We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emma Zack. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emma below.

Hi Emma, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Before Berriez was Berriez, it was ‘Fruity Looms.’ I came up with ‘Fruity Looms’ as many of the vintage pieces I was selling had fruits on them. Also, fruit became central to the brands’ ideals of inclusivity and representation: humans, like fruit, are uniquely vibrant, sweet, and desirable at any size, shape, or shade. Eventually, ‘Fruity Looms’ was written up in NYLON magazine, which not only put us on the fashion radar, but also on to Google – where Fruit of the Loom found us and promptly sent us a cease and desist letter. I received the cease and desist while on a beach vacation, and I remember being SO upset – a large corporation was about to take away everything I’d built (and had ruined the last day of my vacation!). I had one month to change my name, rebrand, and order all the new marketing materials. In my back and forth with their lawyer, I was told I couldn’t use the word “fruit” in my new brand name – and, of course, I couldn’t fight them on it. I wanted to keep the fruit theme, so my sister came up with “Berries.” I changed it to “Berriez,” with a Z, as my initials are EZ. Looking back on it, I’m SO glad I changed my name – ‘Fruity Looms’ would’ve never worked as my company began to grow, and Berriez has a cute ring to it! There’s always a silver lining.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Berriez is a lifestyle boutique fashion brand disrupting the fashion industry through championing values of style, size, inclusivity, and sustainability – all at the same time. Berriez actualizes its values through selling sustainable and size-inclusive vintage pieces, reworked vintage collections, and ready-to-wear garments via partnerships with independent designers.
I founded Berriez in 2019 after feeling demoralized, underwhelmed, and disappointed in far too many dressing rooms. Prior to starting Berriez, I actually worked at the Innocence Project, pursuing a career in criminal justice reform. I studied sociology and criminology in college, and had NO idea that I’d ever work in the fashion industry.

Though I created Berriez in response to the lack of inclusivity in the vintage fashion world, it has since grown to fill in a larger gap within the fashion industry as a whole. The brand is a love letter to plus-size people, believing that plus-sized consumers should have the same options as everyone else. The name, and the colorful pieces–particularly the various fruit prints I typically source–fall under one common theme: humans, like fruit, are uniquely vibrant, sweet, and desirable at any size, shape, or shade.

Since its founding, Berriez has evolved into an online marketplace with 25k online followers, resonating with a consumer base 183,000 strong. We’ve received critical acclaim from Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Buzzfeed, The Cut, and Nylon. Berriez now maintains a return customer rate 23% above the retail standard and an average order price double that of its market: all fruits of the Berriez belief – sustainable statement style at any size.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

As I mentioned in the last question, prior to starting Berriez, I worked full-time at the Innocence Project pursuing a career in criminal justice reform. Since freshman year of college, I studied the prison industrial complex, and never imagined a career outside of it – I was so passionate about changing the system for the better. However, after working in it for 6 years, I started to burn out, and needed a side-hustle to make the days a bit lighter. That’s how Berriez started.

I have always been an avid shopper and a lover of making outfits. In 2017, I discovered that I was able to shop for vintage directly on Instagram; until I started scrolling, and realized that none of the vintage shops I admired sold my size (at the time, I was a size 14). Occasionally, I’d find a shop selling something ‘oversized’ on its page (still shown on a thin model), and I’d buy it immediately. Even if I wasn’t particularly thrilled about the piece, I was just excited there was something in my size. Or so I thought. The clothes usually didn’t fit, and none of them were returnable.

After amassing piles of ill-fitting vintage clothes from dozens of online vintage stores, I decided to start reselling the pieces that didn’t work for my body. I set up a clothing rack in my living room, inventoried everything, came up with a name for my potential shop, and took photos of me modeling the clothing in my backyard. I sent the pictures to some friends and asked for their thoughts. Their genuine interest and excitement led to the creation of my own vintage Instagram shop, Berriez. I started having small photo shoots with more of my friends in my backyard. And within a few months, people I didn’t know started contacting me to ask if they could model, or if I could lend them my clothing for their own shoots.

It didn’t take long for the business to grow – demand for plus-size vintage was certainly there. I attribute the growth of the business to Instagram, write-ups in prominent fashion magazines such as NYLON and Teen Vogue, and in-person popups at markets such as Hester Street Fair.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Lived experience. I am plus-size myself, and I have experienced all of the woes of shopping for my plus-size body. I know what fits me, what looks good, and what I don’t like. I’ve been able to use this lived experience and apply it to my own brand. I think people trust the brand more – a brand that is selling primarily to plus-size people – because it is run by a plus-size person who knows what they want and isn’t afraid to speak up about the lack of plus-size clothing and representation in the fashion industry as a whole. I also represent my community in the models I choose for my brand, and listen to my community.

Contact Info:

• Website: shopberriez.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/shopberriez

Image Credits
courtesy of Berriez