If you think it is tough balancing a busy schedule with college, Erin Pickholtz, the founder of Pearly Girl and College Couture fashions, did it while managing two clothing lines.
The 26-year-old University of Kansas graduate began her Pearly Girl line her sophomore year after seeing how expensive tops with rhinestones were in various New York boutiques.
"I didn't want to pay those high prices for a shirt I could make myself," Pickholtz said.
She started to make tank tops with embellishments from Hobby Lobby and sold them to friends and sororities.
Her second clothing line, College Couture, got started when her school's basketball team went to the Final Four, and she could not find anything cute for spirit-wear.
"My friends and I only found unisex, baggy and dull collegiate wear," Pickholtz said. "So once again, I found myself creating something that stores didn't really have."
She took different school's colors and mascots and created stylish hoodies and tank tops with a touch of sequins.
Pickholtz, who resides in New York City but is originally from Cleveland, said her mother helped get her business started financially.
"I mainly did all the creative designing while my mom deals with the business end like the royalties and paperwork," Pickholtz said.
Getting her clothing company licensed through the Collegiate Licensing Company was the hardest part, she said.
"It almost took a year and a half because I had a small company, and they want you to have a huge distribution capability," Pickholtz said.
By the end of her senior year, Pickholtz's line was being sold at the University of Kansas, Kansas State and the University of Arizona. Today, College Couture is sold at more than 10 colleges, including Indiana University, Youngstown State, University of Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.
Although OSU had the toughest licensing board, Pickholtz said it is her favorite school. It took her nearly three and a half years to get licensed to sell. Her line is sold in gift shops and bookstores around campus, such as SBX and The Buckeye Corner. OSU and Michigan are her largest profits.
"I knew that I had to do a lot of Big 10 schools because of the great athletics, population and alumni support," she said.
Pickholtz said her clothing business became so popular quickly because her clothes are young, fresh and come from the heart.
Starting a business requires an extreme commitment, she said.
"I struggled to keep my grades up and sort of lived a double life," Pickholtz said.
She flew around, opening stores on the weekends and was back to school by Monday. Pickholtz said her social life did not suffer because she had a core group of friends by her junior year.
"I did have one friend who told me nobody would wear my designs, which definitely hurt at first," she said.
As for the traveling schedule, Pickholtz said it is the best and worst since she gets to set her own hours, "but I don't get the simplicity of a 9 to 5, and sometimes work all day and night."
Despite the hard work, she said she cannot see herself doing anything else.
"I would feel stifled working for a company other than my own because I just love fashion and making clothes that show school spirit."
Pickholtz has proved that multitasking is not a problem for her. She was named the youngest person, at 23 years old, to be licensed by the Collegiate Licensing Company, out of more than 2,500 vendors.
When balancing a rigorous schedule, Pickholtz said staying aware of the latest trends is a must.
"I have always been into fashion and with my retail experience, I have gained much exposure to cutting-edge designs in order to translate them into a hot college look," she said.
Pickholtz's clothing was featured on MTV's "Run's House" when the wife of Reverend Run, from '80s hip-hop group Run DMC, wore one of her shirts.
She said getting into business is not for everyone, and you definitely have to have an entrepreneurial mind-set. Pickholtz's next goal is to create a men's line and take sewing classes at New York University in the fall.
"In order to keep my business moving, I have to move up to the next level," she said.
Heather Hope can be reached at hope.27@osu.edu.
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