While the rest of us were gorging on food, over their Thanksgiving vacation, Kenya Watson, CC ‘16, and her younger sister, Kayla Watson, a senior in high school, put the finishing touches on their online clothing store. Independence Clothing currently features nine different dress designs, the clothing store hopes to grow a customer base and expand within the next few years. The store officially launched early this month, though the idea was formed two years ago.
A senior in high school in North Carolina, Kayla has been in the fashion end of things, choosing what dresses should be sold in the store. Kenya has been handling the business aspect of the business while in New York. The garments are all hand-picked by Kenya in New York, and are selected for their versatility, quality, and comfort.
Dealing with the distance can be difficult, but the separation also allows the sisters to reach a larger network of customers. Though it’s hard to balance schoolwork with running a business, Kenya is very excited to see it all come to fruition.
Kayla says that her favorite part of Independence Clothing “is that I can incorporate passions of my sister and I, business and fashion, build our customers’ self-esteem and not breaking their bank at the same time.”
The store is coming at the right time, now when people are questioning the merits of photoshop and society’s standard of beauty.
Independence Clothing is a part of this “body movement and accepting people as they are, and not trying to conform,” said Kenya. That’s where they got the name for their store. Everyone should have their own independence style, regardless of what the media projects.
The store’s mission statement is to “stress the importance feeling comfortable in your own skin, no matter what size you are. We believe that you should buy clothing that compliments your personal style and body type. We believe you shouldn’t have to feel like you have to be the same size as the mannequin to look good in that dress,” said Kayla.
With their versatile, trendy, and comfortable clothing, all bought in New York, they hope to be a go-to store for girls who want clothing for real girls, chosen by real girls.
“We wanted not just a clothing store but something that boosted people’s self-esteem. It’s not based off a supermodel and unreasonable standard that a lot of people strive for even if it’s not healthy or attainable,” said Kenya.
Independence Clothing’s models are friends of the sisters. When choosing models “we didn’t want to have supermodels or only super thin girls. We wanted a variety of body types, styles, and ethnicities to be featured. We sent out an email to all of our friends and a lot people responded,” Kenya added.
The size of what the models are wearing is listed below the price to go along with the company’s founding quote by Julie Parker: “Place your value as a person above your size, shape, or weight. Your dress size is no more important than your shoe size.” By featuring the models’ sizes, shoppers can accurately see what will fit them but also deemphasize clothing sizes are being a defining personality trait.
According to Kayla, “there’s a deeper meaning behind our company than just trying to make profits as many retailers strive to do. We want our shoppers to feel like a million bucks in our clothes regardless of their appearance.”
In the future, Independence Clothing hopes shoppers will send in pictures of them in the garments and use the photos of real girls as models.
“We wanted our website to be open. Your size doesn’t matter, it’s the way you wear it. We make size into a bigger deal than it should be,” said Kenya.
Check out their website and social media for further information. Expect some sort of giveaway in the near future. Support the Watson sisters in their endeavor to make your style more important than your size.
Like Independence Clothing on facebook at http://independenceclo.com/, @independenceclo on twitter and @independenceclothing.