Student Business Spotlight: Heartfelt Clothing

What started as a personal challenge quickly turned into a meaningful business idea for Southern Utah University student, Hannah Fairbanks. After struggling to find clothing that felt both modest and comfortable, she recognized a gap in the market and an opportunity to create something better. That realization sparked the beginning of her brand, Heartfelt Clothing, with its mission of helping women and girls feel confident and wear pieces that are comfortable and true to who they are.

While in college, the need for modest, comfortable, and stylish clothing became even more apparent to Fairbanks. After going on a mission for her church, an experience that deepened her desire to dress modestly, she found it difficult to find clothing that met all her needs. She needed pieces that were cute, comfortable, and aligned with her values.

"I just couldn't find clothes that were modest, cute, and comfortable," she shared. "That's when I started thinking, why not create something like that myself?"

This realization led her to switch her major to management, determined to learn how to build a business that could fill that gap. At first, the idea stayed in the background. It wasn't until she began thinking through names and branding in class, eventually landing on a name that felt personal to her, that the idea started to feel real. With each entrepreneurship course, her confidence grew.

"I wasn't looking to reinvent the wheel," she explained. "I just wanted to modify something to fit my needs."

At the same time, she found valuable insights by turning to the people around her. What started as just an idea to fix her personal fashion struggles, she found she was not the only one struggling.

"I would bring it up, and people agreed they were having the same problem," she said.

After much research, Fairbanks chose sweatshorts for her first launch, leaning into current trends of matching sets and athleisure while keeping the focus on versatile, everyday wear. She also designed a sleeveless hoodie to pair with the shorts, to capitalize on the trends. Currently, she is starting with more neutral colors , but she plans to expand as the brand grows.

At its core, Heartfelt Clothing is more than just clothes, it's a reflection of her values and beliefs. Fashion is a way to show that modesty doesn't have to come at the expense of style or comfort.

"I want to show that staying true to who you are can still be cute, comfortable, and possible," she said.

Having established that foundation, everything else, from product design to content creation, became more intentional. She describes the process as one guided not only by learning, but also by faith.

"Once I understood my purpose, I could be more specific in what I was asking for," she explained. "I feel like everything has fallen into place because of that mission."

Looking ahead, her long-term goal is to build a brand that consistently promotes modesty across a wide range of styles. While she's starting with sweatshorts, she plans to expand into other materials like denim and cotton, ensuring that popular trends are still accessible in a way that aligns with her brand. She's also working with a design intern to develop unique branding elements, including phrases and designs that will appear on future pieces.

Fairbanks hopes to eventually grow Heartfelt Clothing into a physical boutique, a reliable, one-stop shop for modest, fashionable clothing. Affordability will remain a key priority, as she wants her products to be accessible to the community she's trying to serve.

Throughout the process, she's embraced the learning curve that comes with entrepreneurship. From setting goals in her practicum course to building a Shopify website and experimenting with social media content, each step has helped her grow both personally and professionally.

Her advice to other students is simple: just start.

"Entrepreneurship is hard, but it's worth it," she said. "If you're passionate about something, go for it. Even if it doesn't work out, you'll learn. And if it does, that's even better."

Tags: Entrepreneurship School of Business

Contact Information

Brooke Heath
435-586-5400
brookeheath1@suu.edu