Photograph courtesy of David Eisele Sr.

What: David’s Black Label, a custom men’s clothing line that consists of sportcoats, suits, slacks, shirts, and ties.

Who: David Eisele Sr., who earned a degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. After spending several years in the jewelry business, he returned to men’s fashion. Now he has his own store in Reston where he sells his clothing along with labels such as Canali and Hickey Freeman.

Where to buy it: Davelle Clothiers (davelleclothiers.com), his store in Reston Town Center.

An individual label: The decision to create his own clothing line wasn’t a quick one. David says he’d been slowly building his collection “rather quietly” and was encouraged by many of his clients to start his own line. One of the hardest parts of breaking into the industry was learning to take what the client wanted and interpreting that for each individual’s shape. Now working with clients to really understand their needs is a staple of his business model.

Maria Fyodorova.

What: Barefoot Czarina, a nature-inspired jewelry line that includes rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, and bracelets.

Who: Maria Fyodorova, a local designer originally from Russia. She has a degree in international environmental affairs and an MBA in environmental policy and management. She divides her time between her job as an environmental consultant, working on her jewelry line, and writing for her blog on green living, Righteousrestyle.com.

Where to buy it: Maria’s Web site BarefootCzarina.com directs you to her Etsy online shop. Some pieces are also available through UnsungDesigners.com, and you can e-mail Maria directly for custom orders at maria@barefootczarina.com.

What’s in a name: Maria says the name Barefoot Czarina is a reflection of her heritage and personality. She came up with the idea from a vision she had of a queen who reflected her style and taste. “I’m kind of a hippie in terms of how I live my life,” she says. “I love gemstones and adornments. I have this idea of a queen who’s fancy and covered with jewels but is also kind of a free spirit.”

Design by Kimberly Wilson.

What: TranquiliT, a line of ecofriendly yoga tops, bottoms, and dresses for women that can be worn before and after yoga.

Who: Kimberly Wilson, who previously worked as a paralegal, launched her own yoga studio from her DC apartment in 1999. Three years later, she developed TranquiliT out of a need for clothing she could wear not only while practicing yoga but also throughout the day.

Where to buy it: TranquiliT.com and at Tranquil Space, Wilson’s yoga studios in Dupont Circle, Clarendon, and Bethesda.

Exercise in style: Wilson’s line has evolved from its early beginnings as athletic-minded clothing to more lifestyle-oriented. Her clothing also became more versatile over time—Wilson says she goes through fashion magazines to think of ways to alter everyday clothes so they fit into the yogawear-on-the-go premise behind her designs. “I’m so blessed because everything I wear is TranquiliT,” she says. “I thought, ‘If you can’t find it, why not create it?’ ”

Going green: When Wilson discovered bamboo fabric, she never looked back. The clothing line became completely ecofriendly in 2006, and even the packaging for online orders has a green twist: “We have this great ecopackaging,” Wilson says. “When people buy online, they can choose to get their products sent in 100 percent recycled shipping materials, and once it arrives you turn it inside out and it’s a canvas bag.”

What: Gigi Favela women’s footwear. The line consists of boots, pumps, and sandals made in Italy from Italian materials.
Who: Shoe designer Monica Favela George, who launched Gigi Favela in 2007. A formal proposal writer for engineering firms, George loved shoes so much that she'd sometimes go to DSW during her lunch break.

Where: Online at Endless.com or Shop.GigiFavela.com and in local stores at The Little Shoe Box in Bethesda and Treat in Alexandria.

If the shoe fits: George took classes in sculpting and color theory before starting her business, but she still needed to learn how to create a shoe. Where did she turn for help? ShoeSchool.com, of course. “It’s a week-long intensive workshop on the basics of shoe design,” she says. “They also have business and industry experience in the shoe arena so they were able to give me advice on how to go about getting my shoes manufactured.” Once she got the shoe-design part down, she focused on the business aspect of her company and worked to get her shoes into local boutiques.

What: Colorful hand-embroidered purses made by women in developing countries. The mission of Oovoo designs is to empower those women financially so they can support themselves and their families while working from home.

Who: Pauline Lewis, the company’s founder and codesigner. Originally from Malaysia, Pauline started Oovoo after she moved to Alexandria six years ago.

Where: The handbags are sold all over the country; call 866-996-6866 to find a store. Some local shops that carry them include ShoeFly in Arlington, Red Orchard in Bethesda, and Hoopla Traders in DC’s Adams Morgan.

Making an impact across the globe: Pauline had been working for ten years in market research when she took a trip to Vietnam that gave her the idea to start a handbag line. She met local women there who were making handbags but couldn’t afford to work from home. One woman in particular, Le Thi Hong Tu, agreed to work with Pauline to codesign an exclusive handbag line that would give something back to those women she’d met. Pauline now visits Vietnam twice a year.

An Estella Couture design.

What: Custom-made ethnic and exotic couture clothing.

Who: Estella Ogbonna, a Silver Spring-based designer originally from Nigeria. She worked in computer network administration until 2006, when she decided to pursue a full-time career in fashion design.

Where to buy it: E-mail Estella at info@estellacouture.com or call 301-915-5927. Online sales will be available by the end of the year on her Web site, estellacouture.com.

Back to basics: When she realized that fashion design was something she wanted to do full-time, Estella—who began sewing and designing when she was a child—took classes to hone her skills and tried to get her clothing into stores. Even now, she continues to look for opportunities to grow; she’s planning to take a short program in Milan in the near future. “It’s the home of fashion,” she says. “I’m going there to learn the ways of taking my business to the next level. Having a talent is not the same thing as making a business.”

An ethnic touch: Estella started her business because there was a local demand for culturally rich African designs. She takes traditional and ethnic themes and creates colorful clothes that she says are modern and trendy, so they’re seen as not just African but also stylish. The majority of her designs are for women, although she sometimes designs for men, too: “For women you get to work with the curves, complexion, the colors—and that’s what I love to do.”

What: Contemporary women’s wear, including coats, dresses, pants, and blouses.

Who: Tsyndyma Kroujilov. She was born in Siberia and lived in Russia and Houston before moving to Washington 12 years ago. “In some kind of way, I’m getting closer to New York,” she says with a laugh. She lives in Potomac with her husband and two sons.

Where to buy it: View the clothing line on her Web site, tsyndyma.com, and call 240-888-5175 to make an appointment to visit her showroom at 9317 Bentridge Avenue in Potomac.

Engineer-turned-designer: Tsyndyma started sewing when she was six years old, but in high school she was a top math student, so she decided to attend Moscow Polygraphic Institute for mechanical engineering. At school, friends would ask her to help them with their wardrobes: “I would say, ‘First tell me why you want to change.’ Beauty is confidence.”

After spending six years as an engineer, she decided to begin working as a couture dressmaker in Moscow, where her passion for the fashion industry really began to grow. She also found that her math skills helped her with the dress designs and proportions.