GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - A simple needle and thread and a few YouTube videos led one South Mississippi woman to a new career path more than 10 years ago.
Porsha Glover started making party dresses and party clothes before establishing Porsha Glover Customs in Gulfport in 2013. The turning point came when a client’s due date conflicted with her work schedule.
“I had to choose between my job and my reputation,” Glover said.
That moment led Glover to step away from her full-time job to focus on fashion design.
“Just thinking back on it, it was scary, but it was the move I was ready to make anyway,” Glover said. “However, I feel like I just never trusted myself enough to jump out there and do it. I feel like God truly put me in that place to make me choose whether I want this or not, and it worked out.”
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Since 2013, Glover has handcrafted hundreds of dresses for women and girls across multiple states, mainly for special events.
She uses industrial sewing machines in her shop and can work on three different dresses at a time.
“Our peak season gets started in September, as you know school starts in August. So, by September, they’re now coming out with the homecoming dates and dates for prom and that kind of thing, so my books get rolling in September. Production really gets busy starting in November, then we don’t end until June,” Glover said.
Between high school homecoming and prom, Glover accepts 120 orders a year, leaving her six months to complete them all.
“You’ve got to love what you do because if you don’t love what you do, you’re going to drop the ball, and to me the most important thing is making them happy,” Glover said. “Making their night, I wouldn’t know how to sleep at night if I ruined someone’s prom night. That’s all the motivation I need.”
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Glover travels to New York to select fabrics for her custom gowns.
“It’s a luxury experience. You wouldn’t want to go through this whole process and the dress feels cheap or thin,” Glover said. “So once it’s my peak busy season, I go out to New York because I want to touch and feel the fabric to make sure I know what I’m getting.”
While Glover typically finishes gowns within days, the hours at her shop add up.
“Anytime it comes to anything entrepreneurial-wise, just love what you do. If you don’t love it, don’t do it,” Glover said. “Because it is a lot of long nights, a lot of long days, a lot of dedication and sacrifice, so if you love what you do, you will never go to work a day in your life.”
Everything at Porsha Glover Customs is handcrafted. Glover places intricate designs with beads or jewels individually on each dress.
Porsha Glover Customs is located at 15312 Dedeaux Road in Gulfport.
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