When sisters Dominique and Khadija founded their hot new women’s boutique Selfie Addict, the shared goal was simple: fashion for all. Today, the popular shopper hot spot is a favorite pick-click-and-ship destination for a growing number of in-the-know buyers in search of something daringly to-die-for on the dance floor, or an impressive dress to dine in on a date.
Headquartered in Miami, Selfie Addict promotes a fun and exciting message of importance – Love Thy Selfie. The two leading ladies sat down with DOPE MAG editor ToneSwep to discuss the Instagram-driven selfie craze, the affordability versus exclusivity factor commonly faced by couturiers, and how one sister’s cancer survival inspired another’s next business venture, in this entrepreneurial exclusive. DOPE GIRL’s take their Selfie’s seriously.
Written by Tone Swep
(ToneSwep: TS) Selfie Addict is an online boutique, a clothing line, and a fashion blog, but also makes quite a statement with the title alone. What does the term Selfie Addict stand to represent?
(Selfie Addict) Expressing yourself. Everyone has their own self portrait, their own vision for how they would like to look. We help you finding different variations of yourself, just like you do with the selfies you take. We bring that to life. And we also cater to the many different styles for the many different types of lady. There’s the chic girl, the simple girl, the streetwear girl, the club girl, glamorous girl. And right now we’re trying to incorporate an improved variety of larger and smaller sizes because plump, curvy, and skinny girls all like to look good. They’re all taking selfies (Laughs!).
(TS) Why do you feel taking selfies has become such a craze? Because people have been taking pictures of themselves for years and years, so why has it become such a novelty today?
(Selfie Addict) Everything is all about trends nowadays, more so following them than setting them. Selfies are really the latest trend. And the reality is that we are all into ourselves now more than ever. Whether it be your hair, your nails, your clothing, or the merchandise you chose for the day. It has always been something special to take pictures of yourself, but now it’s about lifestyles and life choices shown through your sense of fashion. And not just for women. Soon, we plan to offer user friendly pages for men to shop for their girlfriend or sister at Selfie Addict. Easy to navigate. Easy to use. And they can read about the latest fashionable items on our blog or Instagram to get helful tips and fun ideas.
(TS) How are taking selfies and your company related as an experience?
(Selfie Addict) We’re just into improving yourself. Taking nice pictures, loving thy Selfie (Laughs!). I think there is something about finding your perfect look and looking perfect that selfies and Selfie Addict have in common.
(TS) Your online boutique offers a variety of styles, designs, and couture pieces with an array of cuts and colors. How would you describe the apparel sold at Selfie Addict?
(Selfie Addict) Classy, fun, edgy and trendy. And the shopping experience is unique, not the norm.
(TS) How important is pricing given our current economic state? Some consumers are more attracted to high ticket items. At the same time, so many shoppers don’t have the discretionary income to spend on novelties and non-necessities.
(Selfie Addict) That is something we’ve been trying to tackle, because I know for myself if an item is too cheap I’m thinking the quality has been sacrificed. So we are medium range, between affordable and expensive. There is something for anyone who shops in our store.
(TS) What would you say was the most daunting challenge you faced when embarking on this new business venture?
(Selfie Addict) Getting people to be interested. Getting out there, using the marketing plan and sticking to it. We know we have a good product. If you buy something from Selfie Addict you will want to return to our store, and you will become a repeat shopper. We believe that.
(TS) Talk a little about your educational and professional backgrounds. How did life before the company prepare you for success?
(Selfie Addict) (Dominique) I’m a serial entrepreneur, so I have tried different business ventures over the years, but I always wanted to be in fashion. I have a biology pre-med degree, but really looked into fashion as something I felt I could do as a lifelong career. But the clothing store market is very saturated so I was hesitant. But then my sister and I talked about it after she had ovarian cancer and the Make A Wish Foundation granted her one special wish. With that wish she did a photo shoot. (Khadija) I had no hair because of the therapy, and after a month of not wanting to go outside of the house for anything or for any reason, the photo shoot transformed me into a new person. How I looked. How I felt. And we felt that we wanted to be able to offer that experience and that feeling to others. And I am a cancer survivor!
(TS) Ultimately, what is the overall goal for Selfie Addict? Is a physical retail store in the works?
(Selfie Addict) We want to one day have a flagship store in SoHo, that section of New York. You see all of these big chains like H&M and others with stores but they don’t really buy from African-American designers. We want to have an impact and make our names known across the board, not just in one category.
(TS) What advice can you offer aspiring boutique owners?
(Selfie Addict) Have a plan and stick to it. Marketing is very important. That may be the second most important thing after having quality product. You can have the most beautiful product in the world, but without sound marketing and market planning few will know your products are even available. Marketing is key.
(TS) Name the top three qualities an entrepreneur needs to be successful in today’s ecommerce driven business world.
(Selfie Addict) Consistency. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, seek help. There are people out here who are in a position to help you. And research, research, research. You can never have enough knowledge. Be business savvy.