Tried and true
Nic+Zoe celebrates 15 years of making women look, feel stylish
It’s no secret that I always want to support local and women-owned companies. As a Boston-based entrepreneur myself, I totally get it. But in March, during Women’s History Month, I want to show them an extra dose of love.
What better way to honor the month than to spotlight a women-helmed, local company celebrating women in all of our diversity? Natickbased Nic+Zoe is a fashion design house and clothing brand that’s about making us not just look chic, but feel powerful, included, and celebrated for our individuality.
Nic+Zoe’s also celebrating their 15th anniversary this month; Founder and Chief Creative Officer Dorian Lightbown started the company while on a search for more versatile and comfy (but still stylish) sweaters for real women. She named the company after her children. Her daughter, Zoë ChatfieldTaylor, joined the business 10 years ago, and is now the brand’s creative director. Today the company is steady on its mission “to illuminate that unique spark that makes you unapologetically you,” and is led by a group of senior female executives. They sell through everyone from Nordstrom and Saks to Dillards and their own namesake shops.
But these days, what’s the connection between being a female-led company and understanding your customers — particularly where clothes are involved? The world is filled with plenty of successful male designers, right? So why do women do it better, and if so, how?
To Dorian, it starts with the aesthetics. “I believe color makes a woman feel both confident and happy,” she says. “Our clothes do that (with beautiful color) or through our uniquely designed prints.”
Meanwhile, one of the biggest aims of the company in its design is to recognize the hectic schedule most women keep, taking on at least two or three roles every day, and to design accordingly. “Our biggest secret here is that almost everything we make stretches,” says Dorian. (As the utmost example of that, she’s pointed to the Wonderstretch Pant, $55-134 on nordstrom.com.) “When a woman puts on one of our jackets, tops, or pants, it’s going to stretch every time she moves, (whether) she’s teaching a class of children, bending to load a dishwasher, or giving a presentation on Zoom, she’s going to stay comfortable and not have to think about when she can stop and put on ‘those comfortable clothes.’ ”
As for what it means to have women in charge? Dorian says her female staff makes it personal. “Here at the studio, each one of us wakes up every morning and thinks about what she’s going to wear,” she says. “What clothes she needs for the day. We talk a lot about what we like and what we’re missing in our closets. Every one of our designs is tried on and discussed by our team for fit, comfort and construction.”
That’s a combo that can make a difference for just about any woman I know.