Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffanie Tribble.
Tiffanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Today, I am a fashion buyer, founder and CEO of When & Where, an online boutique catering to millennial movers and shakers (entrepreneurs, professionals) with clothing that works from the boardroom to happy hour. However, my path to fashion was a circuitous one. While I always had a passion for style and clothing, I steered away from pursuing it as a full-time profession. And as a military child, feared a career in fashion wouldn’t be taken seriously and instead joined the U.S. Army. Yet, I still found myself working with or connected to fashion in some way. During deployments, I would organize fashion and talents on the base and work with local sellers to source clothing, accessories and other materials for the shows.
Eventually, I decided to return to school to study fashion retail management at the Art Institute of Houston. While there, I participated in a number of fashion events and upon graduation moved into a merchandising role in the corporate buying office of a national fashion department store chain. I leveraged this experience into launching When & Wear in the fall of 2018.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road to entrepreneurship has been and continues to be paved with many obstacles and challenges. One of my major and continuing challenges has been balancing single-motherhood with the pursuit of my own dreams. When I became a mother at 22, I was terrified that my life, which I had barely started exploring, was over. I felt weighed down by societal pressures to replace my burgeoning identity to become “my daughter’s mom, the person formerly known as Tiffanie.” Though my dreams lingered on the shelf a little while longer in exchange for seeking stability for my family, the space I carved out to be true to myself remains.
Another challenge I wrestle with on a day-to-day basis is to have the time, energy, and focus for my “passion” after working an 8-5 every day. It can be difficult to commit time to all the needs of a start-up business when the couch, Netflix, and a bottle of wine are within reach. Having accountability partners has helped, as they push me to make progress toward my goals each week and I would be embarrassed to admit that I gave in to goose-feather filled pillows instead of my to-do list.
Please tell us about When & Wear.
When & Wear is a women’s apparel brand that specializes in versatile workwear for today’s modern professional who also has an active life outside of the office. Whether she’s going to a client meeting, networking event, brunch with the girls, a wedding, or going out for date night, we offer dresses, tops, jumpsuits and more that are perfect for any of life’s occasions, big or small.
What I am most proud of as a company is that we showcase women of color, share their stories, and feature them in our marketing and advertising. I believe there is an under-representation of black and brown women not just in fashion, but in nearly every industry. So, I wanted to create something so I could utilize my platform to not just feature these women, but create opportunities for them as well.
I want these women to see that the clothing fits their body types, especially since a lot of retailers don’t cater to us, and let them know that they are worthy of being seen as beautiful, successful, ceiling-breaking women that are deserving of so much. Representing a marginalized segment of society is not just what I’m most proud of, but it also sets When & Wear apart from other brands. Self-representation is key to making us feel seen and heard!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Sooo many things!
When I started, I naively thought that if I just opened my online store, customers would come. My marketing and advertising plans consisted of little more than posting to social media and prayer. Taking the time to build an audience before launching wasn’t on my radar but is such an integral part of the process. People want to take the time to get to know you before they are comfortable spending with you.
Had I known better, I also wouldn’t have shied away from being the face of the brand. Initially, I thought that keeping my life and politics separate from the brand would be best for business. However, the millennial customer demands to know who is at the helm of the ship and what their politics are. There is no longer a separation of self and company. I’ve had to become comfortable facing the public and being transparent about various aspects of my life.
Lastly, if I could do it all over again, I would have started my business earlier! This journey has been the most professionally fulfilling endeavor I’ve ever embarked on and I’m excited to see where it all leads.
Contact Info:
- Website: whenandweartoday.com
- Email:hello@whenandweartoday.com
- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/whenandweartoday/
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/whenandweartoday/
Image Credit:
ATC Intl.
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