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It was June of 1999 and out of thousands of graduating students, Emily Current and Meritt Elliott serendipitously found themselves sitting next to each other at commencement. The duo had bonded four years earlier over a then unique love of vintage jeans, spending their weekends searching for the best pairs at flea markets. While waiting to receive their diplomas, they declared that they should work together one day. The casual affirmation would soon evolve into a lifelong friendship and one of fashion’s most enduring partnerships.
Current and Elliott, now members of the prestigious CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), became distinguished by their rare ability to create and grow a diverse portfolio of businesses. Over the last 18 years, the duo has become the go-to stylists for leaders like Jessica Alba and Reese Witherspoon, launched coveted brands Current/Elliott and The Great, cultivated an ongoing partnership with Pottery Barn, in addition to collaborating with brands like Kate Spade and The Honest Company. 2018 brought two of their most special milestones: Opening The Great’s first store in Los Angeles and launching their third brand together, Emily and Meritt, a collection of friendship themed soft-knits, paper goods and nostalgic accessories.
Though their story may appear to be marked by continuous success, Current and Elliott’s journey is a remarkable tale of friendship, fearlessness and resilience. They sat down with us to share an exclusive look into the path they’ve traveled together, from their early styling days to building their most successful venture yet at The Great.
The making of a team
The seeds of a styling business that has thrived for nearly two decades began with just a few clients. Stemmed in nostalgia for the founders’ childhood - they were born the same year and grew up 60 miles from each other in Northern California - Current and Elliott drew inspiration everywhere from their elementary school teachers to their dads’ plaid shirts; Combining the looks with high fashion shaped their distinct high-low aesthetic.
Current and Elliott approach their work as designers and stylists through the lens of telling a story that can transport you somewhere magical. “We appreciate the deeper visual impact a look can have and tried to encompass that in everything we styled,” Elliott said. When the storylines called for pieces that didn’t exist, they customized their own to bring their visions to life.
In 2007, they were inspired to launch their first namesake brand Current/Elliott. “When we realized that we had something to say in denim we knew we had to do it,” Current shared. The night before sending their first samples to New York, they were sewing labels on the jeans on Elliott’s kitchen table and felt like they looked too ordinary. So, they added a red stitch along the bottom, which became the signature of the brand. “We brought a unique perspective because we weren’t part of the club,” she added. “We didn’t know the rules so we just did our own thing.”
It worked. Shortly after, Current/Elliott got a feature in Vogue and quickly became one of the most coveted denim brands.
The faster Current/Elliott scaled, the more the creative vision and values that contributed to its breakout success were threatened. Because Current and Elliott didn’t own the brand outright, they began facing pressure to ascribe to the antiquated norms of the primarily male-dominated industry. For two founders who are known for their pure intentions, the cut-throat culture was a sign to pause and reconsider.
Throughout their tenure, the duo continued styling, consulting and working on collaborations, which reaffirmed their belief that our lives and businesses are dynamic. “There are a lot of chapters in your story and you can work on multiple projects throughout your life and career,” Current shared. “It may feel like what you are doing now defines you, we thought Current/Elliott defined us, but it’s just one part of your story.”
The founders often describe this period of their life as business school 101; Exposure to the industry’s broken infrastructure revealed an opportunity to redesign the model in a way that empowered everyone involved.
In 2012, a private equity firm was interested in buying the business, which presented a fork in the road for the founders during their morning carpools. “It was an opportunity to stop and ask: Are we going to stay here and continue on this journey or is it time to leave? We looked at each other and were certain we could be happier going to work every day and could create a company that set new standards for the garment industry,” Elliott shared.
“It was a hard decision but it was the right thing to do and we were at peace with it. We knew we would lose our name but we would never lose ourselves, our spirit or our ambitions. That was all inside of us,” Current added. “We wanted to build a brand that would change the ecosystem - for ourselves, other women and everyone involved - and lead by example that being successful and treating people well is not mutually exclusive.” Five years later, that’s exactly the story they are writing at The Great and Emily and Meritt.
The next chapters
‘In motion’ is one of the most accurate ways to describe Current and Elliott. Shortly after the acquisition, they wrote a book: A Denim Story: Inspiration From Bellbottoms to Boyfriends. Less than a year later, Pottery Barn approached them to design a line for PB Teen, which has since expanded to PB Kids and a full PB Home line.
Current and Elliot always intended to create a multi-category brand and began working on what would become The Great in the midst of styling, expanding their brand into home and also having their daughters, who were born six weeks apart. Every morning, they strapped on their Baby Bjorns and took walks around their neighborhood to dream up the new world they would create together. They landed on the name The Great to symbolize the new beginning the brand represented in their lives as founders, mothers, daughters and friends. “The Great embodies fearlessness. It was like peering over the edge of the cliff and finally jumping,” Current reflected. “This is the world we want to create.” Today, The Great offers full collections, ranging from their signature denim to silk blouses, a line of shoes, a knit collection and more.
Fueled by a loyal community that has followed Current and Elliot since their styling days, The Great continues to reach new levels of success. The brand, which is sold online, at their flagship and 200 of the world’s leading retailers, consistently helps shape the latest trends in fashion, which have become wardrobe staples for the likes of Jessica Alba and Amanda Seyfried. Consumers regularly purchase multiple pieces per category, inspiring the founders to continue expanding their collections to further fulfill their mission of empowering women to choose how they want to express themselves.
Current and Elliott have simultaneously rebuilt the concept of a fashion brand from the ground up, starting by recruiting a team of primarily female leaders. 80% of The Great’s team is women who are empowered to own different aspects of the business. The team is also committed to ethical manufacturing practices. 70% of The Great’s line is created in the U.S., with the majority produced close to their LA headquarters.
The seeds of their new Emily and Meritt brand sprouted from the success of their Kate Spade collaboration and the continued popularity of their PB Teen collection. As the duo brainstormed unique ways to uplift the demographic of 16 - 24-year-olds, they were brought back to the beginning of their own friendship, filled with memories of creating dream boards and to-do lists inscribed with the goals that they’ve achieved today.
Whether they are styling a shoot or putting the final touches on a vintage-inspired blouse, the founders’ intention is always to create an experience that elevates people into a happier state of being. “In order for a fashion brand to be successful, there has to be love and spirit that goes into it. That all starts with its creators. We share a special appreciation and understanding of life that comes through our vision and trickles down through our team,” Elliott shared. “Business partnerships are like families and we’re fortunate to have a deep bond where we truly respect and understand each other. The baby can only be as happy as the parents are.”
Current and Elliott’s journey symbolizes the life that awaits us when we are courageous enough to write our own stories. Through business, motherhood, love and loss, the two continue to nurture an unbreakable bond that is the heart of their narrative, which despite their success, they believe still has numerous chapters waiting to be written. “ Every risk takes courage but optimism is a choice and you can choose it every day. It doesn’t clear your path of roadblocks but trusting in yourself and the bigger story of your life can make you fearless,” Elliott said. “We keep making the best decisions we can with our heart in the right place. The mentality has gotten us here and there is no place we’d rather be.”
