We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laci Bonner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laci below.
Laci, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?
In fashion, we know trends come and go. It is hard to fully understand what the clothing trends will be in 6 months from now let along 18 months from now, especially with the influence of social media. Many corporate strategies involve designing and purchasing far into the future so that it feels less hectic for staff and logistics while yielding the highest gross profit margins.
Because our target demographic can be so easily swayed by social trends, we test the waters by launching small drops before ordering deep into a SKU or running polls on social media to gauge interest. We have become known for a business model of something ‘always new’, with weekly new arrivals even if only a few items. We don’t believe in dropping an entire Quarterly Collection because in today’s day and age, once a viewer has seen it, it is considered “not new” to them. This helps us extend our marketing timeline efforts and get the most out of each item through all of our platforms.
I’d venture to say that most clothing companies would disagree with this strategy. At times it does create chaos internally when we realize we must pivot quickly due to market changes, but it does allow us to not be stuck with a six-figure mistake on the shelves. It allows us to shift gears into what the consumer truly wants or try to forecast the next trend without chasing the previous.
Laci, 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 Laci Bonner, and I am the founder and CEO of The Nash Collection in Nashville, TN. A bit about me – immediately following high school graduation in 2007, I decided to help my Dad with his new motorcycle shop in our small town in Arkansas. I like to say that I went to the school of hard knocks, but in reality, I learned more in this real world setting than I ever would have by reading from a textbook. After working with him for several years, and learning gaps in our current small town market, I decided to set out on my own and started my first women’s boutique. Within a few short years, my small town boutique was known, nationwide and coincided with the online shopping boom in 2012.
Looking for a change of pace, I set out for Nashville TN to expand my business. I opened another women’s boutique and through this location, created Nash and Nashville headwear and apparel that customers really resonated with. These product offerings quickly outsold our women’s merchandise that was also sold in the boutique. So in 2018, I decided to open our first storefront for The Nash Collection. This led to a relocation in 2021 to Fifth and Broadway in Nashville, and honestly…the rest is history!
Here at the Nash collection, we offer Direct to consumer products, B2B, and e-commerce for our products. We take our mission beyond fashion; it’s about enhancing the Nashville experience. We’re set apart from our competition with elevated designs and quality materials. Seeing our product “in the wild” is one of the most rewarding feelings — especially when hundreds or thousands of miles away from Nashville.
We take immense pride in being part of Nashville’s journey. The Nash Collection is not just a brand; It’s a lifestyle. Come see us at Fifth and Broadway or in Hillsboro Village if you’re ever in Nash!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I believe that creating simplistic designs and offering an elevated experience enhance your credibility. This in turn is a positive impact on overall brand reputation and has led to much organic growth for our brand. I also feel that we filled a void in the market at the right time, and we were the first to offer Nashville souvenirs with an elevated feel. We’re known as Nashville’s iconic apparel brand because of these elements.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I recently had to make the hard decision on closing the women’s boutique that created The Nash Collection. Not because it wasn’t profitable — but because I am at a time and place in my life that less is more. It’s not always about chasing the dollar, it’s about working smarter, not harder, and focusing on what is most fulfilling for me in my life moving forward. It was a difficult decision, but I can confidently say that it was the right one. My days are far less chaotic and gives me more time to fulfill all of my passion buckets in and outside of work.
Contact Info:
- Website: thenashcollection.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thenashcollection
- Facebook: Facebook.com/thenashcollection
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-nash-collection-nashville
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenashcollection
Image Credits
All photos were taken by The Nash Collection staff.