We were lucky to catch up with Anneke Barrie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Anneke, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea for Isla de Oro was born through a decade-long friendship with a shared desire for vibrant self-expression and living life to the fullest. We have always loved sharing fun and unique designs that we discover with each other and our love for warm days in topical locations runs very deep. Our favorite days are spent in the sun in clothing that makes us feel happy, and we had a feeling there were many people out there who felt the same way! At a time during the pandemic when we both were craving something new and exciting, we decided to take a leap into the unknown and create something meaningful together, and Isla de Oro was born instantly. With our creative backgrounds, it felt very natural to express ourselves through our love for clothing with bright colors, and bold prints. As two California girls dating back many generations, we knew we wanted to spread that essence to people around the world and we have been striving to do so with our clothing since. Some people are hesitant to go into business with friends (understandably!), but that was never a fear for us. Luckily, our friendship is built on a strong foundation with great communication and we think that has translated very well through our business. We truly want the best for one another and this has made starting a business together feel like such an easy and natural process. It’s like, when you know it’s right, you just know! We really hope to provide a sense of fun and friendship to our customers throughout our designs and we really have been enjoying the ride so far!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

In a world dominated by neutrals, basics, dupes and fleeting TikTok trends, our goal was to create something truly distinctive—a brand that serves as a statement moment for our customers. Our goal is to reinvigorate art and fashion, merging them into pieces that make both women and men feel like the walking masterpieces they are meant to be. While we appreciate the simplicity of a classic jeans-and-tee combination, we believe there should always be a standout element that reflects each individual’s unique style. Our journey into the fashion industry began with a deep love for fashion, design, and art from the sidelines. We decided to immerse ourselves fully in this world, and we’re excited to share our passion and vision with our customers.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

We met in college over 11 years ago. We both ended up sitting at the same table on the first day of school between our classes. We introduced ourselves and the rest is history. We really can’t remember the progression of becoming new friends because it was such an immediate bond. Almost like we were friends or sisters in a past life.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

In today’s digital world, social media is the best way for us to stay connected with our customers. As a small team of just the two of us, we have the unique opportunity to build personal and meaningful relationships with everyone who interacts with our brand. We are truly our customers’ biggest fan girls, and nothing makes us happier than seeing them enjoying our clothing. We try to stay behind the scenes and really let them represent our brand. Each order comes with a handwritten note and we try our best to respond to every message we receive, to ensure our customers see how valued and appreciated they are to us. It’s silly but we still text each other every single time a new order comes in and it has become our little symbol of gratitude and celebration.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.isladeorostudio.com
• Instagram: @isladeorostudio
• Facebook: Isla de Oro Studio