We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Britany McKneely a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Britany, appreciate you 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.

In 2017, I had an epiphany from God while I was window shopping at Saks Off Fifth looking at Prada glasses. I was so amazed by the detailing of the glasses and said to myself “Wow, details really matter”. And then BAM! The Lord dropped in my spirit the idea – what if I had an accessory business called Details. After years of planning, in 2021 I finally launched Details.

For context, I’ve ALWAYS been an accessory lover; in high school I was given the name “The Bedazzler” because I was always decked out in jewelry. Throughout life I became known as the accessory queen as my friends and family began reaching out to me for advice. I’d help them accessorize their outfits for dates, interviews, birthday dinners etc. I noticed how impactful this service was because I was able to elevate their outfits and give them a sense of self confidence that couldn’t be stopped! So once the business idea came to my mind, it felt natural that I would have an accessory brand.

There were a couple of problems I wanted to solve through my business. First, I wanted to ensure my business was a one-stop shop to buy all accessory items. When I was helping my family and friends find accessories, I found myself searching through multiple stores trying to find the right accessories. It was such a pain and time consuming. I want to solve this problem with my business and believe I will once I acquire more resources. Secondly, I wanted to make sure I position my brand for women to be empowered to embrace their own unique style. Many of my friends and family, came to me for assistance because they didn’t believe jewelry was for them or knew how to style it in a way that was inherent to their fashion style. I truly believe accessories are for everyone as it ELEVATES the outfit, no matter how big or small the accessories may be – all are impactful. With that being said, I offer an accessory styling service. We see wardrobe styling services everywhere, but what about the women who just need help accessorizing?! My brand will help solve this problem. With depression and negative self esteem at an all time high, I want my brand to be a light to help women be their best self through accessories. I’ve seen it happen in my personal experience and I want this to happen nation-wide!

I am passionate about people and fashion and truly want to make a positive impact in the world. The vision I have for Details is what keeps me going. I have so many unique ideas that have yet to be unleashed to the world and I won’t stop until I see it manifested.

Britany, 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?

*I touched on this a little bit already in the previous question, but will reiterate*

I am Brittany, born and raised in California. I am an accessory LOVER. I truly believe that accessories elevate your outfit and allow you to express your own unique style. I’ve stood by this mantra since middle school – which is when I became known as the Accessory Queen AKA “The Bedazzaler”. I’d also encourage my family and friends to accessorize, so much so they started to come to me for help to accessorize their outfits for dates, interviews, and special events. I saw how impactful this service was because I was able to increase their self confidence immensely. I wanted every woman and male (eventually will expand to men accessories) to feel this great sense of confidence and empowerment through accessories. Details offers styling services in order to achieve this. I also wanted to create a one stop shop for accessories. When I was shopping for my friends and families, I found myself going to multiple stores and it was quite time consuming. I will solve this problem with my business. The Details matter!

I am proud of my business for the growth I’ve seen with only a year of launching. I wasn’t expecting to be a part of pop-up shops within the first month of launching and I’ve continued to participate in pop-up shops go forward. It’s helped grow my brand awareness and revenue!
However, one of my biggest accomplishments is starting a styling service through Details. I became an accessory stylist, styling models and various brands for photoshoots. The most notable brand I styled was Shades By Shan, a cosmetic company based out of San Francisco, CA. Shades by Shan recently partnered with JcPenny’s and now you can shop Shades by Shan in a JcPenny’s store. This was a huge accomplishment for the Shades by Shan team. I was able to join in this joy, because I helped style their photoshoots for campaigns and other press events. The founder and co-founder of Shades by Shan were even featured in Forbes and they were wearing Details jewelry! It was an amazing feeling an accomplishment. This is only the beginning and I cannot wait to see what else is in store for Details!

I truly want my potential customers/clients to know, that Details really do matter and to never ignore accessorizing – it’s what brings your outfit from a 5 to 10!

Details is currently rebranding and planning to relaunch August 2023.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I’ve manufactured a couple products myself, but they were edits to a an already made product. I am currently in the process of manufacturing an entire line which consists of jewelry, shoes, purses, and sunglasses. This presented some challenges. Each category uses a different vendor and factory, so quality may vary. So first finding the right vendor who can develop your design is the first step. Second, is ensuring the quality and durability of what they produce is to your standard. I personally do this by ordering samples and testing the items out myself and doing research on their construction methods. Lastly, is allowing the manufacturer to develop a sample of your design. This allows you to see the product in real life to make any last minute changes before mass production happens. I went to school for Merchandising and have retail industry experience, so this process is quite familiar, so it made it a little bit easier to navigate.

One lesson I’ve learned along the way is being mindful of MOQs (minimum order quantities). Majority of manufacturers are not small business friendly when it comes to developing exclusive items. As a result, learning to negotiate will be your best friend, if exclusive designs is the goal. Most manufactures are vendors so they sell stock items as well, which are products you can buy at wholesale price in bulk and resell to your customers.
Another lesson is along the lines of negotiating. Don’t settle for a cost or design if you’re not okay with it. Respectfully change manufacturers. You do not have to be loyal to anyone. If the manufacturer doesn’t have the capability or won’t negotiate price, that’s ok, because another vendor will. Once you find the right vendor, then creating a partnership and loyalty is recommended.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I sell my products on Shopify and Etsy. I highly recommend Etsy because for a small fee you can have Etsy run Ads on your products which helps customers find your products, which eventually increases sales. I started with only Shopify, which is great to house all of your items and sell them, however it’s your responsibility to optimize the website in order to convert. One great thing about Shopify is that you can easily link your site to Facebook, Instagram and Etsy, without uploading all of your products again. Shopify allows you to sync your store to these platforms, which is awesome.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thedetailsbox.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedetailsbox/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069397189454
• Other: My personal Instagram: @brittanymck__

Image Credits
Photographer: Darrin Baldridge
Wardrobe Stylists: Rosario Models: Chelsea, Summer
Photographer: Jasmine Gonzalez
Models: Kelly, Antrice, Nyree