Industry player: Stacy Frati's Hialeah factory cranks out her Sweet Pea line

It is the late 1990s and grunge is all the rage. We're wearing Guess jeans and skorts while watching the first season of MTV's The Real World.

Fashion agent and native New Yorker Stacy Frati has a glaring hole in her closet. She spends her days with industry insiders, but she can't find a reliable, sexy, stylish top to wear with jeans. That elusive flirty shirt nags at her.

Frustrated, ambitious and in love with third-generation Italian textiler Mario Frati, she decides to take matters into her own hands -- and head to Miami.
And so began Sweet Pea by Stacy Frati, today a player in the $92 billion women's apparel business. The popular line of tops and dresses has since permeated the retail market, distinguished by its signature nylon mesh fabric.

Her flouncy baby doll tanks, flirty halter dresses and form-framing tunics hang on racks at Nordstrom, Anthropologie and local boutiques Scarlet and IOS. Frati introduces 25 new styles and patterns each month, steadily churning out a functional, sexy and inherently wearable line.
''The clothes have flavor,'' Frati says.

``They talk to you. They tell you which shoes match, what jewelry goes. You shouldn't have to worry about how to wear them.

''
Indeed, a crimson halter dress patterned with bright flowers screams flip-flops and funky necklace, while a black and white tunic calls out for ballet flats and pearls. Frati understands what the clothes say to her customers because she is one.
The beginning was 1992 -- Mario and Stacy were introduced at a restaurant in SoHo by a mutual friend.

One year later, they traded the snowy cold of New York for the blue skies of Miami. The two later married at the Coral Gables courthouse and became pregnant with their first child two months later (they now have three kids -- Lorenzo, 9; Emma, 6; and Eva, 4).
Sweet Pea by Stacy Frati was born in 1998.

Stacy handles design and sales while Mario oversees product and factory logistics, a partnership that's ''a great ride,'' she says.
``I don't ask why we don't have more sewing done in the Dominican Republic and he doesn't ask why we don't have a bubble skirt.''
There's no bubble skirt because Frati doesn't sense a need for one.

''I get ideas by looking at my wardrobe and seeing what's missing,'' she says. ``I am my target customer.''
Beyond herself, Frati envisions the Sweet Pea customer as 25 to 45 years old, fashionable and interested in looking pretty and feminine.

''She's not a fashion victim,'' she says. ''She likes to wear a blouse, rather than have the blouse wear her. And she's not making a big financial commitment to every piece of clothing she owns.

You can get value and have fashion without spending $300.'' Indeed, tops average $78 while dresses hover around $120.
Affordability and approachability are ingrained in the Sweet Pea line.

''You can tell what items will look like before you put them on,'' Frati says. ``If something makes it into your dressing room, chances are you'll buy it.''
That confidence comes from a steadfast belief in her designs as well as the flattering powers of nylon mesh.

''I've had such success with mesh,'' Frati says. ''It drapes without hugging -- it accentuates what you want it to and hides the rest.'' Beyond the fabric, much of Sweet Pea's appeal lies in the details.

Solid-color slip dresses are spiced up with color-blocked borders, and wrap tanks are accentuated with a bow around the waist.
Details like these have kept Sweet Pea front and center in Nordstrom for eight years. ''The Sweet Pea customer is really loyal to the brand,'' says Stephani Johnson, Nordstom East divisional merchandise manager for the store's Point of View trademark.

``The fit is so great and it's really easy to care for. Our employees love it as well, they get excited every time we get a new shipment in.''
All items with a Sweet Pea label originate from the company's buzzing Hialeah factory.

The 35,000-square-foot space has 40 to 50 employees who pump out an estimated $25-million worth of apparel every year, Frati says.
Everything from conception to shipment, other than the actual sewing, happens on site. First, Frati gets a design idea, finding inspiration from patterns, couture designers and magazines.

Then she works with a pattern maker to choose a color and create a computerized pattern. Next, a sample is created. If Frati approves, it heads to production.

Items are sent to sales reps throughout the country, who place orders with the Hialeah factory.
Fabric is then cut on site and shipped to Guatemala, El Salvador or the Dominican Republic for sewing. Completed pieces return three to four weeks later, then pass through quality control, where an employee hand-checks them for irregularities.

Finally, items are shipped to stores, where they battle for consumer cash against the likes of James Perse, Three Dot, Velvet and Ella Moss.
Sweet Pea has recently moved beyond tops and dresses to dabble in private labeling and maternity wear. It is even beginning to experiment with new fabrics, although Frati insists the nylon mesh will forever remain the company's focus.

The next step will be to inquire about licensing deals for denim, shoes, handbags and other markets. When asked what Sweet Pea will look like in 10 years, Frati laughs, then thinks about it.
''We'll still be here,'' she says.

``The same woman who wears us at 35 will be wearing us at 45. As long as I can still be at it, we'll still be out there.