the bossbabe podcast - 193. Three Sisters, One Multi-Million Dollar Fashion Empire with Naked Wardrobe

Episode Date: November 16, 2021

Can you really mix friendship, family and business? This week’s guests think you can. Shirin, Shida, and Shideh Kaviani are the co-founders of Naked Wardrobe. When they started their everyday basics fashion line out of their family home, they had no idea it would soon become an iconic, highly-coveted brand worn by some of the world’s biggest celebrities.  (Think: Jennifer Lopez, Hailey Bieber, the Kardashians…you get the picture). Naked Wardrobe Reveal The Power Of Sisterhood In Business Partnership In this episode, the Kaviani sisters reveal how they pooled their individual talents to take the fashion industry by storm, using their unique family dynamic to their advantage. Plus, we unpack how they keep the peace in and out of the boardroom and celebrate their differences in equal, ever-evolving roles in a growing business.  If you’ve been looking for role models on how to yield incredible results within a business partnership – and never let feelings get in the way – look no further; this savvy family has all the answers. Listen now! Highlights: How Shirin, Shida, and Shideh went from sisters to CEOs What it’s really like to have J.Lo and the Kardashians buying from your business How to navigate business challenges in a close business dynamic Shirin, Shida, and Shideh’s unexpected perspective on marketing What you can do right now to set your business apart from the competition  Links: Curology  1-800 Flowers  Use code “BOSSBABE” for 20% off your order Follow: BossBabe: @bossbabe.inc Natalie Ellis: @iamnatalie Danielle Canty: @daniellecanty Naked Wardrobe: @nakedwardrobe Shideh Kaviani:@shidehk Shida Kaviani: @shidawashere Shirin Kaviani: @nakedshirin

We really show women that you don't have to look a certain type of way. It's really about how you feel. It's really about that. And our clothes reflect that. The types of messages that I enjoy reading are, Oh my God, I put on your dress and I feel like a bad bitch. Or like, I feel so good. Or just whatever that may be.

Like, they feel more powerful. And that drives us to do what we do in creating these products. So today is a real special one because we not only have one, not two, but three co-founders. We welcome on the Caviani sisters from Naked Wardrobe. So Shida, Shirin and Shide, they actually started their online clothing company from their parents' home just six years ago. And they turned an investment of $7,500 into a multi-million dollar enterprise. You guys, this is a must listen to to episode they shared with us how they went from selling knits to online to their celebrities to celebrities wearing them including Lady Gaga Jennifer Lopez Khloe Kardashian Kylie Jenner Chrissy Teigen like the list is literally endless

so there were so many takeaways in fact I'm really going to struggle highlighting them in this episode there were so many takeaways from here and I I'm really going to struggle highlighting them in this episode. There were so many takeaways from here. And I would really encourage you to listen. Like one thing that we really chatted about was the dynamics of starting a business with family. And I know that a lot of you listening might start with sisters, brothers, or parents or partners as well. So hearing their dynamics and how they've navigated that was really, really interesting. Then also for you who are listening and you might want to be starting a fashion brand or even a product-based businesses and the challenges that they experienced scaling it were also really, really interesting. So there's going to be so many takeaways from this episode. You are going to love it. So make sure you tag myself at Danielle Canty, tag Natalie at

IamNatalie and tag at bosswave.inc. And also bonus points if you check out naked wardrobe because I'm telling you like I was thinking okay celebs wear this it's gonna be really expensive but the clothes are beautiful they are affordable and the quality on them is next level so my wardrobe is now full of naked wardrobe and I would encourage you to fill yours with it too honestly just do something for yourself never mind Christmas and never mind buying presents for other family members treat yourself do it anyway i just wanted to plug them slightly because i have been very very impressed so without further ado okay so we've got five chatty women in the room. Let's see if this podcast runs on time. So, three sisters built a multi-million dollar fashion empire.

How on earth did this come about? Where do we begin? Where do we start? Started above the garage. At our parents' house back in 2012. It'll be our nine-year anniversary on October 24th. It feels like 20 years. I'm not going to lie.

It really does. Feels like yesterday for me. Does it? Yeah. Well, we started nine years ago above the garage in Sheetan's old bedroom. Love of fashion. We were all in completely different places professionally. I was

unemployed at the time I had just gotten laid off in Getty Images yeah I was like the the thick of the global not the global crisis but the economic crisis yeah recession and I was working at an engineering company as a business system analyst wow so really different completely songwriting as well I just went wholeheartedly into songwriting and then Shireen and she did had started a fashion company about a year and a half prior to Naked Wardrobe and I did I just went into songwriting and I didn't want to go into have anything to do with it yeah and so it really it didn't get off the ground. And so we all went our separate ways. And a year and a half later, they decided to come together and start another clothing

brand. And at that time, Instagram had just launched. And they sat me down and they said, we want to give this another go, but we need you on board. And I was like, I don't know. I'm kind of hesitant. And my parents said, give it a shot. See what happens.

If it becomes successful, you can a shot. See what happens. If it becomes successful, you can do songwriting on the side. And so I'll let you take it from here. I feel like for me, I've always had a love for fashion. I studied fashion design in college, so it was kind of natural for me. I didn't want to just come out of college and just start my own line per se, just because it was a tricky time. It was a time where people were investing business, but they weren't able to become successful just because of everything that was happening economically. So I knew that that's not what I wanted to do in terms of coming out of school and starting my own line. So I went and I worked in production actually for lingerie. And I loved

what I learned there. I learned so much about manufacturing and just the whole process of importing and all those things and all the technical side of design. So after I came out of my job, I was super unhappy. There was a family business that I was working for and I just didn't like the environment. I didn't think it was healthy. So I took a step back and I was unemployed for a few months. And I decided one day while I was in bed watching Desperate Housewives that I wanted to go back into it and go back into fashion. And so I spoke to my sisters. Again, we were all in completely different places at that time professionally. So getting them on board with the vision. And so we started off just buying clothes in downtown in the wholesale district. And at that time, and I'm

sure still now, you only had to buy six garments, six pieces was the minimum per style. So we figured if we can buy six pieces, keep, you know, one or two or three of them, depending on who liked what, we could sell the other pieces and, you know, we can make this money to like look cute. And if it turns into this business, great, that was just a bonus. And so it started off that way. And even in the wholesale district, we were so incredibly particular and picky about what we bought. I remember going into every store and the sales people always wanting to sell me like, oh, everyone's buying this. I was like, oh, well, I don't want that. I want something different. I want something unique. I want something that no one has or no one is thinking to buy. So it really started that way and just

being that particular about the brand, even at that point in time. And then I don't think we ever imagined that it would turn into what it did. And I would say that we're incredibly lucky and blessed to be here and to see what the brand has grown into since then. If you told us nine years ago, we would be sitting here nine years later, I would not have believed you. Well, you know, Sheeta told me actually, like this was probably three months in because from the first day that we launched, our friends and family all supported us. My, not elementary school, she was my middle school best friend. She was like one of the first three orders that was placed on our website. So it was so many people supported us. We have such a great

support system where we're from. And so everyone really joined forces and came to, you know, really support our new endeavor. Yeah. Our parents are such entrepreneurs, you know, like my mom is like such a business person. She's an asset to any company. Right. And my dad has tried so many different businesses. And we've watched him. Yeah. We've been always part of that. So we always kind of felt like we do a business or like kind of start, but we never thought that it would just. What I was going to say was a couple months into it, Sheeda told me, she's like,

if we can just make 400 bucks a day, we're set. And I was like, okay, like that's a great goal. I remember we were like wholeheartedly like, wow, that would be like everything to us. And didn't you blow that out the water on you before we kind of go on to that i really want to ask because what i'm really curious about is one that your family really encouraged you to do it together and two that you even wanted to do it together in the first place like were you like best friends growing up like what were the dynamics of

three sisters because your age there's what six years there's a there's a big gap yeah there's a big gap two with me four words yeah sure no six with us yeah when we were younger we always had garage sales and lemonade stands and I remember when I was about I want to say nine or ten she then was holding a sign up for free lemonade. I was getting the money, obtaining the funds. Free lemonade? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So when we were kids, she then would hold up the sign. I would obtain and collect the funds and Shireen would make fresh squeezed watermelon juice and all the fresh lemonade everything you could think about that was refreshingly fresh and every cup every cup was 15

cents and our quality was fresh juice so even then we were all about affordable quality all these years later we're executing and really reflecting that into our brand today. Yeah. Our parents are so very conscious of having us be like on the same level.

Incredibly close. Yeah. Very close and equal. Very, very, like I know my parents, my mom in particular, like if she buys us something, she'll buy it for all three of us.

You know, she doesn't, everyone, she just wants us all to feel like on the same level. Or to not debate or argue, like why did you get that? No, you're kidding. No, well, you know, no doesn't, everyone, she just wants us all to feel like on the same levels. Or to not debate or argue. Like, why did you get that? No, you're kidding.

No, you know, no family's perfect. Everyone has their, their flaws or their disagreements. But I think for my mom, she was like, if I could do one thing and just kind of keep you guys as close and together as possible, you guys can conquer anything. And that's really been, you know, how, how we've been raised. And so it's a reflection of how we do business together we always get asked that question like how is it like working together and we're always like the fact that we play completely different roles over time we have overlapped a little bit but that was because we've asked it and I think for me in particular I've always been into the design and production aspect of the business and I got to a point where I was

so overwhelmed I was like she didn't I need your with that. Like come sit in fittings with me. And even though she's the techie side of the business, I was like, she's such a creative Gemini. She's such a visionary that I really wanted to bring her in and get her eye and get her opinion on things. And even with Sheeda, like when it comes to PR, she'll drag me, well not drag me, but she'll ask me to come and, you know, help and give my opinion with things too. And I think we respect each other and we respect the lanes that we're in, but we know when to be there for each other and to really just be an anchor to one another in the business. We're a very close unit and team. I mean, we'll bicker.

We're sisters at the end of the day, but we're so passionate about what we do and our love for the brand and that supersedes everything I'm still being on my own on my own words but we know each other's strengths and weaknesses what was the point in the business where you felt like oh this could actually be a real thing we could make more than four hundred dollars a day when Carmen Electra wore naked wardrobe that's. That's when you... So how far into the business was that? About a year or less,

I want to say. I feel like for me, I felt that way maybe six months into the business. It didn't take me a year to get to that point. We started sending out packages

to different celebrities. Of course, being born and raised in LA, we had a lot of connections, knew a lot of people. A lot of celebrities live out here. And so once we started to hit the ground running with that, we realized that we didn't want

to just buy from the wholesale district anymore. We wanted to really create our own brand. And so we did that and we put our everything into these products that we were developing. And so seeing people wearing the brand and really respecting what we were doing, I think that was the pivoting point for me personally, where I was like, wow, this is something that we really have to hone in on and develop and really build upon. And so for me personally, I think that that was the moment that I realized that we have something special. Yeah. I mean, I always felt like there was potential, but to be honest, I kept my day job for three years into the business. You did? Yeah. I didn't quit my job until like- You worked two shifts.

Yeah. Because I just never knew. You just didn't know what was going to happen. So I was like, I knew there was potential. I just kept putting my like literally two shifts, full-time job doing this, full-time job. You worked a night shift. Yeah. I think that's actually something that a lot of founders do, which actually goes unspoken. I was the same. We started in February, 2018. I didn't give up chiropractic. So I was the same. We started in February 2018. I didn't give up chiropractic. So I was doing chiropractic in the UK until September 2019. Wow. So I kept all that time.

Natalie was full time and I would do it as like the side hustle at the weekend. That was shooting for us. But you guys were full time? We were full time. Also, going back to the question, I thought you met when a celebrity was wearing it. But what I really felt it hit me was when we outgrew the space that we started in and we had to transition into another warehouse. That to me was when I knew that, wow, this can keep growing and we can outgrow that building and keep this momentum going. Okay, so let's go back to that journey.

So it's 2012, you've decided to set up this fashion company. You're like, we just need $400 a day. You launch. And we're set. And we're set. Yeah, that's what we need. Like, guys, let's go. Let's go.

You launch, and within six months, it was starting to be featured by celebrities. I would say something like that. Oh, I don't remember. I want to say within that year. Six months to a year. I can't remember. Yeah, it was probably six months. Was it. I don't remember. I want to say within that year. Six months to a year. I can't remember. Yeah, it was probably six months.

Was it? I don't remember. That's a good question. I think Jesse James Decker wore the brand at that point. Yeah. It happened very quickly. It did. So I want to understand, how intentional was that?

Because you mentioned that you were in LA. You knew people. Is that what your marketing strategy was, getting off this ground? You were like, right, this is what we're going to focus on. Not at all. Not at all. We were more focused on the product. The product's at hand.

We wanted to make sure that when the celebrity started wearing it, that was when we were buying. And we realized that we had to do something different and step back. That's what it was. Because if she's wearing something we purchased, then other people can claim that. Which people were? Which other competitors of ours were?

So we had to sit back and re-evaluate everything and really pivot the brand and start curating our own collections exclusively. And so what was that marketing strategy at the beginning? Because for a lot of people, when they start a company, they could only dream of having celebrities in their clothes and that level of demand. But it sounds like from the get-go, you had your strategy dialed in. What did that look like? I think for me personally, when it comes to the brand, seeing celebrities wearing it wasn't like, oh my God, the celebrity's wearing the brand. It was more so, oh my goodness, we didn't pay this celebrity to wear this brand. They chose to wear this brand. We must be doing something right. Let's continue to really focus on the

quality of the product and let's continue to let the product speak for itself. I think that's really what it was. It wasn't more so like, oh, is Jennifer Lopez wearing naked wardrobe? It's, oh my God, Jennifer Lopez has access to any designer, anything out there. And she's choosing to wear a naked wardrobe on a daily basis. So I think that that was just something rewarding for us to know that everything that we were putting into the brand that we thought was laying out the foundation of the brand

was rightfully so. That's such a smart reframe, actually, that a lot of people miss. I think they really focus on that marketing, but do forget that when you have a quality product, even if sometimes it's a little bit slower to get off the ground,

those customers will keep coming back to you. They'll spread that word of mouth. They'll post about it because they enjoy it. That's exactly what it is. I think that's the core of our brand. The organic growth and kind of having that organic business and the customers coming in. From the beginning, we were lucky enough

to get on social media early. We were one of the first brands on it. So we kind of utilize that platform to kind of grow our business and use our customers to help us grow word of mouth, you know, posting something. And then we've never paid for marketing essentially. I mean, I think we started putting up some billboards. What was it like two, three years ago before then we had never paid anyone to wear the brand, post the brand. It really truly was. Yeah, we still don't. It truly is organic and authentic. Even

some of my girlfriends that are influencers that get paid by, you know, our competitors, they even wear naked wardrobe when, when they, when they post, cause they're like, I just love the way your stuff fits and I can't find something on so-and-so's website. So, you know, I obviously still have to take this picture. So they do. And these other brands, they, they're not focused on quality. They're, they're focused on quantity and they produce so many SKUs and so many products that they wouldn't even be able to tell whether you were wearing their brand or not. But for us with the beauty, like we'll be scrolling through social media and I'll be like, oh my God, that's our body. Like I know it, you know, cause I'm in every fitting. I pick the fabric. I'm so heavily involved. And I know

Sheeran is too. And even Sheeda, we always like loop her in and reel her in on what we're doing product wise. It's each one is our baby. So I think that that's like the end result and the end product that people see and they have appreciation for. It's really what we've put into the product and the brand. We don't want to just be a lifestyle brand. We want to be here for many, many years to come. And that's why we're doing what we're doing now to make sure that we're... Our foundation is right. The foundation is right and for us to be an everlasting brand. Absolutely.

So I'm going to move on to this episode to tell you about one of our partners. So I want to ask you this question first. Do you know how when you're dealing with an issue yourself and you just kind of become a little bit unhealthily obsessed by looking around at other people and comparing yourself to everyone, it's not healthy, it's not ideal, but it happens. Well, for me, I do and have done that with my skin because I've always really struggled with my skin. And whenever I see how good someone else's skin looks, I always end up comparing myself to theirs

and kind of feeling not jealous, but kind of a little bit like insecure, like, oh, I wish my skin looked as good as theirs, and having nice skin has always felt so unachievable for me, you know, you kind of get used to it being bad, and I swear I've literally used every product out there and either just doesn't work for me or it dries my skin out to the point of looking all flaky and quite frankly disgusting and it's been really really discouraging like I've literally seen some of the best dermatologists and got nowhere from there and just tried some of the most harsh products that just have actually made things worse. And one of my friends told me about Curology. And honestly, I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Another product. I'm not a fine. I was, I didn't even try it initially. They told me about it and I was kind

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I promise you won't regret it. Now, our second partnership for this episode is with 1-800-Flowers. So with the holidays rapidly approaching, I know, right? I don't even know how we're in November, honestly. I think I'm really struggling and I'm not the only person doing this who really struggles finding the perfect gifts for people, struggles finding the time. Like honestly, holiday shopping is hard in general, but I think when you're running a business, it's like a whole other level. You're trying to think about who you work with this year,

you're going to get gifts for your clients, you're going to get gifts for your family, and just generally just running around. And it's a lot, you know, and I don't want to get into the whole like, oh, here's the Starbucks gift card, you know, I don't want that. So one of my new gift giving hacks that I'll let you in on is actually 1-800-Flowers. I know it might sound like they're just a flower website, but they're actually so much more. They've got amazing gift baskets. They've got beautiful bundles and these little keepsake gifts that feel really, really personal. And then of course, they have the most amazing flower arrangements that really warm up any home during the holiday season and that you'll actually feel proud to send. You know, there's nothing worse around sending a gift of flowers and it turns

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so what I'm really curious about is you were talking about your roles differing so much I would love to hear from each of you what your role was when the company first started and how that's evolved to now. Because I mean, we've only been in business for three years now, three and a half. And I feel like we've already changed roles so many times, we were so many halves. And so I'd love to hear over nine years

what that's looked like. We did everything. Everything from customer service to buying to pulling, picking, packing, shipping. We've done it all, yeah. With our grandparents. Yeah, I mean, when I started. It was a family affair. Yeah.

It was a family affair initially. My grandma would help us, you know, unbag things and help clean up. My dad would help us pack and label packages. And it was just, it was- And mom would come and do the night shift and make sure everything was organized. She was working 6 a.m. to like 10 p.m. My mom's an OCD organizer.

And she would come in the morning at night and clean everything that way. It was ready and organized for the next day. Yeah, we did it all. And she was also the photographer the first six months. Oh yes, fun fact. Starting out, I think it did it all. And she was also the photographer the first six months. Oh, yes, fun fact. Starting out, I was the photographer.

The techie was a photographer. She was a photographer. So, Shereen, what about you? She didn't even know how to use a camera, just so you know why. No, I had no idea

how to use a camera. My dad's friend had a camera shop, so he gave us a camera and some umbrellas. And I was like, yeah, it works. Let's do this.

And it started out that way yeah our cousin was the model she was an attorney by day and she would come model at night and uh it was it was a family affair I honestly forget sometimes where it all started but one of my girlfriends actually I just um not helped her but was there for her to guide her and just with any questions that she had with starting her own business and so we were I was kind of laying out the foundation. I was like, you need this, this printer, you need this, you need that. And me and she were helping her get set up. And it literally took me back. I was like, oh my God. Like, I remember I had this printer and it would stop working every five minutes. And she was like, the same thing's

happening to me. And I was just, it just took me back to that moment where we used to do it all. Yeah. So hands-on. Not that we're not, to do it all. Yeah, so hands-on. Not that we're not. I think even now we're so incredibly hands-on, which is why we've been able to differentiate ourselves, I think, within this sector. But really thinking about where we came from and how it all started, it's surreal.

It really is. But we did it all. It was important that we knew every avenue of the business. That way, once it scaled up and it grew, we knew how to tailor it or pivot as needed. And I feel like a lot of people, there's a lot of family businesses out there. How have you maintained a relationship as sisters

and a relationship as co-workers? I know we're together, always talking business, but then we'll talk personal. We mix it, but at the end of the day- Sometimes I'm like, I don't want to hear it. Like no more business. Like I have to shut off because also I am a workaholic. My brain is 24 seven.

We run an e-comm brand. So it is 24 seven. But when we're together, sometimes I'm like, no, like I don't want to hear it. Like just, we got to turn it off for like 30 minutes. But it's so easy for us. I feel like it's the transition from work. I mean, we even lived together up until recently.

Tell me that story. You were both living together. I'm doing this? Before I met my husband, yes. Why didn't you guys have a TV show when you were living together? We've been approached by like hundreds, hundreds of production companies. But, you know, it's cancel culture. So you got to also be, you know,

really careful about what you put out there. And we're super raw and authentic. And I can't imagine being in front of a camera 24-7. Yeah, I don't feel like anyone would like me after a camera in my face. Our father would be great in front of the camera. He's the comedian of the family. No, we would actually,

people that know us tell us that all the time. have such different personalities every single one of us so it would make for great tv but i think that the beauty about us is that we are a little bit on the back end of things and that we didn't want everything out there we really wanted the brand to be the focus and for people to have that deep appreciation and love for for what we do in the product line so yeah yeah we also going back to your question of us living together i i think i was 30 i moved out and they were everyone was i screamed so upset because you were living out well i'm a cry baby cancer the bird left the nest so i was like oh my god i 30. One person is missing from our five unit family. So you're living with your power.

Yeah, we were. I sat my parents and she sat down and I said, let Shireen go live her life. My dad didn't talk to me for like three months. No. Okay, he's also a cancer, so he's incredibly sensitive. But she's a Scorpio. So she's like, go. She's fierce.

But after six months when she moved out we purchased our first house together our first home so yes we did we did come back again but initially just you know we're just such a tight-knit family

that even when one person wasn't home at that time the energy of the house just seemed like not as high and it just like I felt like something was missing every time and so when she told me she was moving out I was like no like you can't. And so when she told me she was moving out, I was like, no, you can't go. But she did.

She went. And then, yes, we ended up buying a house. We're also into real estate. That's our side hustle and something that we're incredibly passionate about. Our parents have always been into it. So we were looking for a house at that time. It was actually a few years we were looking. She couldn't be apart from Shireen.

So we found a house, and we all moved in together. And my fiance at the time, actually, as well, all four of us moved in together. And we had a blast until we slowly but surely all went our separate ways. Yeah, she then moved out first. And then I moved out. And then she moved out with her fiance. I did. And then she moved out with her fiance.

My boyfriend. Well, my boyfriend, then fiance. Boyfriend, right, boyfriend, right. And then they left me alone. We didn't leave you alone. Your best friend moved in. She was living with you. She moved in and then, and then me and you ended up moving in together. Yes. Once I was single again, I was like, why don't you come move in with me? And we can, you know, either sell the property that you're in or rent it out. Something, obviously, to go with our real estate business. And she ended up moving in. And we lived together for, what, the last four years?

Yeah. Four years together. Which is great because we work together. I mean, some people would say this is like torture. But we would work together at work and then come home and still work. Yeah, I just didn't turn off. It was just a lot easier that way for me. She's a great roommate.

Like the best of the best. And a great chef. She cleans. She cooks. And she's so to herself. Like she just will go in her room. She just does her own thing. And I'm very like,

I want to be around my friends all the time. Like what's going on? Like every night I'm like, I need plans. So it was a great dynamic. When all three of us lived together, it was a great dynamic. And when me and Shane were together, it was lovely too. So I'm assuming like you say, great dynamics, but let's be honest in business, whether it's your sisters or not sisters, being co-founders involves a lot of good communication. There's going to be times when you're like, no,

I just really disagree with this. I don't think this is the way we should do something. What are some of the biggest challenges you've had with your relationship in terms of business and the direction that you take your company? Let's take a quick pause to talk about my new favorite all-in-one platform, Kajabi. You know, I've been singing their praises lately because they have helped our business run so much smoother and with way less complexity which I love not to mention our team couldn't be happier because now everything is in one place so it makes collecting data, creating pages, collecting payment, all the things so much simpler. One of our mottos at Boss Babe is simplify to amplify and Kajabi has really helped us do that this year

so of course I needed to share it here with you. It's the perfect time of year to do a bit of spring cleaning in your business, you know? Get rid of the complexity and instead really focus on getting organized and making things as smooth as possible. I definitely recommend Kajabi to all of my clients and students. So if you're listening and haven't checked out Kajabi yet,

now is the perfect time to do so because they are offering boss babe listeners a 30-day free trial go to kajabi.com slash boss babe to claim your 30-day free trial that's kajabi.com slash boss babe god challenge i would say turning it off that well not really i feel like when it comes to our dynamic that we really don't have challenges because i think we just know each other so well and we know yeah we know like buttons to push and we just you know and what button is not to push and we just know and we know when it comes to our business that's like what's really important and we all have the same common goal goal in mind

when it comes to the brand so i feel like we always come in from that angle of it. But usually if there is some type of challenge or disagreement upon us, we like to go like two against one. Majority rules. Majority rules. Which two people agree that's what we're going to go with? The third person must be wrong here.

Why or why not? We should or shouldn't do something. But I feel like that kind of goes back to like our family values and just how we were raised. We're so respectful of each other. I feel like that doesn't mean we're perfect and we can't get disrespectful sometimes because we're sisters. It happens. But I think 99% of the time, truly, we really get along. And it's because we really understand each other. We know each other's strengths, weaknesses, what annoys one another. And so I think that we play on those things. We always talk about Boss Babe being like our baby.

And it's like, you have to do best by the baby. It's not about either one of us, the ego, nothing like that. It's like, how do we take care of this baby as best as possible? That's exactly how we operate our business. I couldn't have put it into better words. That's exactly how it goes for us. It's our child. It's our baby. What's best for our baby? It's not for me. It's not for her.

We're so different in our own personal lives and our style and just so many different factors of our own lives that we can't bring our personal business into the company. I feel like we leave that at the door. And even thinking about the company today, we even ask ourselves, how can we continue to make the brand grow? And even then we sit down and talk because no matter where you are in life, there's always room to grow, room to expand. You can't get too comfortable. You don't want to get comfortable. Yeah. I was going to ask you that. Like, how do you stay relevant? Because I feel like the fashion industry is always changing. And like you said, like people copying you, like, oh,

like I'm seeing the style. Let's just make this. How do you stay relevant so that customers keep coming back when you attract new customers as well? I mean, it's really the product. It really boils down to the product and creating something that's timeless, that's classic, that's affordable, that's high quality. Also, she didn't, you know, being so creative, she's always adamant about not following trends and she always wants to, thank you. She always wants to make sure that we're doing, you know, that we're creating the trends and that we're setting the tone. And so being ahead is really our key point and just making sure that we practice those things when it comes to business. And we also want it to be as accessible as possible, but selectively and Naked Wardrobe is also in all Nordstrom stores and Macy's and we're actually

discussing expanding internationally and establishing wholesale partnerships as well. So we're looking to really take over the world I want to say. We want to go throughout the consumer's lives whether it's you know them being single, whether it's them being career driven, whether it's them being a mother, whether it's them having children, whether it's them being career-driven, whether it's them being a mother, whether it's them having children, whatever that may be. We just want to make sure that our product offering reflects

wherever they're going throughout their lives. So I feel like having those things in mind too, you won't forget about us throughout your life. And talk to me a little bit about your Instagram strategy. So you got on there early. It's obviously been a big needle mover for your business. What did you do right then? And what have you continued to do to iterate? I think for us, the most important thing that we've done right is remaining organic and

really not feeding into, you know, the, not that the influencer realm isn't powerful because it's incredibly powerful. We, we've seen it firsthand. And again, we know so many people within that business. And so it's very much a part of the world that we live in. However, I think for us, just even being from the consumer side of it, when you're scrolling and you see so-and-so posting about this brand, you know now. It's not like it was seven years ago where you're like, oh, I need that. She loves that. Now, when someone posts something, you're like, well, do they actually love it or did they just put it on, take a picture and take it right off? So being authentic in that way and really having people post about the brand and want to share

with their users about the brand, I think has been incredibly important in our strategy. But Instagram is such a powerful tool, the most powerful tool, I think has been incredibly important in our strategy. But Instagram is such a powerful tool, the most powerful tool, I would say, across the board for any company, for any brand in any sector. So really, it's just truly being organic. That's like the main thing for us.

And creating really great, fresh content, content that's attainable for the user, that they can recreate, that they can get excited about, that they can insert themselves into, being relatable to the user, inspiring the users, I think that that's the most important thing. And when we first launched back in 2012, one of our early conversations, when they said, Shida, you have to come on board, and I was hesitant, I said, I'll come on board on one condition, and they said, what's your condition? And I remember at that time, so many heavy hitters, their models were so frail and so they looked unhealthy and it just didn't look, it didn't sit right with me.

Well, that was fashion. That was what fashion was. That's what fashion was. But I also knew there are so many women having eating disorders because they thought that's what beauty reflects and what beauty is. So I sat down with my sisters and I said, if we do this, we have to bring on models that are relatable, that are healthy, that eat, that have curves and just be diverse. Some can have curves and some don't need to, but just to have a good... I mean, we have such different body types, us three. We always say that, but it's true. It's a fact. We have completely different body types. So being able to reflect that into the brand was so important. And the image of the brand.

Absolutely. And so we all agreed on that. And here we are today. Yeah. You see so many fuller figured models now. It's, there's such a literally. Embrace your body. Yeah.

It's such a powerful moment. And I think that social media and that platform is so incredibly heavy and it can be so influential to the users that it's important that we put the right message out. And it's important that we use our platform and we really show women that you don't have to look a certain type of way. You don't have to, it's really about how you feel. It's really about that. And our clothes reflect that. The types of messages that, you know, I enjoy reading are, oh my God, I put on your dress and I feel like a bad bitch, or I feel so good, or just whatever that may be. They feel more powerful. And that drives us to do what we do in creating

these products and just making sure that we maintain everything that we've promised to put out there when it comes to our brand. I think that's just so powerful. And from the conversation that we're having here today, I'm just really hearing that you went into this with very clear values that you haven't compromised on, you know, whether it's like how you treat yourselves or, you know, the message that you want for your consumers. And you went in with an uncompromisable, like, this is what our product is. This is a quality that we're going to produce over and over again. And I think when you have those values and that, you know, putting that product first, I think it's important for those who remember they're doing that, but they don't always seem like that lift straight away. Those results like keep going

in that because it takes time. But what you, like you said earlier, you're building strong foundations. And I think that's, what's really matters with businesses. Businesses actually really come and go. That's my end. Like actually I didn't realize that I don't think before as an entrepreneur, how many businesses will come, they will fail and they will go. You have to think, okay, if I want to build this for the longterm, what do I need in place to make sure I always have customers coming back and, you know, have a good reputation. I think for us, we were incredibly lucky that we had a lot of people around us that we saw have really lucrative, successful businesses. And all of a sudden they crashed and they burned. And

being able to see them go from this high to this low, we always want to humble ourselves. Even our mom, she literally, she reminds us once a week, like, don't think just because you're hot right now, you can't be cold tomorrow. Just make sure that you're always cautious of everything around you. And so I think that that's something that we've been instilled with,

and it's incredibly real. And as an entrepreneur, you really have to leave your ego at the door. You have to leave your pride there. You have to leave all that there and just really focus on what it is and continuing to pivot as needed. I mean, even through quarantine, right before everything that happened with COVID, we had decided we wanted to, you know, everyone was going out, influencers. It was just a moment of everyone being out all the time. There was always an event. There was always something to

do. So we were like, okay, let's repivot. Let's, you know, of course we have our core basics, but how can we add layers? So we were like, we were going to do these going out pieces and these statement pieces, as we called them. They were sequins. They were crystals. They were, it was just, you know, stuff that you wanted to go out. Yeah. And just, you know, have a good time in. And then literally COVID hit and we were like, okay, re-pivot. And just making sure that you do those things and you react in such a way when need be, I think those things will help prevent you from that failure. But also something that I'm incredibly aware of is that failure is always an option. And I'm never fearful to fail. I actually encourage it because I want to learn what I did wrong and I want to rebuild and I want to

strengthen that aspect. And so I think for me personally, it's not a fear that I have. And it's something that you really have to go through. I mean, Sheeta mentioned earlier, we had started this same business a couple of years before Naked Wardrobe and we failed at it. We couldn't get it off the ground. We couldn't get our website up and running. We just, we couldn't do it and we failed. And when we, when we came back again, we were like, okay, these were the things we did wrong. And we made sure that we didn't repeat those mistakes. And so it's part of the process. It really is. It's part of the process. And I always encourage women like to not be scared of failure. And unless you take that leap of faith, you're not going to get that

big outcome that you're envisioning. What do you think your biggest failures have been? Like what are things that you're like, wow, this you think your biggest failures have been? Like, what are things that you're like, wow, this is really fricking humbling and really hard? I don't know about humbling and hard, but what I was going to say when it comes to failure was that we were so adamant about not being in the forefront of the business and being so almost secretive. We just didn't want to put ourselves out there. Sheena fear of like you know an angry customer who's showing up to her door just you know something going wrong no just not letting the business be yes you know there are so many fears it is a scary world we live in you know let's be let's be honest here you just never know and so if you piss off the wrong person or you upset the wrong person that's true um you just never know what can happen and so she was like

i just don't want anyone to know that i'm involved with this brand. And then that was kind of the beginning of Naked Wardrobe. And as things grew, we noticed how important it was to really put ourselves out there, to show other women that we can do it, that we are all capable and really empower women and send that message out. And so I think the failure, I would say, is that we didn't do it sooner and that we didn't share with people even from the beginning of our journey and that they kind of missed the first half of it

because that was really the funnest, most exciting, most difficult part of our journey. And so I think that not being able to share that was probably it. But we can share it now. And so talk to us a little bit about where your business is now. So we've heard so much of where you started above the garage. Talk to us about now, what does your team look like?

What does your space look like? What do you each work on on a daily basis? Sure, who wants to take the lead there? We all wear a lot of hats. I would say when it comes to our team, it's as important to us as everything else with the brand, the DNA of the brand. I mean, something that we continue to stress on a daily basis is we want everyone to enjoy working at Naked Wardrobe. We want a healthy environment. I mentioned earlier that I quit my job before Naked Wardrobe because it was an unhealthy environment. I think for us,

and Sheetal working in corporate and even Sheetal working in corporate prior, we didn't want that environment necessarily. We wanted it to be more of a family business. Even as big as we are, we still run it that way. We still run it like a family business. I'm incredibly close with everyone on my team. We're so involved. And I think it's so important to us that they all get along and that they really understand that we're nothing without them and that without them, this thing would just crumble. And so being able to share this moment with them, I think, is really important for us. Yeah, we've been really lucky. We have a great team that has our back, who same values as us. They love the business as much as us yes yeah they they

too call it their baby you know yes they do so it's just very important it's it's very hard to find really good people to to bring into your absolutely take care of your baby your business but it took years it took years to get to for me personally to get comfortable with delegating and not doing so much of it myself and not taking on every little thing because I do wear a lot of hats. I do for the first- Five years, five, six years. Six years I was designing all by myself. And so doing that, doing social media and just also the business side of things. I'm so involved with that. You're on photo shoots all the time too. Oh yeah, no, I did too much and I got really burnt out.

And so she didn't really like sat me down and she's like, you got to learn to delegate. We have a great team. Don't be scared to trust them. And so slowly- Yeah, it's important to us. Like you don't have, you can make a mistake. We'll learn from our mistakes.

And like, I was like, just let go. And I can be more valuable in other places. My expertise learn from our mistakes. And like, I was like, just let go. And I can be more valuable in other places. My expertise may lie somewhere else. And so having that time and that being able to kind of pass those things off and have help with them allowed me to focus more so on other things. For example, like being here today with you girls, if this was a few years ago, I wouldn't have had the time to be able to sit here and share my journey. And so I think that being able to really branch out and send, I think for us, it's really important that we not pave the way, but send the ladder down and help other women and inspire other women to start their own businesses and guide them and consult and whatever that may look like.

And so being able to sit here with you ladies, that's such a part of that journey for us. So having that freedom to do so has been exciting. And how big is your team now? We're about 50 people in the office. And then we have about, I would say, 30 external. Wow, so really big team. I was like, it's so small. I feel like it's so small still.

Everyone always goes, wow, you guys are so small for what you guys do. We're like, yes. And we outgrew our current space. So now we're looking for an even bigger facility yeah we've been looking for years good growing yeah yes so quick fire around the table what your rules look like now what each of you do and what what you own i i handle and oversee hr from overseeing what is on the website, from copywriting to making sure everything is running smoothly.

What else do I do? Marketing, PR. I recently brought her into international wholesale. I was like, I need you to help with that. Because also I think it's important that when we bring on new partnerships that us three are personally involved with those and we're able to really show the message and really tell our story. So that's a new.

I'm wearing like new hats. New hat you're wearing. I don't know what I'm not doing. Let's just put it that way. But I'm so grateful and so blessed. I love working with my sisters. And we just spoke about our team. They're exceptional and so amazing.

And I'm just grateful all around. Yeah. I'm pretty much just the hat that I'm the company. You do all things IT and operations. I do IT operations. I'm in production.

Website design. Everything you see from the tagging. She does graphics. The graphics. The polymailers. She designs everything. Yeah, I just like to have

my hand in everything. Every department, you know. I just make them all function and work together. It's just my favorite thing to my hand in everything, every department, you know, and just make them all function and work together. It's just my favorite thing to do. But also, she's such a creative, again. So it's having that— Mindset.

Not even the mindset, just making sure that whatever we put out is a reflection of what we see Naked Wardrobe as. And so just being incredibly hands-on. I think that even something down to, like, doing the graphics for the homepage, she's like, no, I want to do it. We'll work on that together, like the tagline, the slogan. Yeah, she'll send it. She'll be like, what do you think? Like, does this look good? Like, should I change the font? What do you...

It's a team effort. She'll text me at one o'clock in the morning, did you come up with the idea? I'm like, I'm sleeping. We enjoy it. We love it at the end of the day. We're always on, our minds are always working. Honestly. And then of course, I'm all things'm sleeping we enjoy it we love it at the end of the day we're always on our minds are always working honestly and then of course I'm all things design

production and even social I love that I love how you guys divide and conquer that's like Natalie and I but you've got an eye on everything

oh no we get that from our mom yeah she has eyes like on the back of her head on her arms she will literally call me or not call me but she'll text me at like 3 o'clock in the morning We get that from our mom. Yeah. She has eyes like on the back of her head or arms. She will literally call me or not call me,

but she'll text me like three o'clock in the morning. She'll be like, oh, there's a letter off in your caption or, you know, like something. Like she's just on top of everything. Big Scorpio energy, but she's on top of everything. It's awesome. Yeah. So we've learned from her to really, you know,

take on a little bit of everything and being able to juggle it. And also another thing that we will be doing come this winter, we'll be going on a Nordstrom tour. So we'll be traveling and visiting different Nordstrom stores, meeting our clients, doing fittings. We're super excited about that. And just so many things in between. So we'll be planning to do that on top of everything we just said. I love that. Well, listen, you guys have

built such an inspiring brand and I love the values that it sits on. Those people that have been listening today and felt really inspired, where can they find your products, find you guys? Do you want to give your social handles? Sure. My social handle is Shida K and we are... Do you want to spell it? Oh, S-H-d-e-h-k we can put links you can shop our brand on our website naked wardrobe.com and of course we are available as she mentioned on macy's.com on nordstrom.com we're in all nordstrom stores and 150 macy's stores. A Macy's store near you. Yes. I love that. With a wink. With a wink.

I'm Sheeta. My Instagram handle is SheetaWasHere. I say that. Yes, she was. I got that from the Beyonce song, I Was Here. I never knew that.

I love that song so much. Fun fact. Since the beginning, Sheeta Was Here. I have the best name. My name is Naked Sheeting. Oh, nailed it nailed it yeah you did you win

I had like a whiskey or two and I came home one night and I was like this is my new name and that's my name now we're here for it

we're here for it we are indeed thank you so much thank you for having us thank you for having us thank you for having us if you enjoyed this episode Thank you so much. Thank you for having us. Thank you for having us, ladies. If you enjoyed this episode,

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