S16 E05: Nili Lotan, Founder, CEO and Creative Director at Nili Lotan

[Music] You're listening to the luxury item, the podcast on the business of luxury and the people and companies that are shaping the future of the luxury industry. Here's your host, Scott Kerr. [Music] My guest on the luxury item is Neely Loton, the highly acclaimed Israeli born and New York based ready to wear designer. A self-made entrepreneur nearly launched her label in her 40s. Starting her career at Liz Clayborn then led design at Ralph Lauren where she did menswear and finally landed at Naughtica, all training grounds that taught her the language of American sportswear. In 2003 she launched her eponymous label to find her own voice. Her philosophy is that clothes should be clean, sophisticated and functional, offering elements for self-expression. She is inspired by women with a strong sense of personal style and draws from art, music and rock and roll to design her collection. By designing pieces she herself wants to wear, Loton believes her collections instinctively resonate with a woman's lifestyle. Her pieces are regularly featured in top fashion and lifestyle publications like Vogue, Harper's Dissar and Wall Street Journal, and over the years Neely's designs have accrued a glittering list of dedicated followers, including Kendall Jenner, Haley Bieber, Guedith Paltrow, Courtney Kardashian, Dakota Johnson, Francis McDormon and Martha Stewart among many more. In 2024 she expanded her collection of refined but elevated basics to include a mensline with the opening of a menswear store in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood. Welcome to the luxury and a Mealy. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to have you on. Thanks for joining me. So I want to go back a little bit. You work for other top American fashion houses like Liz Clayborn, Naughtica and Ralph Lauren for 23 years before you started your own label in 2004. You're known for creating elegant garments for women that are easy, simple and quality over quantity. When you were designing at the big fashion houses, was branching out on your own always simmering under the surface? Maybe, but I wasn't aware of it. I think it happened at a very critical point of my personal life and my professional life when I was starting my own brand. I always believed in my ability to achieve what I want and sometimes I know it and sometimes life guides me. And I think when I was turning 50 or just about, I think it was 48 of the night. It was really a turning point in both my professional my professional and personal life. I left my marriage of 27 years and started my own company after working for others for 23 years as he said. So this actually marked the first time that I would carry out my own creative vision and live my life truly the way I wanted. So it was a big moment for me. I don't think I was ready for it or where of it. I think like just kind of guided me to that point. And that's kind of what made me spontaneously start this business. So what was it like jumping from holding top design posts and leading design teams to all the sudden being the head of your own brand? So one of the things that guided me actually to do that change was one word that's called freedom. And not that I felt, not that I felt that I haven't had it before, but I wanted to stretch the boundaries of freedom and to see what this freedom really meant to me. And I feel that the difference between running my own business to pursuing someone else's dreams is my freedom. And freedom comes with a lot of responsibility and not having a structure and really having all the possibilities in front of you. And I think that is a major difference. I think also the way things touch you in your decisions. It's beside creatively, it's also financially and emotionally. That makes a big difference in the decision making. And when you launch your brand in 2004, consumer spending was relatively strong. The fashion businesses recovering from the early 2000s downturn while aggressively democratizing luxury, premium but accessible products that delivered emotional benefits and status at much lower prices. So do you have a concrete idea of what your style was and what your brand stood for when you launched it? Yeah, I mean, I think that in terms of just sustainability, I practice it without calling it what it is. I think I came from, I come from a place of abundance and luxury, but living democratically where I was brought up, it was always with appreciation and not taking things for granted. Life was not as pleasant and naive in those days of growing up, but yet I did have abundance and luxury. So I think as always, naturally thought about less is more and how I do things very intentionally. So when I started my business, it was natural for me to not start with big funding or spending a lot of money or creating big collections. Really thinking about it very, as I said, intentionally and starting with a very small collection by myself, very low maintenance. And from a product perspective, it was again, very intention like, what is it that few pieces that one must have in my opinion or need? And that's how it started. So what was your first collection like? So the first collection was five pieces that I actually conceived very quickly. What was more important for me is to establish a philosophy to establish my vision as why am I doing it, who am I doing it for? Rather than the close themselves, it was, I felt like this fashion world is so crowded and nobody needs another collection or another designer to tell them what to wear. And so I felt, what is it those, what would I start with that would really be of help that would serve a woman rather than just create another line? And at the time, I'm in giving my background and giving my personal choices in wardrobe. I felt that what I couldn't find and what I was missing is what I called the non-danem-danem is I live in denim. Then it was the base of my wardrobe or my life and extending this to another product that will give me the same characters, what denim does, that will be sexy and at the same time non-chalant that it would be serving a woman for all times of her day. It wouldn't be pretentious, it would be something easy. That was the combination of going through the School of Law and understanding what does it take to bring a garment to be non-pretentious. What does it take to bring a garment to feel as a second skin? I learned the skills of how to do it and then I combined it with my vision and created a five pieces collection that was garment dyed and then stoned, obviously washed with stones. It was really important for me quality and fit. So that was part of my philosophy that I'm not just throwing clothes out there, but I'm actually as part of serving a woman. I'm giving her the best quality and the best fit that she can have for that price that she's spending. I bought all the fabrics from Italy, I shipped them to New York and then in London and New York I went through the process of making it feel like you've known that garment, loved that garment for many years. That is done through a process of a very specific technical process of how to wash it. Not only was it the garment that I wanted, so it was based off pants and one jacket. But not only was it the garment that I wanted, but from a business perspective, and I'm sure we'll touch it based on it later, it gave me the opportunity to grow my business organically. It's a very small problem. tight capsule into the size of the business that I am today, multi-category, full lifestyle. It allowed me organically to evolve to where I am both financially and conceptually. And I think this is something that I like to talk about because I think people today, young people feel that they need investments, they need a lot of money to pursue the dreams. And I think I've done something that proved that doing it in the right proportions with the right amount of money, with a lot of discipline, you can get there. So when you launched, given the landscape at the time, was there a customer that you had in mind that you thought would immediately embrace your designs? So it wasn't really demographic, it wasn't really a customer. I know at the time when I started the business and I've had quite a lot of interviews, everyone was asking me, so who is the woman and how old is she? And my answer was, it's not about a woman and it's not about an age. I'm designing for a mindset, I'm designing for an attitude. I want the women that, where me, will feel confident and comfortable and themselves, authentic to who they are. And years ago, at that time, when I was designing for Lisclay Bonne, was a Lisclay Bonne, Adana Cara, and I wasn't working for Adana Cara, but at the time, these were the brands that were strong. I think there was a lot of educating and mentoring women what to wear, how to wear. I wasn't interested in that. I was really more interested in her feelings, how she feels, that she feels confident. And I believed that with this confidence, she will conquer what she wants to conquer. It was the attitude and the mindset. And most importantly, and I always said that I'm designing for myself, I really, and I think that's the advantage, maybe, that I have as a woman. I really know what I need. I really know what I feel for given what's around me, economically, politically. I have certain needs, and I think that women trust me. And they, you know, they basically, you know, either follow me or trust my advice. Right. And was sustainability part of who you were at the beginning to? So obviously, but again, not necessarily calling it by its name, I think I've always thought that less is more. And I was brought up that way. As I said, I brought up my dad always told me, have one, but have the best. At times, what I didn't have, and normally I would be, has a tend of spending money to a certain degree on certain items, luxury items, he always encouraged me to buy the best that I can, period. And it's interesting because as I move to the United States from a different culture, raised children here, I've noticed that there was something about the culture here that was very different from the way I was brought up. And it's just starting with how you purchase and walking into clothing stores with a supermarket car just didn't align with me. I'm not supposed to fill it up. I'm supposed to choose one that will serve me for years. So I try to teach my kids that less is more and the quality and the timelessness of things. It's really what's important. So my intention was maybe it didn't call it sustainability by intentions where to create clothes with the best quality that will last. It's hard to create clothes and to claim sustainability because we are creating things that people already have, quite a lot of. But I think when you have the right intentions and you use the right materials, I can call it sustainable. Running an independent brand is increasingly fickle venture impacted by many factors, evolving priorities and numerous other limitations, both physical and financial. Whether it's working with the level of raw materials and fabrics, working with factories that are at the level of quality and as a young brand is a big investment, I would imagine so much of being independent is working with limitations. How did you manage to juggle creativity with commercial pressures? I actually see creativity in both the business side and design. I come from my strength is creativity. I didn't go to business school. I went to fashion school and using the skills that I've learned really guided me into running my business. I started it very small. It was very little money and no investors till today I'm the sole owner of this business. Every decision matters. I don't have the options of overproduce, over designing, over promise. I basically have to be very disciplined. But I don't think that that discipline is contradicting with creativity. I think actually creativity needs discipline. I think that the way I think about my collections, my business, I have a very clear vision, a very clear point of view and in order to maintain that creative process. The structure is actually very helpful for me. Having the business challenges are affecting my creativity in a good way. I become more accurate. I become more successful. You grew at a time in the 2010s when a new generation of American designers came on the scene, populating the category that became known as contemporary fashion. It was a pivotal time where people could buy designer products at a lower price than luxury. Where on the spectrum were you positioning yourself in the competitive landscape? Did that period end up being a growth engine for you? Yeah, absolutely. I wasn't really thinking price. I was thinking more value and I was thinking more quality that I can put in into the garment. I came from a very structured business. This label was, I think, one of the most inspiring business from structure and process. I remember sitting in all these pricing meetings for hours, hearing the founders talking about how to price a garment. When I started mine, I forgot all of that intentionally. Basically, my intention was, "Okay, how could I bring the most value and the most quality pair price, no matter what the price was?" At the time, there was contemporary and luxury and all these names that don't exist anymore. It didn't matter to me. I've kind of surrendered myself at the time to Daniella Vitale from Barney's who actually, she didn't decide for me. She asked me, "Which floor do I want to be on?" I couldn't give her the answer because it didn't matter to me from an ego perspective, but it mattered to me that the woman who's actually walking on that floor will resonate with my clothes and buy it. If I understood it, if she puts me in the wrong floor, I will miss that client. She ended up putting me right to next to the row in San Laurent. That really informed my brand going forward. I'm forever grateful for Daniella because I did not really define my brand from a price point. I defined it from timelessness and that it's real clothes that I don't want to be creating costume for women or I don't necessarily want to fulfill their dream vision in terms of what you look like, has you been walking the red carpet, but rather what does she needs every day. I think Daniella hid it right on in terms of the quality and the intention was there. The price was a bit more comfortable and I think that definitely informed my future business success. E-commerce was still small but growing fast when you launched. Many luxury brands remain wary of full online selling, preferring controlled boutique experiences. Today you have a flourishing E-commerce platform alongside your boutiques and wholesale distribution. Were you an early adopter of online retail and E-commerce channels? I wasn't one of the first. I started at 2012, I believe. each fit role. I think again, because I didn't have the resources to spend on all these technology at the time, or people who had the technology and their knowledge. I was with an agency in the first few years, and then when I embarked on my own showroom and my own team, that's when I started the ECOM. The digital platform that given me was the direct relationship and the storytelling that I love to do. I live for that. This is really what gives me the greatest pleasure at the end of the day. It's my communication and relationship with my client. My storytelling is what really captures her and makes her so loyal to me. The site and social media are medium that I very much pay attention to. I personally should all the assets tell the stories. I communicate to my followers on a daily basis personally on DM. I post, I write. What a wonderful platform to be able to actually have an access to women who are interested in what I do. I find it, this is really my joy. It makes the experience for women, also so authentic, so honest that they can really get to know me. So early on, when was that magic moment when you noticed someone out and about with your clothes? I live in Trebekah and I chose to open my store in Trebekah. So I was right at the, basically at my backyard. My store used to walk my daughter to school and then go to the studio. My studio and my store was at the same location. She'd come back from school, do a homework right next to me. So it was a very personal situation. And little by little, I started to have Trebekah women showing up and getting to know me. That was not how I started my business though. I started my business in 2003, end of 2003, with wholesale. So at that point, when I started, I launched my retail store in Trebekah in 2006. There were three years that my product and clothes and collections were all over the world. I mean, I had agent in Italy, I had in Europe, and I had agent in New York for the entire United States. So I've been selling in specialty high-end specialty stores and Barney's before I launched my store. I was completely unaware of the brand recognition that I had at that point. Obviously, I saw the people buying my collection and it's growing, but I wasn't aware of people actually understanding what the brand is and what am I. When I started, launched my store, I started to have all these women shopping in Trebekah and walking around with the tote bags as Nili Lothan. I was like, "Wow, this is cool." The funny thing is that it took me until today, wherever I am, and people reach out to me, I'm like, "How do you know me?" I'm always so shocked and surprised that people actually reach out to me and introduce themselves and tell me, "Oh, I've been a big fan or I've been buying your clothes for 20 years or on and on." So I've never really acknowledged the fact of the size of my business and the consequences of it, of so many people aware of what I do. I get up in the morning, I sit in my studio from 9 o'clock to 8 o'clock and very busy focusing on my vision and where I want to be. And while all of that is happening, a lot of women out there are wearing my clothes and enjoying it and recognizing me. So it's really the most wonderful rewarding feeling that I wish to everyone to be recognized for what they're doing, to be complemented of what they're doing. It's the greatest feeling of accomplishment. You said that your experiences head designer at Ralph Lauren was your most formative. Why is that? To me, yeah, it was my biggest lesson. I think that it was beyond clothes and that was made the difference between Ralph and any other company that I experienced. I think Ralph understood from right from the beginning and I am big admirer of Ralph and what he built, that it's not about clothes, that's about storytelling, consistency, it's about creating a universe that people can step in and recognize immediately. And I was a really great school for me. I mean, when I was down to do my own brand, I realized that I'm not just creating those five pieces, but this is the base at the beginning of a world that I will create that is a reflection of who I am. And in a way, I am the mirror to my own client that as I pursue my highest self, I really empower other women to do the same. And it's beyond clothes and I think Ralph, seen it, recognized it, built it and deserves all the credit in the world for it. And you've really guided your brand for 20 plus years through instinct, often rejecting fashion industry norms for marketing, production and brand positioning. You've stated that your emphasis is on creating beautiful clothes and making sure you're giving women what they need. How do you approach designing for women today? Very simple, you know, when I start a collection, I start with a question, what is it that I need? What is it that I feel? My client by now I've known my client so well, intimately, whether they're far or near. And I really ask the question, what is it that they need right now? I really want to make sure that I serve her that I'm not just filing clothes in her closet, but she really, obviously, serves me as well because if I hit it right on, she will come and buy that and not only, you know, my business will be successful. I'm serving her at the same time, so I'm doing good. I, you know, from the very beginning, my interest was not just to play dress up and dress women, but really give women the tools to empower themselves to feel good about themselves, to build a wardrobe that is easy for them, that they don't need to sink too hard. I don't think that clothes needs to be thought so hard. You don't need to plan you clothes that we could have or that day before, you know, it needs to come natural, it needs to be a second nature to you. What is it that I feel good in? What is it that I feel comfortable and confident and that's what should guide you. So I'm trying to hit on those feelings on those needs and again, by checking in with myself and hopefully that works and resonate. You often mention your design language draws heavily from art, music, rock and roll and the military, your silhouettes, details and mood, all echo those references to create clothes that feel expressive rather than decorative. What are the core feelings these energy forces are aiming for and how does that show up in the brand? Yeah, I, you know, again, once I put myself and I put my name on the label and put myself in front of my client, I feel that everything that is my backdrop of my life, everything that I've experienced seen, read, you know, it's part of me. I am the results of what I've read and what I've seen and therefore what I design is what I've read and what I've heard and I'm, you know, all of that that I've seen, read, carry a certain emotion and an attitude and an intention and I don't look at fashion as something or what I do as fashion or as a trend. Yes, of course, there's trends in the world as results of things but fashion is an evolution of of those things that carry an emotion and the things that I am inspired by, you know, whether it's the music or the art or the rock and roll, the military, it thinks that represents to me a certain feeling in the spirit of me and what I do and to me what rock and roll and the art and the music that I refer to is represents feel-lessness and rebellion and freedom, a sense of freedom and I think that if I'm inspired by those images and by these sounds, then hopefully the woman feels it when she was my close. Not to mention the love that I put in it, we always joke because I try every piece of garment that I put out there. I'm lucky to be able to do that because I have the figure, but regardless, regardless, if I don't feel it, what does it feel to wear it? Then it cannot be released. And we always joke that I'll put a little love in the pockets. Whether she fills it or not, I really hope she does. But there is a lot of love and intention goes into this clothes beside obviously the inspiration. The inspiration is something that I've learned that no one thought me in school, but I've learned it into, so out my career, that in order to be focused and consistent, you need to go back to the same references. You can't just go look out and say, "Oh, so and so did this. Maybe I should try that too." You need to go back into your own self, to your authentic self and say, "Okay, what is it that makes me? What is this that gives me the joy and the happiness?" And that's what I'm trying. That's what I'm giving her, a joy and happiness. So what does joy and happiness look to me? It feels to me. And that's where it comes. Creativity has so many ways of tapping into it. And that has been my way. A lot of people ask me, "Oh, what is your favorite Rolling Stone music or song?" And I'm like, "It's not about that. It's about Mick Jagger going on stage and looking so cool and fearless and rebellious." That's what I'm trying to tap into. I happen to love what he sings, but it's that attitude. And I hope I'm really hoping and wishing that I can really translate into my clothes and transfer it. Directly injected directly into the woman who wears it. Yeah, music is so much a big part of your brand's world. Record collections and rock photography and it recently opened menswear store, collaborations and exhibits with musicians like Alison Mosshardt. And the Kills and Handbags name for rock figures, all reinforcing that rock culture is part of the design DNA. Last year you turned your tryback a mens store into an art space for Alison Mosshardt solo exhibition, no slow songs, showing her paintings, collages and mixed media works. You later cast her in your Fall 2025 campaign, debuting your handbag launch. What did you see in Mosshardt that connects with your brand's creative ethos? She's my woman, she's my kind of woman. She's the ultimate. Don't be around the bush. She's, you know, both her and Jamie represent a certain honesty and confidence that. Right, Jamie hints, right? Yes, that you just can't make it. You cannot create it. It's an energy. And I think when I met them, I was drawn into their energy and Alison in particular as a woman, so fearless and so bold. And, you know, they both have such presence. And when, you know, they represent everything that I'm trying to inject in my clothes, everything that I believe in, everything that I'm wishing myself. And respecting. And they were the perfect match for me. And I think that when you're doing a campaign or when you're trying to portray your brand, honesty and authenticity again is so important to me. It's not just creating an image that will draw people to buy you clothes. It's to really explain to people what is it all about and who am I? Again, the space is so crowded and we all are talented and we all create even we all create clothes. But to draw someone into your world and to say, listen, I think you're going to like what I'm doing. Come check it out. You need to tell who you are. You know, you can't just put it trendy clothes out or to do a fake model composition and say, this is who I am because it's not. So beside putting my face on the board, you know, what would be the closest thing to it. And that would be finding the people that I connect to that I align with. And I'm not sure if I can talk about my next campaign. But you'll see that the next people that I chose are as honest as authentic connected to music, connected to art. And to me, that is what really informs me how to do my campaign. I do not spend a lot of money on campaigns and marketing period. So when I do, it's important to me that will be accurate. Despite overall luxury fashion sales slowing and the talk of this luxury fatigue, handbags remain a core growth engine. Brands are still adding new handbag models to their repertoire as a key way to capture attention and drive revenue. You introduced a collection of handbags late last summer, marking your first full handbag collection after 22 years of ready to wear. Why so long before launching a handbag collection? Was it a matter of economics like high margins, little material labor or opening a customer gateway to your brand or something else? No, I think that by now after we're talking for closer and hour and hopefully the listeners understand it too that I am not here to do business business just comes with it. I'm very proud of it because I think the intention was not just to create another category because that category happens to be the leading category for many, many major luxury brands. I think I'm very proud that I was able to build a ready to wear business to the size that it is without having bags and shoes. That is quite an achievement. I think most people that are in the area of where I am build their revenues based on letter goods and to do that without was quite an accomplishment. I think that to me was very important to build a foundation, the fit, the wardrobe. And only when this was clear to me and to my client, it made sense to extend, made sense to extend to bags, made sense to extends to shoes and other categories that fits in the lifestyle. For years I've been women been asking me, what will you bag look like and why you're not doing bags and why you know this and why you know that I'm going to do it when I'm ready. And I think I said it to the very beginning sometimes life just guides you. And that exactly where the moment where I did, you know, where I felt that I was ready. My approach to the bags was exactly as my clothes, understated, no logos, expensive materials, timeless. All those shapes that I created to start with were the pieces that I felt that would serve me and hopefully you will serve my client. There were totally was the same attitude and rock and roll sensibility that my clothes is. I even named my clothes in my bags in names of artists in music. And it was, I was overwhelmed with the success. We sold out the minute we made it available. We're actually chasing the bags right now. We didn't expect such a success. And I'm very grateful for that. It's not to be taken for granted. There's so many bags out there. And I read also as everyone else that everyone is trying to do bags right now. So it wasn't really a trendy thing. I don't know how I got to be in the trend of making non-logger bags. But it wasn't my intention. My intention was just to give my client a complete look, a complete lifestyle. And with the same attitude of my clothes. And like everything else you do against the grain, if you will, you're not a big subscriber to the school of big runway shows. You have staged a few traditional runway shows in the past. But you favor more these intimate presentations, showroom appointments and event-based moments. Like your recent fall 2025 campaign with fashion meets music events with the kills at the Cafe Carlisle here in New York. It's getting harder and harder to justify the cost and environmental impact of big runway shows. So you see doing more of these high-impact event-based moments amplified on social media channels as storytelling platforms around your new collections? Yeah, I do. I don't promise I'll never do a show. I think there's something about a show that celebrates. And I do want to celebrate myself and the brand. I'll find the right life will tell me when the right moment is. But I have to be honest, I've never really believed that runway shows were essential to build a meaningful brand. I think that the runway show are incredibly expensive. And for in the early years, I didn't have the resources to do that. And then just happened so that I built the business without it. So now kind of going back now and doing it for the sake of presenting my collections, it didn't feel like it was necessary. And at the time, you know, being more business conscious, I thought that opening more retail stores they've caused me a fraction of what a fashion show would have caused me. Head brought revenues much faster, build my brand and my brand recognition, and created a stronger business. So as much as I enjoy watching fashion shows, and I do understand the aspect of the celebration of the beginning of one collection, at the end of one collection and the beginning of the next one. And in a way, treating your community, you know, is a beautiful presentation and it's getting wilder and wilder these years. But I think holding intimate events works for me again to really celebrate and in an authentic way and be grateful for everyone that was involved and involved in my journey. And then maybe one day I will do some sort of a comp brand, some sort of show that holds more than just one season that holds maybe a celebration of a certain time. Let's see. So a few years ago, you officially launched a menswear line and in 2024, a dedicated menswear boutique in Tribeca. It also landed on a lot of influential retailers like Mr. Porter and Sacks. Did you approach designing menswear as just a natural extension of your women's line? Seeing rock and roll sensibility type of thing? Yes, absolutely. I mean, everything that I do is an extension of itself, you know, and it just flows. I don't know if you know, but when I was working for a while, I was actually designing menswear. So that wasn't an unfamiliar territory for me. So there's something about the way men dress or shock, I should say. Really informed how I started my business and how I think I think there's something about the repetitious of an item that you love and familiar with is something that man actually is very strong at. And I think this is something that my business is built on. I have women who buy the same pant in 15 colors, over and over and over again, or a certain shirt that I repeat. I think this is something that I borrowed from the men, not to mention that I borrowed from the men quite a lot of things. I am quite a tomboy. My sensibility is not pretty and not cute, rather very strong and assertive. And that is taken from a menswear drove those feelings, not necessarily the items themselves. And so when I said to design menswear, it was fluid. It was so many pieces in my collection came from mens wardrobe. So it was pretty easy and I must be thankful and grateful for the way both the retailers and customers react to it immediately. Partners like Mr. Porter and Sacks recognized it right away. And I am very happy. I never wanted the men's collection to be bigger than the women's. To me, my main and most obligation is to women. I must admit, but I feel that if I can serve men with what I am doing and be of service, then why not? So that's how men started. I want to talk about sustainability and we touched on a little bit. You said the key to sustainable fashion design lies in creating lasting clothes that can be passed from generation to generation and reducing waste in the production process. You don't have a formal sustainability program. So what is your approach? Yeah, it's again, it's all about the intentions. It's all about all of us intention in whatever we're doing. And I think yes, reducing waste and choosing qualities that are less for a long time is what guides me. And beyond that, you know, is again, when I started my business, my very first collection, again, without calling it sustainable, was the most sustainable thing that you can think of. Normally, collections are 120 pieces, hundreds of views. No one does anything less than that. It started with fire. If you don't go this sustainable, then I don't know what sustainable is. Not only that, as I said, from business perspective, I had great mentors. One of my mentors was Jerry Chaisen, one of the founders of Gleitz-Glaiborne. And I remember when I started my business, I had asked him, what does he think about garment dying and stone washing? And he said to me, you're committing suicide. And despite that, I decided to do that. And why I did that is because it created a very sustainable company from an inventory perspective. So the way I worked and that what helped me grow my business is that I wasn't committed to minimums of fabrics. I didn't have to buy excessive fabric because I got an order of 50 units. And now the minimums didn't allow me to buy the right amount of fabrics. I needed to buy five times. That's what actually happens to most designers and brands. When you start and your units are small, I chose a fabric that only few qualities of fabric, only few meals that I worked with. And that allowed me to store fabric and die it as I needed. So if I got a, since I only had five pins, so presumably they bought that five pins. But since they wanted it in six or seven eight colors, it was the same fabric base that I was using and just dying it according to the order. So it was zero access, zero inventory. Later on when I started my own DTC business, obviously I had to go beyond the orders that I received and I had to start guessing my own buy. It creates access and it creates some inventory that I wish I didn't have. But I'm very careful about it. I always rather be less than more. I'd rather miss an opportunity that sit with access. And that's why my business has grown the way they did like very organically, but consistently. And without access, without inventory. So nearly my final question is the luxury item question, which I ask all my guests. So if you was stranded on a deserted island and you could only have one single luxury item with you, what would that luxury item be? It can't be any form of air or water transportation to get you off that island or anything that requires mobile service. So you can call somebody to get you off that island. It's just you on this lonely island, but you have one single luxury item with you. What would that be? So I thought about it and I was, you know, I think I'm going to give the most trivial answer because I kept thinking what could it be? And it came down to a luxury cashware blanket. And I think this is something that will stay with me throughout the year and basically give me the comfort and the security and the luxury that I need at home, whether it's hydrocold, just wrap myself with that blanket and the luxury luxurious as possible. Neely Lothan, founder, CEO and creative director of Fashion Label, Neely Lothan. Thank you so much for joining me on the luxury item. Oh, thank you, Scott. It's been my pleasure and thank you for having me. That's it for this episode of the luxury item podcast. Thank you so much for listening. If you found this useful and entertaining, I would be really grateful if you can share it with a friend or colleague. I would love it if you subscribe so you never miss an episode. And while you're there, be sure to rate and review us on Apple podcasts. It really helps other listeners find us. The luxury item podcast is a production of Silver Tone Consulting. I'm your host, Scott Kerr. Until next time.