Is it possible to fall in love on Instagram? I guess you could say that it was love at first sight, but they had me at “double tap”. We met, sparks flew, and before I knew it, my love affair with Feature began. If you have the chemistry, you only need one thing: timing. Feature Clothing reached out to me for their launch as I was in the midst of launching my blog around the same time. Ahh! How crazy is that?! Now that’s what you call fate. This is no longer a fling, it is becoming THE real thing! <3
The #bossladies behind Feature are Jacklyn N. and Kyyah L. After learning more about them, I’ve spent a disproportioned amount of time thinking about all the awesome women out there who are doing their thing and how I can be like them. Well, these two are definitely on my list. I’ve been told to do what I love and to only surround myself with people who are going to lift me higher..well, here they are! Learn a little more about this dynamic duo in this short interview we did and see why it is such a treat to have joined this girl gang.
1. How did FEATURE clothing come about? Tell us more about you!
How FEATURE came to be is rather serendipitous. Kyyah and I have been best friends for half of our lives. If you were to look at us then, you’d see what an odd pairing we were—one geeky Vietnamese girl in Triple 5 Soul and baggie pants, and the other: braces, overall pant legs rolled up, and N0LimitDiva15 screen name! As we matured, fashion still bonded us. Kyyah grew to become a merchandising superstar in LA and Hawaii and I was working on copywriting and marketing for start ups in California. Neither of us felt satisfied working for someone else. So, an idea led to more serious talks and more “should we’s?” and just when we needed that extra push, Kyyah’s husband took a job offer in California.. placing us in the same city again. A calming moment of “if not now, when?” and “ will we EVER really feel ready?” came and we decided to just take a leap. From there, we organized, got right, and here we are (give and take a few extra mishaps and crying in the shower moments).
2. Can you tell us what your typical customer is?
Hmm, well Google Analytics says our customer is….just kidding.
Our girl is definitely self-possessed, and knows what she likes, but at the same time isn’t rigid in her ways. She’s on the pulse with what’s in, and enjoys being an early adopter of emerging designers and brands. Basically, she’s the girl that tells her friends what they should be wearing and is always met with, “No way. Nah, I don’t like that”.. only to end up embracing the trend months later.
FEATURE was founded with this woman—so much in fact that the manifesto is written on the Letters from the Curators page of the website. We select pieces and brands with this woman in mind and now our continuous mission is just to find you all and let you know we’re here!
3. What advice can you give someone who would someday like to start their own business?
Kyyah: Surround yourself with like-minded people that are striving for similar goals as you and be willing to support, encourage, and uplift one another. Also, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and build relationships..you never know where a conversation with someone can lead you.
Jacklyn: Take everything with a grain of salt. It’s easy to float on hot air when you’re doing well and everyone is congratulating or complimenting you, and just as easy to get dragged down when you hear negative comments or criticism. The key is to remain grounded– take compliments with humility and negative comments as constructively as you can without letting it eat away at your confidence. Oh, and get ready to WORK your ass off.
4. If you had a chance to work with a celebrity boss lady, who would it you have the pleasure of working with? Why is that?
Oh my gosh, there are SO many women kicking butt nowadays that it would be so hard to choose just one. The obvious choice would be the #girlboss herself, Sophia Amoruso. She built a brand—a movement really–based on straight hustle and smarts and being herself unapologetically. The fact that she started this all in the Bay Area? Well, that just makes it so much sweeter.
But, honestly, any girl out there that just goes for it is someone we want to be around.
5. What can we look forward to in the future from FEATURE?
More snarky captions. More bad ass emerging designers and hopefully exclusive pieces with different brands. More pop-ups in different states. More, more, more!
A true love story never ends…follow me @mystyleandgrace and @shopfeature on IG and stay tuned for more. <3
To K & J, thank you for making me your newest muse.