G.A. Viray
“If you can’t find what you are looking for in the market, create…”, this is probably how new innovative brands start with.
Emma McIlroy and Julia Parsley were former Nike Executives who built a fashion empire made for tomboys just because they weren’t able to find what they were looking for in the market. It was in July 2010 that they were at Outfitters, frustrated at a “provocative” shirt and an extra-small blazer for men that would be ill-fitting. That’s when they came up with an idea to build a fashion line that isn’t too girly, similar to men’s fashion but perfect for a woman’s silhouette. That’s where the tomboy-styled clothing “Wildfang” started from.
Come 2012, Emma and Julia finally left Nike and started working at Julia’s apartment. They started the business with a website and video, and after their launch in February 2013, there were about 22,000 women who already signed up to their mailing list even if they had no products yet.
Investors sprung from everywhere, thus, making it easier for the Emma and Julia to open a flagship store in Portland, Oregon. In 2014, Wildfang was able to generate millions of dollars in revenue. This 2015, they are expecting to grow by 250% says Emma and profits are expected to come in 2016.
Photo Credit: Wildfang
Influencer Marketing
Endorsements by celebrities like Ellen Page, Kate Mara, and Evan Rachel Wood helped raise $2.2 million at the end of 2013. Wood, who was pregnant then, stumbled upon Wildfang’s website and found oversized concert shirts to cover her baby bump. Photos of Wood circulated in celebrity magazines which gave Wildfang the exposure. Just recently, Wood starred in Wildfang’s short film, which has become a viral sensation.
Photo Credit: Tom and Lorenzo
Best Practices
Spending years at Nike’s marketing and working at the Nike foundation worked well for Emma and Julia. Emma says that the years they spent at Nike helped them jumpstart what was once just an idea.
I guess what we took from Nike was like a mini degree of the best practices. One of the things that’s special about Nike is you learn how to be a storyteller.It’s the most consumer-obsessed company I’ve ever worked with or interacted with. I think both of us really appreciated what it means to service a consumer and to focus on a consumer and to be entirely uncompromising when doing something for a consumer.
Wood calls Wildfang a “game-changer”. Indeed, great things start from small ideas. And as for Wildfang’s future, Emma hopes that their company grows as a lifestyle brand.
Watch Wildfang’s short film, Evan Rachel Would:
