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The Wife-And-Wife Team Behind Androgynous Clothing Brand Dapper Boi Is Crowdfunding Their Way To Success

This article is more than 3 years old.

Vicky Pasche finally felt like herself when she began shopping for clothing in the men’s department. The only problem was, the clothes weren’t designed to fit her. She had to buy shirts that were too large so they would fit over her hips, and she always had to leave them unbuttoned around her chest. Jeans were always too big in certain places and at the same time, too small to fit around her curves.

Pasche knew there were more people out there with this problem, so she and her wife, Charisse, decided to do something about it.

In 2015, the couple launched a Kickstarter campaign to start a gender-neutral clothing line designed to fit a wide range of sizes and body types. Their goal was to raise $18,000. Instead, they raised $26,000.

And so their company, Dapper Boi, was born.

Dapper Boi’s first line of jeans sold out almost immediately. The couple began to design other products, like button up t-shirts, which did just as well.

Products were selling fast, but Vicky and Charisse still didn’t have enough cash flow to invest back into their business. They decided to take a different approach.

“We basically launch products every month, now multiple per month, at wholesale price to customers for a 3-week time period,” explains Vicky. “It creates a sense of urgency for our customers to get in on the campaign. We use those funds to pay the manufacturer for production.”

With this model, Dapper Boi constantly sells new products, everything from bathing suits to bomber jackets. Since their launch in 2015, they have earned over $1 million in revenue, amassed almost 30,000 Instagram followers, and built an email subscriber list of over 13,000 people. In October, they began an equity crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine and have raised over $190,000 from over 350 investors.

Vicky says the fundraising route they have chosen has absolutely been the right decision.

“There was a time period where we were focused on finding [traditional] investors, and I didn’t feel true to myself necessarily when approaching some of them. I was starting to lose myself in the business part.”

For Vicky and Charisse, the crowdfunding method feels comfortable. “We can be our true selves with control over our own company, while hearing feedback. And we’re growing based on customer feedback as well. It’s really exciting to see the growth happening.”

One area of growth has been expanding their target customer base.

“When we started this brand it was made originally toward women like myself who shop in the men’s department, but as we were going through the sampling process and having anybody and everybody try on our clothing, we found men in particular that have curves actually have the same issue. That’s why we are gender neutral. Men really love our jeans, too.”

Vicky says she hopes Dapper Boi continues to grow even larger. “Right now it seems like our current customers keep coming back, and I know we have a strong message, and it’s to bring confidence to people, and you can be who you want to be. No matter how you feel on the inside, you can represent it on the outside with clothing. I just want to see the company grow and be able to reach a lot more people.”

She also hopes companies like Dapper Boi can help push the fashion industry forward.

“I’d like to see it be not so binary. It’s tough out there. There’s a lot of people out there that don’t necessarily feel like they fit in the men’s section or the women’s section, and I think once we become a bit less binary, people will start feeling a whole new kind of confidence.”

For now, Vicky is proud of the way Dapper Boi helps instill this confidence in customers, and she is especially proud that she and Charisse have been able to push through challenges and remain optimistic.

“No matter what, we’re going to see this business through,” Vicky says. “We’re passionate about it, and we know there’s a need for it, and no matter what obstacles come our way, including coronavirus, we’re going to keep working hard to bring products that make people feel confident in their own skin.”

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