We were lucky to catch up with Niani Phillips recently and have shared our conversation below.

Niani, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My inspiration for Not Your Normal Denim stemmed from discovering the significant amount of textile waste that ends up in landfills, alongside the immense water consumption required in denim production. I was shocked to learn that it takes almost 1500 gallons to create one pair of jeans. I decided to only use denim that I would source from local thrift stores as my materials and swore to never purchase new fabric. I knew this was a worthwhile endeavor due to the rise in second-hand shopping and increased support for local businesses during the pandemic. People were finally understanding the dangers of fast fashion and the impact it has had on the environment and they wanted to find ways to fight back. My way of fighting back was to create a product that was made entirely out of second hand material. Sustainable denim is not new, but it is however incredibly expensive with majority of people not being able to afford it. My goal with NYND was to create products that were not only sustainable, but affordable for more consumers.

Niani, 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 journey into sustainable fashion unfolded in a remarkably intriguing way. My first introduction to sustainability was when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy for a year. While I was there, I took a fashion class where we were given old clothing to use instead of new fabric. I became interested in the process of up-cycling and made it my mission to repurpose old materials when creating products moving forward. A few years later, I launched my business, Not Your Normal Denim. The main problem I want to solve with my business is to reduce the amount of textile waste that ends up in landfills around the world by reusing and repurposing as many textile materials as possible. Solving this problem will take an extremely long time, but I’m certain that I will be able to create a paradigm shift around shopping and encourage people to shop second-hand and with local businesses.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn was that I can do everything by myself. I was taught to be a self-starter and have been independent ever since I was a child. However, my independence has caused me to fear assistance which has resulted in me attempting to do virtually everything alone. I did not set out to create a business and when I launched my website in 2020, I got super excited and was willing to create/collaborate with anyone for visibility into NYND. In 2021, a couple months after launching my business, I decided to accept a custom order from a client. This client from the beginning was extremely inconsistent in her communication and did not have a clear picture of what she wanted me to create for her. I should have denied her request but I was too stubborn and decided that I could, “figure it out.” As predicted, the client was disappointed and verbally expressed her distaste for what I created. She proceeded to tell me after I apologized that she would, “Be there to support me when I was ready.” This line never left me because I thought the point was to support someone throughout their entire journey, not just when they made it “big”. However, it taught me that it’s okay to not accept every opportunity and that it’s okay to ask for help when it comes to something you are not fully equipped to do. A couple months after that situation, I started the journey of looking for seamstresses to help me in production. Every good business owner needs help no matter how much they believe they have everything together. I learned that’s it’s better to ask for help than to fail due to hyper-independence.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

The way I received my initial capital for Not Your Normal Denim was through modeling. I work as a freelance model on the side and discovered a casting for a campaign that was looking for Black Game Changers in communities and decided to apply. I was selected, and received $20,000 towards the funding of my business. The money I received from the campaign was used to update my website, invest in more denim and hire a seamstress. I also was part of Pinterest’s Creator Fund Program in 2023. The primary focus for my cohort was sustainability. I received $8,000 through this program as well as ad credits that I used to help promote NYND. I’m super grateful that these companies decided to invest in me and my passion for sustainability in the fashion industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.notyournormaldenim.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notyournormaldenim/

Image Credits

Image 1-Personal : Jasmine Kerbel

Additional Photos

Image 1: Harmonie Malengo
Image 2: Learon Coleman
Image 3: Learon Coleman
Image 4: Sed Gary
Image 5: Beatriz Valim
Image 6: Felicia Di Salvo