Jumpsuits have landed at Jenny Lemons

Sandra Dejanovic

Sandra launched Happy French Gang in June 2013. She was born and raised in France and currently resides in San Francisco with her little family.

We are thrilled to have Happy French Gang back in the shop with us this February. Sandra has brought over some beautiful new and classic prints. We love what they are doing and wanted to learn more about Sandra and the brand to share with you all.

Happy French Gang's mission is to match elegant textures with vibrant colors, bringing their customer the best in both quality and style. They believe in making a positive global impact, and source all of their material as sustainably as possible, reusing textiles in their studio for jewelry, lavender bags and other accessories.

You were once an Industrial Engineer and then became a designer and started Happy French Gang, Was it a hard transition? Any tips for people trying to start their own clothing line?

"The transition was not hard since it was so natural.

I left my country [France] to move to San Francisco and decided to start from scratch. I wanted to do something with my hands and borrowed a sewing machine from a friend. I started with a home decor line (pillows were easier to sew!) and 2 years ago I slowly started to jump into the clothing world. I spent a lot of time online teaching myself every aspect of the job. Everything has been a LOT of fun, I really love my job!"

At Happy French Gang, they believe in keeping the planet as happy as we are. They strive to make a low impact on our environment.

Everything they produce is small batch, and is distributed on a first-come first-served basis. they pay great attention to the details in their work, and are dedicated to producing only the highest-quality products. They also make sure that nothing goes to waste. That’s why they reuse fabric for their other products like the lavender bags, jewelry, garlands, etc.

They are always looking for sustainable alternatives in their production process, only use natural fibers, and they avoid using plastic in their packaging as much as possible. They even reuse the cardboard boxes they receive by manufacturers to ship out their products to customers.

Sandra designs everything in San Francisco. She has worked with artisans in India for over five years to weave their elegant cotton blankets. She continues to work with more people from India each year and are further developing relationships with cooperatives in Rajasthan to help them produce high-quality products.

What is the worst part about being an entrepreneur?

"Dealing with papers and admin duties."

What is the one characteristic that you possess that has helped make you so successful?

"I am very persistent."

What obstacles did you face starting up, and how did you overcome them?

"My first obstacle was time & money, I think most people struggle with this! I just had a baby and I was struggling.

I had too many ideas and little time and money. But sometimes you have to be patient and imaginative."

What are your top 3 favorite things to do in the Bay Area?

"There are so many different things I like to do! I love to go to Ocean Beach watch the sunset or just read a book with the dunes behind me and the ocean in front. so pretty! I love to take a class at ODC, I don't go as much as I would like but they have so much different classes to offer, I love it and it feels so good! Another thing I enjoy a lot is going to concerts... I don't mind going to a concert even if I've never heard the music before, it makes me always in a very good mood for several days."