We recently connected with Daniella Ayaso and have shared our conversation below.
Daniella, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard
One thing that sets Ari Apparel apart from others is I only use Bella Canvas apparel. Top quality and softest merchandise ever. A lot of other companies that specialize in either embroidery or screen-printing especially small businesses like myself use Gildan or Hanes and mainly because its less expensive. The quality is not great and often feels stiff. Its true when they say you get what you pay for. I studied textiles in school so I know a thing or two about fabric! When I started my shop I made one promise and it was to sell items that lasted, not cheap things that eventually would fall apart. All of my customers can say that the quality of my items reflect the price and that makes me happy because I know that I am selling something people love and that they will come back again.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hi! I am Daniella, founder and maker of Ari Apparel, a custom embroidery and hand dyed loungewear shop. I hand dye and embroider all my items and even create most designs you see here. One of a kind just like you! My designs reflect celebratory moments in one’s life as well lifestyle and travel memories.
I started my shop back in 2020 all by accident. I purchased a tie dyed sweatshirt from another small business and after a few washes it fell apart. I was so upset especially after paying $55 for it! At the time, I just got laid off from my corporate job and needed something to fill up my time, so I started researching and buying sweatshirts, joggers, and dye. I went to Fashion Business school for college and studied textiles, so I knew I wanted to only bring top quality garments to my shop and more importantly, ones that would last and not fall apart like the sweatshirt I purchased did.
It all started with friends and family then an Instagram page and website and then I started doing pop-up’s across Westchester and Fairfield and the rest is history. I incorporated embroidery into my shop in 2022 as a way to continue to elevate my brand and that was the cherry on top of the sundae for my shop. Embroidery has been the best part of it and has pushed my creativity further than I ever knew. I also went through a full rebrand in 2023, got a new name, Ari Apparel, and made my first big girl business purchased of an industrial size embroidery machine in order to keep up with demand.
I drop 5-6 collections a year with Holiday being my biggest and most in demand one (stay tuned for the launch in September!). My collections are for both adults and kids and both men and women ranging in sizes newborn-3X. My customers include other small businesses needing elevated branding apparel and accessories to represent their business and people looking for a custom, fun, elevated designed sweatshirt that commemorate a milestone or life event. I have even partnered with childhood cancer parents on collaborations and exclusive designs to bring awareness to the community. If you have an idea or a design you want on a sweatshirt, then lets chat.
I am excited to continually grow my shop, pop up across the area and hopefully one day turn my shop into my full time job!
How did you build your audience on social media?
Consistency is key! Show up and show your face, I still have a hard time with this but it is so important. Connect with other businesses and join any groups that are available to you. Making connections and partnering with other businesses that have similar customer bases like mine has been one of my biggest growth tactics. Don’t worry about what other people might say about your silly or vulnerable reel or caption, it will attract the people that are meant to be supporting you.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
This question! There were so many times I wanted to give up because I didn’t get an order for a week or two or even three or when I got let go from my corporate job shortly after returning from maternity leave, or never finding the time to post, film a reel, or even take product photos because managing three jobs (full time corporate job, being a mom, and my small business) was overpowering but I kept hoping there would be a light at the end of tunnel and there was. 2023 I doubled my business and grew more than I could ever plan for. I reflected back to my peak seasons with my shop and saw all the people that supported me, gave me great reviews and ALWAYS came back as a repeat customer. I kept looking at the positive and knew that was my push to keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ariapparelny.com
- Instagram: ariapparelny
- Facebook: ariapparelny
