“You gave me the dress that convinced me I could…” – Happy Project Gravitas Customer

Most women can create a timeline of their lives punctuated with the great dress moments they have lived…christening dress, frilly Easter dress, sweet sixteen dress, prom gown, wedding gown. Few remembered their first great work dress. Until now.

July 16, 2014 marks a special day in women’s history. Today, Project Gravitas, founded by cradle entrepreneur, Lisa Sun, is one year old. Project Gravitas is both a direct marketer of exceptionally styled women’s dresses and a call to action, depending upon where you put the emphasis in the name- Project or project. In other words, double entendre intended.

Project Gravitas dresses are manufactured in New York City using Italian fabrics and with a patented shapewear secret constructed in the garment that moves with the dress and the wearer. This is big news to any woman who has ever had her shapewear roll down her waist during her workday or at a major event. The core dresses are each under $300 and named for famous women like Amelia (Earhart), Jacqueline (Onassis) and Indira (Gandhi). They selected the names from an old encyclopaedia of the 200 greatest women in history that Sun has had since she was a child. They design the limited edition pieces around a seasonal theme. Each month the company features an inspiring woman on its website and gives 10% back from the sales of that woman’s favorite piece to the charity of her choice.

The inspiration for the product line came to Sun in 2007 when she walked past the Cole Haan store and noticed the new comfort stilletto they offered that combined Nike Air technology with the sleek look of a Cole Haan heel. Sun loved the idea of a combination product and wondered why no one had ever done this in ready-to-wear clothing lines. She loved the silouette of her designer dresses but hated the feeling of shapewear underneath.

“Great companies have a functional belief with an emotional call to action,” said Sun. Women who buy Project Gravitas dresses are not just buying clothes; they are buying a new way to see themselves.

Sun said, “I want to help people. That’s what gets me going in the morning.” She speaks of and treats her clients more like long-time friends than customers. Each week Sun personally answers five emails or letters from clients, many of whom she has helped at critical junctures in their lives such as divorce or the transition to a new job. Sun has a reputation for sending not only dresses to her new “friends,” but also books and words of encouragement as well. Project Gravitas’ success comes from a very personal need to help women to see themselves in a different light, to see themselves in the way they want the world to see them…strong, confident and timeless.

Jana Fleishman –
EVP, Roc Nation

Sun is the “dress whisperer” who fits customers in the dresses that will accentuate all of their best features while being frank with them about which styles won’t do justice to their natural assets. Often that means dressing a customer in a dress they would never have picked for themselves but that ultimately astounds the customer with how amazing they look. She helps them recapture those little girl moments when you put on a new holiday dress that made you look and feel like a princess.

Sun did not always feel powerful or project gravitas. When a superior’s review of her performance informed Lisa Sun, at 22 years old, that she lacked gravitas, she had to run to the dictionary and look it up. Not only did she lack gravitas, she wasn’t sure where to get it.

She consulted a mentor who advised her to “go buy a new dress, some big jewelry and some new shoes.” Wait, what? The advice that followed, however, became the cornerstone of Project Gravitas; “You’re dressing for yourself. Before you even get to work, you need to see yourself, as you want other people to see you.”

Despite having started her life as an entrepreneur with parents who came to this country with no money but built a small empire. Her father worked a loading dock while mother worked a hamburger truck, until they save enough money to own restaurants, convenience stores, and a metal factory. When Sun graduated from Yale, she took the MCAT, the LSAT, the GMAT and the GRE and applied to medical school, law school and English graduate school before her father said, “You come work for me.”

She scrapped the grad school idea and instead worked for her parents for a little while. “Your parents are your toughest bosses,” said Sun, but she stayed with her family’s business to help them phase into retirement.  Sun then went to McKinsey & Company, a global management firm. It was during her 11 years at McKinsey that THE one performance review that mentioned gravitas changed Sun’s future. She worked exclusively in fashion, luxury and beauty. She “appreciates the transformative power of these categories” she said, because growing up she was both overweight and poor. Sun believes women see themselves differently because of fashion and beauty

After 11 years of traveling 300+ days a year, Sun left McKinsey and went on a much-needed holiday to a client’s home in Greece. With no internet, no cars and no distractions save the village that was a 20- minute walk, Sun was able to enjoy some much needed quiet time alone with her thoughts. She thought about what she wanted to do with her life. At the end of her holiday, when she went to visit her parents, she had a napkin on which she had sketched out the dots connecting her life (something she had read from Steve Jobs) and little else to go on.

Her very practical mother asked what Sun’s next job would be. When she said she was unsure, her mother asked her how much money she had saved. Sun told her and her mom said, “That’s good. Go bet on yourself.” By the next morning, her mother had arranged for her to start her new business the minute she landed in New York. A banker was ready with the paperwork for a business account and the attorney was ready to draw up papers for the business. Only one question remained; what was Sun’s business?

On the way back to New York from visiting her parents in Taiwan, Sun dug out an old business plan from five years previous and within hours of landing in New York, she had signed the papers to start her own company, on October 12, 2012. Project Gravitas launched on July 16, 2013.

Project Gravitas is a community that offers the perfect dress or skirt to give a woman confidence and ultimately help her to feel and project gravitas to the world. Rather than beat ourselves up about losing five more pounds, Sun said, we should accept that not every style works for every woman and instead “find the clothes that really fit us, that really flatter us.”

The company sells primarily through direct marketing via their website; however, they recently completed a three city pop-up tour in Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Some have asked, “Why not New York or L.A. or Chicago?” For now, Sun is bringing her products to the markets with the largest following and allowing friends and family of current customers to experience the magic of her dresses. They have plans to schedule a Midwest tour soon.

Sun listens carefully to client feedback as well. When Southern women responded that some of her dresses were a little heavy for the heat and humidity of the South, Sun responded with a new summer collection that is 50% lighter than their original shapewear. The summer fabric is made of Lycra with a wider sweep at the hemline to allow for more walk-ability and less cling in the heat.

In addition to her role as dress whisperer, Sun had some business whisperer advice for professional women and entrepreneurs.

Be open to feedback. Your best coaches are the toughest ones. You have to choose to ask for real feedback and be willing to take those suggestions to heart.

“Life is about purpose, not position” is one of Sun’s favorite quotes, but she said it took about a decade to understand it’s meaning. We become so single-mindedly focused on goals and ladders to success that we sometimes lose sight of what gets us up in the morning. Women must be careful not to fall into the trap of doing what they are good at just because that is easier than pursuing what they love.

Ask yourself:

What am I good at? Sun is personally good at analytics and numbers, but it isn’t what she loves to do.

What do I love to do? She loves to help people.

What am I passionate about? Sun is passionate about fashion and beauty.

Be good to everyone in your life. Sun’s mother taught her to be good to everyone in your life, and added that you never know when you might need a person’s help.Your reputation is your primary asset. Pay it forward.

Pull up and pull in. Our job as leaders is to pull up and pull in. If you are the only women in the room, pull other women into the fold. There is huge value in creating opportunities for others.

Bet on yourself.  To entrepreneurs specifically Sun said, bet on yourself. Everyone has ideas, but entrepreneurs put those ideas into action. Fundamentally, women undercapitalize their businesses. Save as much as you can for as long as you can, before starting your business and looking for investors. Investors’ attitudes change when they see how well you have managed your own money to get to the starting gate.

Give yourself smaller milestones. Create “to do” lists that you can re-evaluate and check off every eight weeks. “Go get that trademark, go file the domain name on Go Daddy, go open the bank account, and go find a cheap lawyer to draft your operating agreement. You need a punchlist.” Every eight weeks you will have a minor victory to propel you closer to your goal.

Project gravitas into everything you do. Feel the power that comes from within. If you need a little help from a friend, and all women do from time to time, harness the powers of Amelia, Valentina or Audrey. The secret shape wear will hold your fears in check, while the perfect dress or skirt makes you feel like the 201^st greatest woman in history.