"She Is Cheval"/ Interview with Cheval

This week I talk with Cheval.

From Becoming one of the most sought-after luxury bridal designers in the world (VOGUE’S TOP TEN), she brought over 10 product lines to market, contributing to a $220 million business. As the friendly designer and America’s bridesmaid on TLC’s, “Say Yes to the Dress,” she established a highly engaged personal brand.

Her designs have landed in over 250 locations, including Nordstrom wedding suite and BHLDN, and have been worn by noteworthy female icons like Dove Cameron, Carrie Underwood, and Chrissy Teigan. In 2017, she entered the tech space by developing and launching a wedding-focused emoji app, Holy Matrimoji that landed in the AppStore’s top 100 downloads on its debut. In 2018, she helped secure a licensing deal with Hearts on Fire diamonds, becoming their brand ambassador and designer.

After 9 years of working under a very one-sided employment contract, her former employer sued her in federal court and gained control of what she believed were her personal and highly valuable social media accounts. She resigned in December 2020, and her case has become a matter of public interest. Under the current preliminary injunction, she is prevented from using her own birth name in any business or commerce or even to publicly identify herself, she is not getting commission for her designs that are still being sold, and she is restricted from identifying herself as a designer to the trade in which her former employer competes until August of 2027.

Rather than waiting for luck to strike, she has decided to create her own. On August 8th, 2022, she publicly changed her name to C H E V A L and opened a new Instagram account. The public support has inspired her next mission in launching A GIRL YOU MIGHT KNOW FOUNDATION, a 501(c)(3) that provides resources to better protect the interests of young women and creatives during the formative years of their careers.

She is currently writing a memoir, focusing her skill set on upcycling wardrobes and rebranding under S H E I S C H E V A L, which will focus on product categories that are non-competitive with her former employer. This October, she is launching a specialty collection of women’s shoes and hosting a holiday pop-up store in NYC’s Southstreet Seaport. Working with entertainment manager, Danny Nozell, she is also exploring the costume and film space.

https://www.instagram.com/allthatglittersonthegram/
https://www.instagram.com/sheischeval/
https://sheischeval.com/password