HC Skidmore sat down with the entrepreneurial Sophia Redi to talk about OmWear Outfitters, the yoga and fashion brand created with her two sisters during the Summer of 2015
Her Campus: How did you come up with the concept for OmWear Outfitters?
OmWear Outfitters: My sister Maisy has always been a great artist, so when she was drawing one night my dad told her that she should turn her designs into t-shirts. Although it seemed like a cool idea at the time, we didn’t act on it until the summer of 2015, when both my sisters and I worked at the same clothing store. The woman we worked for designs her own shirts, so when she saw Maisy’s drawings she insisted we sold our line in her store and had a trunk show to promote our business.
HC: What roles do each of the sisters have within the company?
OWO: Since I’m a business minor at Skidmore my sisters automatically stuck me with all the “business-y” jobs like making our company an official LLC in New Jersey, or finding a company that sells blank, printable 100% organic cotton shirts (it was a struggle). Christina helps with marketing and the more fashion stuff like the colors and styles of the shirts, as well as running a side business called Island Gems (you should probably look them up on Instagram @island.gems and while you’re at it maybe look up @omwearoutfitters and give us a follow!), which we try to incorporate with OmWear. Maisy creates all the designs for the shirts as well, and helps with random things that need to get done, like making the tags for the shirts.
HC: How did you decide on the concept of yoga inspired clothes?
OWO: Our mom is a huge yoga fanatic that literally goes to 6 classes a week, is constantly doing handstands in our kitchen, and truly believes that any ailment can be cured with a good sun salutation. We also just love the health and yoga trend that is happening at the moment. We wanted people to have different options when choosing a design, but all of Maisy’s drawings have meticulous Zandalas, an art traditional in India.
HC: How has starting this brand changed your relationship with your sisters?
OWO: Although most people say to never go into business with your family, I actually think this adventure has brought us closer. I’m not going to lie, there were definitely times where we wanted to rip each other’s hair out, but on the opening day of our trunk show we were so proud of what we accomplished together. Starting our company was the perfect way to spend our summer, and now whenever we see our shirts it will remind us of our hard work and the way we worked together to accomplish our goal. This shirt line was the perfect way to highlight our talents- Maisy with art, Christina with fashion, and my ability to ask detailed questions over the phone about the difference between soy and water based ink.
Her Campus: What are some fun/exciting things you are planning to do with OmWear in 2016?
OWO: Our main goal for 2016 is to find a company that makes organic cotton shirts that are cute and wearable. Maisy is also in the process of coming up with five new designs for the summer, to be sold in the store where we all work as well as in our online shop.
Check out OmWear Outfitters’ website for more: http://www.omwearoutfitters.com/