Meet Erin Kaya

class of 2002

Design by Erin Kaya

Please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

My name is Erin Kaya, I live on the North Shore in Newburyport, MA. I am the owner of Erin Jean Couture, specializing in ballroom dancewear and specialty designs. I am a professional ballroom dancer and former professional competitor additionally owning and operating Aurora Ballroom Dance Studio in Salisbury MA. 

My clients are competitors from all around the country, Canada and overseas. I teach dance for my local community as well as surrounding schools such as Phillips Exeter Academy. My niche’ business and talent was discovered and chosen to participate on episodes of MTV MADE and TLC Dancing Tweens. 

I am a wife and mother of two beautiful children, Ayla 2 and Tarkan 4. I love to combine art and movement and help transform lives through dance and creative fashion. I started my business the moment I graduated SFD and never looked back.

When did you realize you wanted to pursue fashion design?

It was what I call a life intervention. I always had an artistic talent for drawing and would create ‘hippie clothes’ for me and my friends but I never imagined I would pursue it necessarily. I originally went to college for Veterinary science.  A good friend I met while in Oregon kept persuading me to switch majors to Fashion Design so I could hang out with her more. It wasn’t until I returned home to the East Coast that a “divine intervention” occurred. 

I was working for my father while waiting to transfer on to UVM school of Vet studies when a ballroom dancing friend out of the blue asked if I had heard of the School of Fashion Design. Ironically, I believe my Grandmother attended the school. Later I discovered one of my Mother’s relatives was a Boston Fashion Designer back in the day.... so I guess it’s in my blood. 
Who knew?! Me being restless, I contacted the School immediately and brought a dance costume I made for myself in for the interview and the rest is history.

What is one of your favorite things about what you do?

One of my favorite things about what I create is I can make every costume different. I love color! I work with every color fabric and crystal you can imagine. Colors make me happy and feel alive. Each one is a fantasy and I love making customers happy in my creations. I love seeing them sparkle and move on the dance floor.

What has been one of your biggest challenges in fashion design and how have you overcome it? 

There certainly have been many challenges in the business. I would say one of the biggest challenges has been to survive and adapt through the massive changes in the industry as more companies have outsourced to countries for mass production and larger profit margins. 

As many emigrate here from other countries, professional dancers have opted to make some personal profits by offering to create costumes that are cheaper for their students by sending them back to their countries of origin, undercutting quality. 
Many customers are confused about the wide range of prices and quality. I had to assess the entire industry and my business. I had to look at what was working and no longer working and take a hard honest look at what was making the most profits and focus on that while discarding the old structure of things. 

In other words, I had to change and adapt or be consumed. I focused on what made Erin Jean unique, what can I offer that no one else can. I never lost sight of my goals. You have to go back to the source of the passion otherwise it’s lost. Mass production cannot offer custom fits or a one of a kind look. Or the personal customer service that customers appreciate so much.

What advice would you give to designers who are just starting out?

Be yourself! The world needs your unique ideas. Bloom where you are planted. Don’t sell out.

Support Erin’s work by following her on Instagram @erinjeancouture and on Facebook.

“If you know someone who could benefit from my work, please share”