Moda Trade Show - Exhibitor,

Cassandra Smith

   Cassandra Smith. Founder & owner of Serita Bell, is a young, talented entrepreneur from Baltimore, MD. Serita Bell is named after her late grandmother, Hallie Bell Smith,who raised her since she was two years old. Cassandra learned her style & basic sewing techniques from her grandmother and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer since the age of ten. At 21 years old, she moved to New York City and where she obtained her AAS degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising from the Katharine Gibbs School. After graduating, she started working in the high-paced fashion industry,earning the respect of her colleagues through hard work, dedication and participation in various local fashion shows as an up and coming designer.

   With over 10 years of work experience in the fashion industry, Cassandra,became frustrated with the lack of stylish clothing in her size. This inspired her visionto pursue the Plus Size Market. The timing is perfect for starting this new venture sincebetween May 2013 and April 2014 the plus size apparel market generated $17.5 billion in sales, up 5 percent from the prior year. In addition, the average size woman is a size 14, according to the market research firm "The NPD Group". Plus size women are looking and thinking fashion. They're on point with all the fashion trends.

   Cassandra was accepted into Full Figured Fashion Week in 2014. After showcasing at the fashion show, online retailer Ideel.com noticed her brand and ordered 200 piecesfrom Serita Bell's fall 2014 collection. The retailer currently has a 500 piece order from Bell's summer 2015 collection. Due to rapid sales Ideel.com wants to buy stylesfrom the brand monthly. Since Serita Bell’s appearance at the famous Trade Show Magic (WWD Las Vegas), in February 2015, she is now selling to several boutiques and communicating with buyers from Walmart and Dr. Jay’s Stores for future orders. Her demand has tremendously increased since this appearance.  Currently she's been invited to exhibit her collection at Moda trade show in NY & looking for sponsors to partner with.