Nyla and Noelle, a social selling direct seller based in Richmond, Virginia, opened in April 2017. The new clothing company allows entrepreneurs looking for a career in fashion to run their own clothing and accessory boutique from home.
Nyla and Noelle supplies its Curators, as independent business owners are called, with dresses, tops, skirts, pants, leggings and jewelry. Curators can choose to invest in a single piece or carry a full range of sizes from small to 3XL. “Using our easy ordering system, the Curator simply logs in to our website and places the order for the exact styles they want to offer in their social boutique,” said co-owner Kari Chang. “They will, of course, purchase at their wholesale price and then resell to their customers at a very reasonable price.”
Curators sell their wares on their social media and during online live sales events. These sales are often fast-paced and hosted on the Curator’s private Facebook group, and, at times, on the more wide-reaching Periscope. The Curator’s friends and followers race each other to see who can type “sold” in the comment section the fastest. Curators also host home and event parties where women can join together with music and food and shop in a relaxed atmosphere.
Chang says the idea for her dream project was born after more than 10 years of operating brick-and-mortar boutiques herself. “During my time owning boutiques, women were always interested in becoming involved in the business,” she said. “They loved fashion and the fun atmosphere of working with like-minded customers. Owning or working in a boutique offers such a different vibe than office work or customer service work for a large company. I left work most days feeling fulfilled myself from every time I was able to help a customer leave happy knowing they have the perfect outfit and knowing they were going to look and feel beautiful when they wore our clothes.”
Chang says that, in her experience, the expenses of operating a brick-and-mortar storefront can be substantial and the learning curve can be steep when one has to invest in inventory. Though she had never been involved in direct selling, she saw most of the women on her Facebook page were engaged in social selling and thought it would be a good platform for her business.
“There was a better way to test the waters of boutique ownership without sinking your life savings into a brick-and-mortar store,” Change says. “To be sure, Nyla and Noelle was not the first company to offer clothing through direct sales, but I feel like ours offers our Reps or Curators a genuine taste of boutique ownership and the ability to offer truly boutique quality and styled clothing.”
