Today we’d like to introduce you to Erinn Dumas.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
e.Laniese is a contemporary women’s fashion brand that was founded in 2017 by self-taught fashion designer, Erinn Dumas. The company is currently headquartered in Washington, D.C.
e.Laniese offers whimsical, unique, small batch clothing for women that defy fashion’s standards. Each design is offered in sizes S – 3XL and a 34” inseam.
We pride ourselves on creating clothes for women that are often overlooked by major fashion brands, and aren’t the perfect size 0.
Our story, like many other fashion houses, was started from a need. Our founder, Erinn, constantly struggled to find clothes that fit her lean frame. For most of her formative and young adult years, she was underweight for her height and struggled to find clothes that fit her. She often resorted to cinching the waist of her shirts so they could contour her waist better.
After being terminated from her marketing job, she decided to take matters into her own hands, literally, and start making the clothes she wanted to see. It was this devastating act that propelled Erinn into action and e.Laniese was born.
Over the years, e.Laniese has taken many forms from a bespoke clothing line to a women’s boutique, to a clothing line. With each iteration of the business, Erinn learned something new.
She has alchemized those lessons into the brand you see today — a zany, colorful world of fashion that weaves comfort and style together. Each piece was designed with love and care and consideration for each body type.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
LOL… no. Any entrepreneur that says it’s been a smooth road, is either lying or they were given millions of dollars to get started.
I have faced several challenges since the beginning. When I first launched e.Laniese in 2017, it was a bespoke clothing line, so my biggest challenges were time and acquiring customers. I worked full-time in marketing at the time, so I made clothes in my spare time, during the evenings and on the weekends. Since I was making the clothes all the time, I struggled to acquire new customers that were willing to pay for bespoke clothing.
Within four years, I burned out from the bespoke aspect of the business, and I tried to convert e.Laniese into an online women’s boutique (another challenge). I didn’t have the knowledge that I have now. After not being able to convert the business into an online women’s boutique, I temporarily closed the business for two years. As luck would have it, I relaunched e.Laniese as an online women’s boutique in Spring 2023.
Within two years, I hit another challenge. I grew tired of the boutique model and the issues that arose from that. Therefore, I launched e.Laniese the clothing line in November 2025. These weren’t the only challenges I faced, but they’re the most prominent ones in my story at the time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
e.Laniese is a contemporary women’s fashion brand that was launched in 2017 in Washington, DC. We offer women’s clothes from sizes Small – 3XL and 34″ inseam jeans/pants.
What sets us apart is that we offer contemporary, quality clothing for women up to a 3XL and our pants are tall-friendly with 32” and 34” inseams. Most fashion houses go up to 2XL, and high end luxury doesn’t surpass a size Large in clothing, but our brand is more inclusive.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
We pride ourselves on creating quality clothing and providing excellent customer service. This is evident by the almost 90 5-star Google Reviews we’ve received. Since e.Laniese started as a bespoke clothing line, we pride ourselves in creating clothes that women can wear repeatedly, regardless if she’s a one and done type of dresser or if she’s an outfit repeater; our clothes were made to last. Our clothes are made to fit into women’s lives, not burden them. We worked with our manufacturers to ensure that our clothes are machine washable. We truly design our clothes with our customers in mind. Check out our website and discover your new statement piece today!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elaniese.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.laniese/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eLaniese
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eLaniese
Image Credits
Model, Sara Wilder in e.Laniese Red Lace Skirt.
Other images were shot by Alan Wallace Photography.
