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Singer and entrepreneur Ciara and her husband, football superstar Russell Wilson, own an entire fashion house called The House of LR&C. But in August, she teamed up with creative agencies Harper and Scott to launch another brand, Dare To Roam. Dare To Roam debuted in a direct-to-consumer model and focused on antibacterial backpacks, a product designed specifically for the Covid era. It just got a coveted position in this year's Oprah's favorite things list. Recently, the brand has also expanded to Amazon. Its new holiday series includes a weekend bag, a Dopper kit, a laptop bag and a tablet bag. The pre-holiday collection includes a fleece-lined "small pocket" and a coordinated recycled nylon hat.
We interviewed many women behind brands and discussed the role fashion plays in her life.
Have you always liked fashion? "Fashion has always been a huge passion for me and an important part of the way I express myself; it is an important part of my identity, both on stage and in my daily life. When I wear When I put on clothes or items that I really like, it only helps me express myself and how I feel about this day. I have always had an incredible love for it. I look at my grandmother-she always wears her custom made , Tailor-made clothing. She has her own tailor. It is really interesting to see it, and I think it has an impact on me.
When you start Dare to Roam, you already have many existing fashion brands. Why did you create this? “It’s great to have my own fashion house The House of LR&C with my husband. It’s a dream come true to be able to work in this space. I’ve been enjoying the time in my life.
When the opportunity of Dare To Roam comes, I want to continue to express my creativity. The backpack has a sense of fashion, [so] you can even express yourself through your rock-and-roll backpack. "
Where do you get inspiration? "You go through different seasons. Sometimes it all depends on your mood-for me, when I make an album, my music inspires me, and what I want. It's like,'Well, These songs make me feel this way. From a fashion point of view, this is the atmosphere I want. Life inspires me, and sometimes other people inspire me—for example, when I walk on the streets of New York or Atlanta, I come from there. I see people walking around, coming from different ethnic backgrounds, swinging different styles in a very expressive way. I get inspiration from it. The beauty of fashion is that inspiration can come from Many different places. Sometimes it’s really in the present: you have a vision for something, or when you encounter something in your life, you say,'I'm really inspired by this moment. I'm going back to the drawing board. This is the beauty of fashion."
What lessons did you learn from the business? "Obviously, before I got this great opportunity to start a business in the fashion field, my profession was an artist. Sometimes, because of creative thinking, you must have discipline and a timetable. In the fashion world, the timeline will not wait for you. In terms of music, I might say,'I want to push this album back; let's finish it in a few weeks. But it's like, "No, you prepared Nordstrom for this day's decline. "You have to make time for fashion. Therefore, when you have the opportunity to participate in the business, you will learn this discipline. Now, I have mastered this discipline-I have no choice but to do it in the process. Master it early. But it’s really interesting to learn and accept business challenges."
You work with a company called Harper and Scott in "Dare to Roam." How did this come from? "At the beginning of the pandemic, I had to get in touch with the Harper and Scott team. We actually built a relationship through my agency and mutual friends at CAA. So I am very happy to be with the founders Jon Alagem and Michael Scott Make connections. There is a cool opportunity to discuss making backpacks together. I like their vision, I like their approach. I like how they build their business. I like their participation and enthusiasm.
With Dare To Roam, we want to make sure that we are doing something special and we are very clear about the time we are in. This is where the antibacterial technology comes in. We all have a common vision for what we want to do in this space. We also discussed the idea of trying to create impact through all this-so we have a feedback component. "[3% of sales were donated to the Why Not You Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Ciara and Russell Wilson to eradicate poverty through education.]
You started with a backpack, but you just launched a jacket. Will the brand launch more clothing? "We [launched] what we call the'shacket'. It's like a mix of shirts and jackets, if you want, this is a great opportunity to pair with your bag. This is our starting point, it's a very Cool layer. [Now] We just have fun. This is a holiday series."
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