We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dianna Torres a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dianna , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
Paradox by definition is a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities. I named my company Paradox because the goal is to provide a service that changes you but simultaneously doesn’t change you. We are style and lifestyle architects but what makes us stand aside from other companies is that we NEVER want to change the ESSENCE OF YOU!! You don’t have to change anything about your personal aesthetic to hire a stylist or a closet curator. Paradox will never change who you are we just elevate it. You can be goth, preppy, adrogenius, whimsical, hobo chi etc etc and Paradox will never aim to change that because that is who you are and as humans, we are the happiest when we can be our genuine selves. We will just ensure that we curate the best of the best according to your personal style and aesthetic.
Dianna , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Dianna Torres and I am 39 years old. I am of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. I am a proud mom of a beautiful almost 21 year old daughter. I have been in the luxury retail management business for almost 20 years. (Not sure how all of that’s possible because I am still really 30😂) I moved to Atlanta Ga in 2010 to continue to grow within my career with my at the time employer, True Religion Brand Jeans. While managing business within my retail role I networked with so many people and realized that there was such a true opportunity and a market for providing a different device than just your standard “stylist/personal shopper”. As a creative and coming from a mother who has a masters in architecture and interior design, I’ve always been around and have had a keen eye for the arts. Combining art and architecture with my years of retail clothing and luxury goods expertise I began PARADOX. I began just as a shopping service. I then realized that there was a need to curate these services to personalized experiences. I realized that education was necessary and that teaching was a part of the art. That is why I refer to us as style architects. We teach you from the fundamentals to how to build on your own. Our services continue to grow as the market revolves. For example: we now offer a foundations session, where we teach you what undergarments to purchase for smooth lines and a seamless presentation. We offer tailoring sessions with a personal tailor. We offer curating capsule wardrobes and teach you things such as what pieces are considered timeless and what fabrics pertain to what seasons. I have a passion for creation and in some instances the clothing market just doesn’t have what is envisioned, so I’ve since partnered with my personal tailor to provide custom pieces, as well as selling pieces that I create myself on my site. Paradox is a lifestyle brand. It extends way beyond buying clothing. Everyone who knows me knows I’m am craft queen and a host with the most so in the upcoming year I plan on adding more services that will make Paradox a one stop shop for all of your events. With access to partnerships such as Monarch Tailoring in buckhead (Farhad who is the best tailor ever) my contractor for closets/she-caves, Atlanta Arrangements for flowers and decor, Clothesmided People my partner for collabs and business ideas, and Upoez for digital content and photography along with myself and my Cricut there isn’t a job I can’t get done!!! What I am most proud of is that Paradox is centered truly on giving back. It is proven to be true that when you look good you feel good. Our Style Warrior boxes, where we honor those battling a life threatening illness with a curated style box is an extension of that statement. For most, when you are battling a health condition you don’t have the focus or the energy to worry about looks or shopping. When the recipients receive and open their box and I get the feedback of how it made them feel that is worth more than anything to me. The main thing I would like all of my clients to know is that I am a chameleon. I am of all walks of life. I am off all cultures. Paradox is never here to judge only to provide a service. Paradox is never here to change you who you are. Paradox doesnt care if you have a house or an apartment closet. Paradox doesn’t care if you want to shop luxury or fast fashions. That is what makes us Paradox. I haven’t reached my previous goal of merging into staging closets within the real estate business, but that along with hiring more consultants is in the plans for the upcoming future of Paradox so stay tuned.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
I have recently entered into the world of manufacturing my own products. As I mentioned before I love crafts and am versed in multiple printing systems. I initially decided to learn how to print or create promotional items to be cost effective within my marketing. I took on a few projects to test the market as well as the satisfaction with my production and the response has been very positive. So I will begin to offer certain e commerce trending items such as custom tees and accessories to my site. I have since also expanded my license to a wholesale or reseller’s license so I am able to provide bulk buying and products for other business.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I have always been a business manager and have been able to be gainfully employed but being a young single mother and not having the financial literacy or responsibility early on I made a lot of financial mistakes. My daughter is currently a biology major at Ga State University and when I realized it was almost time to go to college and it would depend more on my financial health than anything else, I decided to take action. I hired CapitalVi a financial and credit specialist from my hometown in NJ and she helped me change that narrative. As my credit profile evolved and I learned more from her, she taught me that I can extend my personal credit to grow business credit and that was a game changer. I am currently still learning exploring and expanding the possibilities of high business credit but having credit overall has definitely made a huge impact and change within my business structure.
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