who do you design for?
Honestly, someone like me! Constantly on the go, going straight from a meeting to dinner or meeting friends, and I want to be able to throw on an outfit and feel ready for the entire day or evening.
The ELENE woman appreciates beautiful design and expert tailored craftsmanship, but she also wants to live in her clothes. She’s busy, she’s going places, and she doesn’t want looking good to feel like work.
Your brand in three words?
Effortlessly chic. (I know that’s technically two!) If I had to choose three: Effortless. Intentional. Timeless.
What’s the signature ELENE look?
A mini skirt with a low-rise waist, paired with a fitted jacket and a statement boot (and bag), of course! It’s that imperfectly perfect balance of sexy, undone, and effortless.
My experience in product development taught me that the difference between a good garment and a great one often comes down to the details you don’t immediately see.
What’s next?
There’s something special about being able to try on the garments, experience the fit, and feel the materials in person.
As ELENE grows, I am so excited to continue creating pieces with natural materials, thoughtful sourcing choices, and designs that make women feel incredible. My goal is to build a brand around the idea that you never have to choose between looking chic, feeling comfortable, and investing in pieces made with intention.
Shop and visit: ELENE’s collections are available at elenenewyork.com. The brand says it is planning a New York pop-up from November 12 to 15 at 154 Orchard Street on the Lower East Side.
