College students start fashion brand for young professional women
NASHVILLE – By the time recent Vanderbilt graduates Zoe Antell and Jessica Kaplan were seniors, they were already running a full-fledged fashion brand.
As first-year undergraduate students, the duo pledged to business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi. When they began attending networking events, they quickly realized that there was a lack of stylish, comfortable and affordable business attire options for young professional women.
Antell and Kaplan were determined to find a solution to this problem. Thus, Ready Dress Go was born. Ready Dress Go, which was founded in 2019, aims to offer high-quality and fashionable professional pieces to women who are just embarking on their careers.
Funding for the startup was awarded from their university’s Center for Innovation and Design, the Wond’ry.
Ready Dress Go also began a partnership with local, female-owned manufacturing company Prange Apparel. Together, the capsule collection of the RDG Blazer, the Everyday Tank and the Power Pants was brought to life.
“We focus on two things: comfort and a modern look,” said Antell.
Four-way stretch fabric is designed to make Ready Dress Go’s clothes easy to move and travel in. Pockets are another functionality piece that were incorporated.
“And then a sleek, modern design is definitely a priority for young women,” Antell said. For example, blazers do not have a button. A big lapel on the top is used instead.
Outfits put together with Ready Dress Go staples are meant to make young women feel they could wear them with other pieces in their closet, not just for work-related events.
The clothes are also machine washable, saving time and money on dry cleaning, Antell said.
Ready Dress Go clothes are made by young professional women for young professional women, which the brand highlights in their sales and marketing strategies.
With a direct-to-consumer model utilizing Instagram, pop-up events, Shopify and TikTok, Ready Dress Go targets Gen Z consumers. There’s also a TikTok about the founders’ startup experience.
Ready Dress Go tries to reach out to its customers beyond providing garments.
“We really add value to our products by giving back and doing more than just making sales,” Kaplan says.
The company’s Join the Boardroom initiative is aimed at young women from all corners of the world trying to find their way in the business world. That platform will be a way for women to connect with one another as they start their professional lives.
Contributions on Ready Dress Go’s online shop will go toward the donation of professional attire to women in need.
“The goal is to really bring our clothes to other women who might not necessarily be customers of our business,” Antell said. “You can go onto our website and essentially sponsor an outfit for another woman.”
Ready Dress Go also partners with Girls Inc. Nashville, offering mentorship to high school students. Ready Dress Go already has plans in the works to scale the clothing line nationwide.