We were lucky to catch up with Jayla Nicole recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jayla , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

Covid forced me to tighten my budget for my clothing line and think outside of the box when it comes to making and selling clothes. At this point in my career, I had minimal sewing skills I relied on wholesale tailors to take my designs and turn them into my vision- these options are convenient but pricey. During covid, I did more thrifting, accepted gently used clothing items, and bought “lots” of clothing from businesses that were closing. I take the clothing and redesign it. I turned jumpsuits into dresses, jumpsuits into bra and undie sets, painted clothing, turned dresses into lingerie sets, you name it. I have shifted back to boutique lingerie, but I still incorporate the idea of eco and pocket friendly solutions to designing my custom works.

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

I have had a passion for design and styling since I could remember, I have been told that I would style myself in my grandmother’s heels, night gowns, dresses, scarves, etc. I grew up selecting my outfits every night before bed, I was always on trend while adding my own spin to it. I was always that “extra girl” in middle and high school wearing heels, dresses, and hand-me-down designer bags from my mom.

After a bad fall causing me to take a break from dance and track, during my junior year of high school I selected multiple business electives in school and fell in love with the idea of becoming an entrepreneur. With the help of my TEACHERS, I worked obsessively to fundraise and prepare a business plan to obtain investors to make True Piscean Wear come to life. With $1,000 raised and invested in my company, and countless supporters donating their time and resources, and dozens of hours of networking. TPW took off in the Denver Area. (**I remember it like it was yesterday: I did not have a car until I was 19 years old, so I would leave a table at Brother Jeffs Community Center and commute every weekend from Aurora to Downtown Denver – Welton street carrying bags of clothes, no matter the weather, with hopes of selling my clothing and sharing my passion with others.)

True Piscean Wear started with 6 custom handmade athleisure designs then moved into printed and embroidered wholesale athleisure which officially launched on November 22nd, 2018. Valentine’s Day 2019 is when True Piscean Wear shifted its focus to mainly lingerie campaigns in the colder seasons and swimwear campaigns in the warmer seasons.

True Piscean Wear’s focus is to represent a diverse group of women and provide all shoppers with an impactful shopping experience. Our mission runs much deeper than clothing, our mission is to empower individuals, make them smile, and to feel beautiful and seen. There is nothing more important.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Yes! As a fashion student, I have truly enjoyed using adobe suites, specifically adobe illustrator. I have never been great at drawing out my designs on a thoroughly detailed level, however, adobe illustrator allows me to do so and provide a better visual of what I collaborate with or hire designers to execute my vision. I also find value in WGSN, this is a sneak peek into upcoming fashion, color, and textile trends.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my social media presence mostly through events and networking. I used to think the number of followers that you have is what matters most, but I quickly realized, what does it matter how many followers you have, if they do not engage with your content? From that point I made it a point to bring up my company with friends, family, coworkers, my day job clientele, uber drivers, you name it. I also made sure to share my story and actually try to connect with the people I met at events then connecting and keeping in touch via social media. It also helps to remind yourself; it’s not always about how many sales or how much money you made for a night, it’s about the impression you make and getting your name out there, people do not forget that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.truepisceanwear.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truepisceanwear/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truepisceanwear/

Image Credits

Photos 1-5 and 8 (Photos by Sean Marquantte & Coollivin )