This episode of Side Hustle Spotlight features a Q&A with Christy Dawn, founding father of regenerative fashion brand Christy DawnThe brand’s recent customer acquisition increased by 20% year-on-year, and greater than half (56%) of those that bought its products, Dawn Dress (his original and hottest design, also worn by Taylor Swift) are repeat customers in 2024, in response to the company. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Christy Dawn. Founder Christy Dawn.
When did you begin going to the thrift store? How did that hobby result in the side hustle that became Christy Dawn?
Thrift shopping started when I used to be a kid. Growing up in my hometown of Placerville in the Northern California countryside, buying recent clothes at the mall wasn’t an option. Instead, I might go vintage shopping with my mom and repurpose things I discovered. It was a natural fit growing up in a very small town, and with the lack of shopping opportunities, we were capable of do it and I noticed that I actually loved the experience. Thrift shopping appealed to the a part of me that loved being seen as unique, creating one-of-a-kind pieces that I could wear and express myself.
Fast forward a few years when I moved to Los Angeles to model and continued the tradition. I became known for my signature sort of floral dresses, which was unusual at the time before it became incredibly popular. Every time I showed as much as a shoot in dresses that I recreated with my local tailor in Santa Monica, I might get compliments and questions about where I got my dress. One day I got here home from a shoot and told my then boyfriend (now husband and business partner) that I wanted to begin my very own company, and Christy Dawn was born.
What convinced you to take this on full-time? Did you have any fears or doubts and how did you overcome them?
Starting a full-time organic business was a stroke of luck. At the time, I used to be still working as an e-commerce model in Los Angeles. When I made a decision to begin a small clothing company, I didn’t know it could be my full-time job. Three months later, we had five dress samples and it just took off. We bought a bunch of material and I designed five styles for 70 pieces for the launch.
From my experience as a model, I knew what made a good photoshoot, so we worked with a skilled photographer to shoot my friends who had social capital. This helped us grow our brand quickly, and looking back, the DNA of Christy Dawn is unmistakable in those images. People responded to the designs, and then we started telling the story of a dead commodity.
As for fears and doubts, I used to be too naive to think it would not work. There’s a lot of grace in not knowing how hard something may be when you are first starting out!
What helped encourage Christy Dawn’s first dress? Do you have any habits or routines that fuel your creative process?
My mission is and at all times has been to create beauty in every little thing I do and everyone I touch. Growing up in a small town where trends lasted for a long time—not seasons—I have at all times been drawn to pieces that may stand the test of time and never fail to make us look beautiful.
The Dawn Dress is one of the silhouettes we first launched at Christy Dawn and it’s still our best-seller a decade later. It was the first dress I ever designed and the timelessness of the piece is obvious. It’s a silhouette that actually looks great on every body type and has made so many women feel incredibly beautiful and confident in their bodies.
I draw inspiration from getting out into nature. I like mountain climbing in the mountains near our home in Santa Monica. Getting away from the hustle and bustle and immersing myself in the pace of nature is how I replenish my creative energy.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Christy Dawn
What sets Christy Dawn apart from other clothing brands? What does her regenerative model appear to be?
Fashion is the world’s second largest polluter. Unlike other fashion brands, we don’t intend to draw back from being a part of the problem. We are committed to being a part of the solution, and this mission has shaped the foundation and trajectory of our company.
In 2021, we took a significant step forward with the launch of our regenerative cotton farm, which started with 4 acres and has grown to over 80. Every garment is made with recycled fabrics, organic cotton, and regeneratively grown materials designed to face the test of time. Since 2021, we have removed over 2.6 million kilos of carbon from the atmosphere while paying farmers three times the minimum wage.
We launched our land stewardship program two and a half years ago to supply our customers the opportunity to actively participate in growing their very own dresses. For a $200 investment, participants can steward 3,485 square feet of farmland, and six months later we’ll buy the crop back in store credit. This unique program allows people to have a reciprocal relationship with the land and the farmers—something you won’t find with any other brand.
How did you approach financing the business?
With limited funds, we dug into our savings. We didn’t pay ourselves anything for five years, using $20,000 in savings from my modeling job. In fact, I continued modeling to fund the business and our growing family. I got pregnant around the same time we launched Christy Dawn, which added a whole recent element to the mix!
After five and a half years of being in business, we decided to get investors. We didn’t have enough material to grow the business, so we eventually started our regenerative cotton farm. We became the first brand to bring customers into the game with our land stewardship program, which generated financial support and inspired a mindset shift in how people connect with their clothes, the individuals who make them, and their impact on the planet.
What were your biggest business challenges? How did you overcome them?
When we launched our first Farm-to-Closet collection in 2021, we were happy with what we had achieved and excited to share it with the world. But when the moment got here, no one cared. As a society, we were still trying to know what being sustainable meant, and then we introduced regenerative, but there was little context for what that was.
There was so much greenwashing on a broader scale. People couldn’t imagine we could make a difference, and we won’t blame consumers for not trusting brands. But we had invested so much in our farm and in developing a team able to go, so when things didn’t go to plan and we didn’t achieve our goals, it was devastating for us and for me personally. For three years the company was losing money to the point where we considered turning off the lights.
Despite the challenges, we didn’t quit, but we did give up. For me, there was an energetic shift of accepting what is, but continuing to like and put intention into what I imagine in. Ultimately, we went back to the grassroots strategy that has traditionally worked for us. We put so much energy and resources into growing the farm, growing the business and expanding, and reaching recent customers. We did all of this because we believed in what we were building. We still realized that our customers wanted what they wanted from us—beautiful, ethically made dresses, and they didn’t need every category or want all of those options. When that moment of give up got here, we stopped and listened to our community. I went back to doing a lot of the work myself because we couldn’t afford a whole team, but the fantastic thing about owning your individual business is that you simply already know how you can do it, and I accepted that.
If you would go back in time, what — if anything — would you alter about your entrepreneurial journey?
If I could change one thing, I might never name the company Christy Dawn. We originally named the company Dawn, which I liked. But after a 12 months or two, we were notified that a company in Germany had filed for the trademark before us. So we had to alter the name and we didn’t wish to confuse customers, so we modified the name from Dawn to Christy Dawn. But now my name is attached to the company, which may be a burden sometimes. Don’t get me flawed, I like our success, but if I could do it once again, I might select a different name.
How do you imagine the way forward for the brand and what excites you most?
My vision for the way forward for the brand is to encourage people to alter their purchasing patterns to the point that fast fashion will have to alter its production methods as well. Now greater than ever, it is more essential to know where your clothes come from and use your purchasing power to create real, tangible change.
Now that we have made farm-to-closet fashion a reality by embracing purpose and ethical practices, I stay up for continuing to innovate and expand our core offerings while remaining committed to our mission. I envision a future where our brand not only leads the way in ethical fashion, but also nurtures a community of conscious consumers who value quality over quantity and reimagine their relationship with fashion.
What is the best advice you may give to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to begin a side business or full-time business in the fashion industry?
Honestly, the best advice I can provide is to design for yourself—to create clothes that you should wear. It’s a tough business and it’s easy to get lost. If you take heed to your inner voice and design from that place of inspiration, there will certainly be others who are called to your aesthetic. And if not, at least you have clothes that you simply like to wear!
This article is a part of our Women Entrepreneur® series, where we share the stories, challenges, and successes of ladies running businesses.