Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brianna Via. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brianna, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I began small, selling out of my room with a $30 cubical rack from Walmart. As I grew more, I managed to convince my roommates to let me add shelf in our garage. I would invite friends to help me pack orders in the living room since our garage was too hot. Having the opportunity to wear multiple hats in the business and learn from every aspect I think was super important. If I hadn’t experienced every part of BRIAVIA a at least once, I wouldn’t have as much of an understanding of my business. Getting involved in all sectors gave me greater empathy and the ability to find solutions!

I’ve always been passionate about the clothing industry since high school. Working in retail taught me the importance of organization, while my time as a stylist revealed the impact of how clothing can bring confidence. As an influencer, I found fulfillment in inspiring and connecting with my audience. Working as a model taught me the value of teamwork. With BRIAVIA, I combined my knowledge and love for these aspects into one job! BRIAVIA was started with $3,000 that was funded by selling my own clothes then continuously reinvesting! We currently have no outside funding a small 4 person team!

Brianna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Despite being a first generation American and not having a formal education, I’ve created my dream loungewear brand, BRIAVIA, a creative content agency, and a home design firm. BRIAVIA started in my bedroom, by leveraging social media, taking iPhone photos, and learning through trial and error. I have been successful because I have stayed true to my core values of sustainability, inspiration, and inclusivity.

By creating timeless designs, I have built a community that strays away from fast fashion. BRIAVIA elevates confidence and brings customers closer to the best version of themselves. I wish to serve as a positive role model and continue to pave the way for POC women entrepreneurs and leaders regardless of what society tells them.

BRIAVIA has generated over a million in revenue and consistently grows yearly. I was featured as Grazia’s “Game Changer” in 2023 and partnered with notable brands such as Soulcycle, Spotify, and Neuehouse. My success in branding has attracted content creation requests from multiple fortune 500 companies. In addition, my home design firm grew organically by posting the BRIAVIA showroom and my personal home style.

I aim to give back and have hosted events and created collections to donate to multiple nonprofits. BRIAVIA plants a tree for every order and educates customers on how their purchase makes a positive impact on the environment. We support inclusivity by showcasing all body sizes and celebrate pride month with special events.
Through our partnerships with meditation studios, we offer free classes to promote mental health.

My life will continue to be fueled by my willingness to give back, eagerness to continue learning, and staying true to my visions. My experiences have allowed me to further combine creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurship to sustain my businesses. BRIAVIA represents just the beginning of my journey as an entrepreneur.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

During COVID-19 the supply chain issues affected my business tremendously. As I was reinvesting all my profits into new inventory, when new styles were arriving late, I often found myself starting at square one, packaging my own orders at night, to make sure our cash stretched out as long as possible. The process of getting samples to finished goods also took a much longer time. A social impact of COVID-19 came about when I was hesitant to post that my business was Asian owned. I always marketed my business as being women-owned, however, as crime against Asian Americans in the United States started to rise, I almost felt that having an Asian heritage was inherently bad for business.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I honestly never intended on BRIAVIA becoming my full time job. It began as a side hustle for three years, where I reinvested my personal earnings before turning it full-time. My first collection cost $3,000, which I funded mainly by selling existing clothes in my closet on a resell app. I started small selling out of my room, then convinced my roommates to let me use our garage, and now finally have an office in downtown LA! My friend’s who helped me pack in the garage days are now in my LA studio working full time. I really believe that having a strong team has resulted in success since the environment is so fun and feels like family. I never gave up on my vision, even when it took a few years to fully materialize. My drive came from the belief that my team and I could better our lives by continuing to work towards this brand. We kept pushing forward until it became a reality! Key milestones was making six figures in 1 day on my first collab, speaking a panel as USC which is a school that rejected me, and receiving Forbes 30 under 30!

Contact Info:

• Website: briavia.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/briavia
• Other: tiktok.com/@briavia