What Cass DiMicco Wears To Run Her Eight-Figure Accessories Business, Aureum Collective

0:00The following podcast is a dear media production. Hi guys, welcome back to another episode of Let's Get Dressed. It's your host, Lip Perez. Do we think belts are having a renaissance? I'm buying more belts than I ever have for my wardrobe. And I've been getting so many DMs from a lot of you guys recently asking how to style them in your wardrobe, how to start with a skinny black belt, or maybe even try a cool new suede belt. Belts are definitely having a moment, which is why I'm so excited to welcome on Orium Collective founder and fashion influencer, Cass D 'Amico, who's built an eight-figure business around revamping our accessories wardrobes.

0:38From chic leather belts to vintage inspired earrings and a perfect silver cuff, Orium Collective has become a best-selling brand for its high-end design-focused assortment at an approachable price point. In today's episode, Cass and I chat about why belts have become the new hot topic in fashion. Her best tips for finding your accessories DNA and building your capsule accessories wardrobe, and the biggest lesson that she's learned as a brand founder. If you guys want to shop Orium Collective, you can use our code. It's DRESSED20 to get 20 % off at orriumcollective.com. Just in time for the holidays.

1:13Truly, these pieces make the best gift. Highly recommend checking it out. Hope you guys loved today's episode. Let's go get dressed with Cass D 'Amico. know. Cass, I'm so excited to have you on for a lot of reasons, but you are our first repeat alumni guest. Wow. What an honor. For Let's Get Dressed pre-Friend of a Friend era. Yeah. Yeah. I love the rebrand. I think it's amazing. Thank you. I'm so glad I caught you while you were in LA. I know. What were you doing here? So we had an Orium shoot yesterday. so I wasn't modeling which is great so I got to just do the creative directing and styling and do some like behind the scenes and all the social things too I feel like in our industry wearing a lot of hats is like crucial you really have to know how to do a lot of different things creative direct execute be in front of the camera be behind the camera bring a product to life market yeah but you have done it to like the extreme because you've brought a product to life so So yeah, it's a lot.

2:14I'm trying to learn how to delegate as best I can. But I feel like when you're in a creative field, it's even harder to find someone that aligns with your tastes and can kind of take over what you're doing or even just being able to let go of how you're doing things and let someone run with how they see something. It's really challenging. Yeah, because you just want your vision, your rules, your thing. It's very hard, but you're doing it really well. And I've loved to see the brand grow. It's actually been so fun. to watch it blossom to where it is now. I think what I love most about it is when it first came out, it felt like a very natural extension of you and your personal style.

2:52Like I could see how seamlessly it was being integrated into your everyday clothing. And the question I always love to ask my guests at the top of every show is how they get dressed every day. So tell me a little bit about your wardrobe and your ethos when you're getting dressed. Are you picking an item? Is it one of your belts? Is it an earring? What is like the creative around you getting dressed every day? Yeah, I think it kind of depends on where I am, of course. But my day-to-day life, like when I'm just at home, I typically start with just a simple base outfit. If I'm loving a pair of jeans that week, I'll end up wearing those jeans three days in a row.

3:28And I'll just throw on jeans that are comfortable or a pair of trousers that are comfortable, something so simple on the top. And then I always play around with my accessories. So that's kind of the whole ethos of our brand of Orium is the art of accessorizing. Dress simply, let your accessories be what's making the statement. And it's just an easier way of getting dressed. You can kind of just have those same capsule pieces that can be really simple and then have some more exciting accessories that you're changing out day to day or making something feel more exciting. Or maybe I wear one type of belt during the day.

4:01And then at night I'll like put on something more fun and it just makes the whole process less stressful. I really never like think too hard about my outfits. I mean, that's because like your pieces are the perfect cherry on top. Yeah. Where jeans and a white tee and like immediately the belt is like elevating it to another level. Yeah. I love what you said about simple tops because I think that's been something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Like I feel like my top is the last thing I'm thinking about when I go to get dressed. Like I'm focusing on a cool pant. I'm focusing on like a statement jacket.

4:33Like a lot of my tops are just like simple shell tops. So like a white tee, like it's not really the emphasis of my wardrobe. And I noticed that with a lot of style lately. Like I'm not sealing like the cool roughly tops, like the padded shoulders. Like I feel like maybe we did, at least for me when I first started out, it was like Gossip Girl era, which was like big roughly tops, like the big button downs and the And like the the like ties and all it was really about the top. Yeah. Now I just it's like gotten simplified a lot. Yeah. I was actually talking to some of my girlfriends about this recently because we remember back in the day when we were younger, I was like, what do you wear to go out?

5:10And it was going out. Going out. Oh, my God. Going out top deserves like a movie. Exactly. It deserves an essay. So it deserves some sort of like graduate thesis because it's really lived a lot of lives. I don't personally have a lot of going out tops anymore. I'd rather wear like a really cool pair of jeans and like a black t-shirt or something like that. But yeah, one of my best friends asked me the other day, like, what tops are you wearing? And I sent her four, most of which were from ref. And I was like, I have these in like six different colors and that's about it. Yeah. I feel like all my core basic tops, I just have in a lot of different, similar, slightly different versions, but they're all basically the same thing.

5:50Do you have any going out tops now? No, not really. Like, could you think of one in your closet where you're like, okay, if I have to go out somewhere in Miami, I'm putting this on. Yeah. Like I have like some tops that are maybe just like more tight and like a tiny bit more sexy. Right. But like a black tighter top that I would wear with like a loose jean or something is maybe my going out top. I just posted this because someone had asked me in like an AMA and that brand Enzacosta that sells on Revolve is like, I feel like your top is very similar like an Enzacosta top. Yeah, I have. Is it? This one is Vince, but I have this exact top from Enzacosta in like four colors.

6:24I feel like those have like, there was one that was like off the shoulder and like one that had like a zigzag down the chest. Like, I feel like that's the only thing. And not to encourage everybody to dress the same, but like I'm just trying to give. We're just being realistic here. Just trying to help you guys out here. Yeah, because I'm not going to put on this like crazy ruffly top to like go to dinner with my husband. I feel like he'd be like, what are You'd be like, where are we going? Yeah. What's happening? Yeah. Also, Tay Park. I get a lot of my going out tops from Tay Park. I don't have anything from them yet.

6:50But Reformation and Zecosta. I do love like Kate bodysuits or that vibe. I'm not always spending that much money on a bodysuit. But that kind of vibe, I think it's really cute and fresh. I'm not a bodysuit girl. I wish I was. I was for a second. And now I just... They are flattering. I'm sure they are. Suck you in. Yeah, I'm sure. I think for me, I don't really love... This is so specific. I don't love the like seam line from a bodysuit, like with a pair of jeans. Yeah, that's like, I don't love how the jeans and then it's like a tight bodysuit underneath. Yeah, I get that. That's so specific.

7:24Yeah. That's the fashion girl in me being like, I don't like that line. But I do like it in some situations, like with a great leather skirt or something like that. My turtleneck that I always wear, it's like a black turtleneck is a bodysuit. And it's like just a commando bodysuit. And sometimes it does look like it that you have underwear on in certain pants. but what do you style it with them just anything loose on the bottom okay so that like the line isn't showing on the butt yeah you have to get like I would never I would get like a g-string g-string bodysuit yeah that's fair right because then I feel like I'm wearing like tidy whities yeah it's a lot of fabric down there for me I get that I get that so I feel like on Instagram I get to see everybody gets to see a glimpse into like your perfect closet Oh, yeah.

8:09And I am definitely someone who admires organized closets and like aesthetic ones. What went into designing that closet that made it like seamless for you to get dressed every day? Well, first of all, I didn't want to create it with doors, which I know is like not as chic. Controversial because I was adamant about doors in my closet. Why no doors? Tell me. Because I just know myself. I'm the type of person that would open all the doors and never close them. so I knew I would never it would just even be even more chaotic I do feel like next place I get I probably will have like a more chic adult type of closet that's like closed off but overall I just wanted to make it really simple to see everything and have it like curated I have a little dress section I have my blazers my jeans all hung up I'm the type of person that likes to hang everything Everything I own is hung.

9:02T-shirts, sweatshirts, like everything. I don't like folding things because I know I'll just mess it up. Completely agree. Yeah. All my T-shirts are hung as well. Yeah. Because a lot of the times, unless you're perfectly folding them, you'll get a crease. And it's just annoying every time you want to go through it. And then... The only thing that I think... I barely have any drawer space in my closet and I designed it that way. I have a workout drawer. I have like an undergarments drawer. And then I have a drawer that's like sweatpants and pajamas and tank tops because tank tops, I feel like I can fold without them getting greasy.

9:34But I totally agree. Yeah. I have a few drawers that have like sunglasses and jewelry and underwear and all that. But your closet's a store. It's a proper store. I actually, the amount of belts I now have in our closet is crazy. I had to just buy one of those tall wheelie like things that spins like it's a store because I have over a hundred belts now. But I love that. It actually inspired me to get those ones on Amazon that like spin open. Yeah, yeah. Because before I had them like hanging on a hanger and it was very hard to get through. I would have to like move my clothes to get to it. You can't really see them all.

10:06I'm really now realizing how important belt organization is because it can change your whole outfit. But a lot of the times they're like pushed and shoved in the back somewhere. Yeah, I have mine on display. I have like my little acrylic organizers for them. And I also try my best to edit my closet constantly a lot. It's my favorite activity. I do it at least once a month, bare minimum. I'm always cleaning out my closet and making sure it's very edited down, selling things or donating things. And I feel like I don't even receive that much products. I mean, I do, obviously, but I try to keep it to a minimum.

10:41And I still feel like I'm constantly editing things down because it just makes it more stressful when you're trying to get dressed to go through a bunch of things. And you want like a clear headspace when you're trying to put on an outfit together. A quick break from our conversation to shout out the sponsor of today's episode, Posh Peanut. You guys know that I am so passionate about editing your wardrobe and having things that you love and feel good for every day. And while I don't have kids yet, hopefully one day, I'm equally as passionate about making sure that your kids' wardrobes are as cool as ours are.

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12:33Let's get back to the show. When I was prepping for this episode, I had all the doors in my closet open. And what I realized very quickly is you are someone who knows your personal style very well There's no color in your closet. None if you opened up my closet, it would look like the rainbow threw up Which is fine. I feel like people think i'm like weird and boring No, you just know your aesthetic and I think that that is a really hard thing to to find in life. Yeah, it actually Developed over time like right before I started oriam I was very broke to be honest and And I was an influencer at the time and I was just getting tons of clothing, gifting from random brands, mostly like fashion.

13:18And I would look at my closet and it made no sense. It literally was a rainbow that someone threw up in. It had so many different aesthetics in it. I felt like, I was like, what is my style? I don't even have a personal style. I just, where would I get in the mail? And it was when I was entering my late twenties. So I was kind of like, okay, I really want to give myself a refresh. Like if I can show up as anyone in the world, I want to be chic and classy and more put together. And I just, you know, woke up one day and decided to do that. And I, at the time I didn't have the crazy amount of income to go to nuts.

13:54I was mainly going to Zara and more affordable places, buying a lot of neutral pieces. And that's kind of how Oriom even came about because I felt like I wanted to be able to dress, have simple pieces, but then I felt like my accessories were kind of lacking. Like it felt like my wardrobe was looking a little boring. So I think that's where you can really have fun with accessories. And I think it's also about, I always notice what I get rid of when I'm cleaning out my closet. And I always noticed I was getting rid of the color. It was like orange pants. I'm like, I wore them once. I'm never going to wear these again.

14:32So just learning over time from getting rid of certain pieces and noticing the patterns and what I was getting rid of. I was always getting rid of color for me personally, just because I felt like I didn't know how to mix and match. And now I feel like everything in my closet just mixes and matches so easily because it's all kind of the same aesthetic and color tones and it makes it a lot easier. I love hearing about this thing that you did of wanting to kind of reassess your closet because I feel like that's relatable to a lot of people in different stages of life. Obviously, as influencers, we get a lot of stuff.

15:08And I too had a moment like that where I looked in my closet and I was like, none of this feels like me. But I also remember feeling that way when I first moved to college. And my closet before that was a lot of things that my mom had bought me or things that I had from my younger years and wanting to change my style, feel like an adult, feel like a New Yorker. I was working at Teen Vogue and I was like, okay, we need to like rebrand here. What went into that process? Were you like mood boarding the things that you loved? Like for people who might relate to that feeling and want to revamp their closet, what do you recommend doing to like start that process?

15:41I think you can definitely use Pinterest. I love Pinterest. I still use Pinterest a ton. I mean, you are a, like you yourself are a Pinterest queen. Like not to say that you're the user, but like I see your photos on like Pinterest all the time. People are Pinterest and you love it. Okay, great. Love it. Yeah. I feel like I, I just love getting inspiration from there. And I think you can kind of look to some people's style that you really like, pull some inspiration, try to figure out what it is you like about their style. Something that I think people need to do more often is try on looks and take a Sunday to just put a bunch of looks together.

16:20And I, because I think that's what we're doing so much of the time, you know, when I'm styling for Orium shoots, I have to typically style for two girls, like 10 to 12 looks total in like one period of time. So I have so much practice constantly of trying things on, putting things together, shooting them, see how it looks, you know? So if that's not really your lifestyle, obviously, which most people, it's not, want, you can do that yourself in your closet. Have a day, listen to podcasts, put on music, whatever. Try looks on in your closet, figure out what you're missing, figure out if there's certain looks on Pinterest that you want to achieve, figure out what you're missing in your closet.

16:58A lot of times it's also like one little tweak of a silhouette. Like if you have a lot of baggy jeans that you're saving photos of and you realize, oh, all my jeans are skinny jeans, whatever, whatever it is, figuring out maybe the little tweak in what the pieces are that you're missing. Because sometimes it's something can just be off like a loose jean with a tighter top is going to look different than a skinny jean and a skinny top. So really just mood boarding, figuring out what you want your style, maybe like your three words, what you want them to be, however you want to do it. But then I think it comes down to actually trying things on and like taking selfies.

17:37You don't have to show them to anyone. Like take some mirror selfies, figure out what you like on yourself, what makes you feel good. Trial and error, I feel like. Completely agree. And I think this is a crucial point. The other day I was getting ready. It was a Sunday and I was just trying on a bunch of outfits. You know, I'm going to Mexico this week and I'm going to New York afterwards. And I had nowhere to be and I wasn't rushing. And I felt as I was putting on the outfits, I felt some sense of urgency because I think a lot of the times when we're getting creative with our wardrobe, it's usually when we're getting ready to go somewhere.

18:09And I actually took a deep breath and I was like, you have nowhere to be. Play around right now. See what works. See what doesn't. The day is yours to just kind of figure out maybe a new look that you haven't tried in your wardrobe and things that you haven't put together before. And I think that the point you just made is so important and so relative to that, where it's like, don't just find your style in the moments where you're rushing out the door. Find your style on those Sundays where you have nowhere to be and you have all this time to try things on and look in the mirror and trial and error.

18:37And it's not like you have this final destination. Like practice makes perfect. And I feel like we don't practice our style a lot. It's just something we expect to happen as we're getting ready. Yeah. Even when I get ready, you know, my husband will be like, we're leaving for dinner in 10 minutes. And you're like, okay. Okay. And I always look, I look fine, but it's definitely not my best outfits. All of my best outfits, I'm fully a few days prior sitting there, playing around, trying a bit like it's a calming process. It's I'm having fun with it. I'm not stressed. Exactly what you're saying. I want to get into starting the brand a little bit because I feel like we're in the era of influencer brands, but yours has really done an incredible job of standing out.

19:16What was that moment in that journey? I heard you were just saying you wanted to, you know, up your personal style, but also hearing that you were broke during that time is so interesting to me. So I would love to hear a little bit about what that moment of realization was for you that that you were ready to start this brand? Yeah, I think it came at a time where I, it was interesting because I always, for whatever reason, thought that the path to starting a brand was building up my personal brand first. So I, obviously you can start a brand without having your own community first. So don't ever think that you need to do that, but whatever reason, that was my limiting belief at the time.

19:51And I think I had around a hundred thousand followers at the time, which was a great community, but I was no means, by no means like where my following is today. And I just felt like I don't want to keep waiting. I don't want to think that, oh, I need to hit a million followers before I start this brand. Like, let's just do it. My husband started the brand or he was my boyfriend at the time, but started the brand with me and we knew that we would be great partners. He used to work in finance. So we knew we would make a great team and really compliment each other. And it came when I felt like there was something missing at the time.

20:24I just felt like in the year that we started, this was 2019. I felt like there wasn't any jewelry brands that had this more fashion forward, like fashion house feel. I really wanted this cool curb chain necklace from Celine, but it was like$2 ,000 for a brass necklace. And I felt like there was nothing that felt like high fashion, but more affordable. So that came at a time when I felt like there was a little bit of a white space. And then when we were developing, launching leather belts and eyewear, I was so excited about the leather belts because I felt like there was something missing in the space where we were, you know, hand crafting everything in Italy.

21:05Everything is super high quality designer level materials, but at a fraction of the price point, I felt like there was something missing in the market that I felt like we could serve everyone for. And I think that's why even just the belts alone. It's been a year since we've launched them. And it's almost like 50 or 60 % of our business now. It's pretty crazy. It's so funny not to say that I don't like know your business from seeing it so much, but I think of you belts first now. Yeah. Like truly, I'm like, that is the brand that I go to when I need a new belt. Yeah. And it's interesting because we just keep coming out with new belt styles.

21:40And I feel like people are starting to really catch on to you don't just need a black belt in your closet. You can have a lot of fun with your belts and you'll end up probably wearing them all the time. Like I wear a belt every single day now when I get dressed. I feel weird without something on. It's the best accessory to pull your look together. I actually can't tell you how many of like my followers in my community will say to me like, hey, can you do a belt guide? Interesting. How should I wear a belt? What do I style it with? Do I need a skinny belt? Do I need a thick belt? And to me, belt is all about proportions.

22:13in your body. And so I never felt like I could do this universal guide, but people are very interested right now. And I think see the, not the value, but like aesthetically want that in their wardrobe. Yeah. I think it has a lot to do with more of this, you know, quiet luxury or just more timeless style evolving. I also think it has to do with as you evolve in your wardrobe and you're get a little older, maybe you're working, entering the workforce. You're kind of like, okay, I have to wear black trousers to work. How can I make this interesting? Yeah. So I think it also has to do with maybe the stage that you're at.

22:49But then even when I'm trying to look cool to go to dinner, I'm always wearing a cool studded belt. Like I think there's so many different ways you could take it and create looks that feel completely different. We did a pop-up a few weeks ago and it was really interesting because we had a really cool belt wall build out with like 50 skews of belts. And everyone came in with completely different things they were looking for. Like some people were like, okay, I don't have any belts. Where should I start? And I'm like, okay, I think this is a good start about like dip your toes. Then there's the girl who has a bunch and she goes straight for all the crazy studded pieces.

23:28And, or a lot of girls have belts and they're like, okay, I want the Bordeaux crocs, something I can have a little fun with. So there's so many options to play around with, and they really do make your looks completely different. Okay. Controversial question. Do you think your belt always needs to match your shoes? No. I do. You do? I've never even heard that. My belt doesn't match my shoes. Oh my God, you're right. And you look great. Every time I mismatch a belt to my shoes, I look psychotic. Huh. I've never heard anyone say this. I'm like, I'm someone who is like just now also mismatching my shoes and bag.

24:07Maybe it's like my own fashion rules. But yeah, I never feel like I look good when the belt and the shoes don't match. Wait, that's really interesting because I would also consider myself someone who's very matchy-matchy. You're also very, I can see how meticulous and mathematical you are. Not too many textures. I really try to keep it to a minimum. You're giving me good inspo over here. I like it. I love it. By the way, guys, I got a comment on the YouTube last week about how I like talking about people's shoes on the show and they're like, Liv, we can't see their shoes. She's wearing black like penny loafers right now and a brown belt with a silver buckle on it.

24:42And it's very chic and great. These are my rollovers. These are the best. Love them. All time. They're so great. They look so good on you. OK, I'm going to send you pictures for fun. Yeah. I'm going to make this little series, guys. Liv gets over not matching her belts to her shoes. We all have our own like limiting beliefs and things that like just we nitpick out in our style. We all do. You mentioned something earlier that I'm interested to hear your opinion on now, having started a brand. Do you think that that limiting belief that you need a large community on social media to start a brand is true?

25:11Not at all. I almost think that nowadays people almost have this, you know, negative opinion if you are an influencer brand sometimes. Like sometimes it can work against you where people just assuming maybe you're not having the best intentions behind what you're doing. Like, I feel like for us at Orium, so much of what I do and care about the entire center of everything we do is about the quality and making the choices to maybe even if it's not the best margins, but the best quality that we can possibly deliver to our customers. And I think not every single brand is like that. But I think you kind of have to just like do what's true to you.

25:52And I think even if you have a small community, I think those are the people that typically have a really loyal, trustworthy community. I also think product is king. And if your product is good, you can have the smallest amount of marketing. I think about how often I watch Shark Tank and some of these brands are making millions of dollars a year and I've never heard of them. Yeah. And then I go like look on their Instagram and they've got like nothing going on there, zero marketing, but because the product is good, they have repeat customers and people share their products. And like that viral, that kind of like almost viral version of word of mouth is even more powerful than any kind of marketing.

26:29Yeah, exactly. I feel like I spoke about this recently, how I don't necessarily think marketing is our number one strong suit. I think design and quality and being able to find amazing manufacturers is our strong suit. And the quality I think speaks for itself. And I think when you are, quote unquote, an influencer brand, which I don't feel like we are, but you know, you're, we just launched in Nordstrom, for example, if someone walk, thank you. If someone walks into Nordstrom and sees our belts, they have no idea who I am. Even if they have no idea what Oriam is, they need to be able to see it and like it and think it's worth spending their money on.

27:07So I think marketing can only kind of take you so far. I think products, especially in fashion, is really at the forefront of making people's want to buy from your brand. Because if it's next to a bunch of other brands, you need to be able to stand out or be aligned with the people you're in the shelves with. Why do you think right now we're seeing more accessory brands now more than ever? And it's interesting, as you were talking earlier about that industry not having really like anything interesting that felt high-ended designer. I flashed back to what I used to buy before I knew of your brand, which was like, okay, where did I go when I was a kid?

27:48I went to Claire's. And then where was I going in college? I was going to Bobble Bar. So it's almost like that industry was really ripe for innovation. And why do you think that is? I think it has to do with, at least for me, especially in jewelry, I am not a huge diamond girl, for example. Like I don't need to be drenched in diamonds day to day. But when you're getting older and you want kind of a more fashion jewelry look, but you also don't want it to look crappy. Like I think that's kind of where the ethos of our whole brand exists is the point of the accessories for us is to elevate your look and make it look more expensive so that you could wear like a Hanes white t-shirt, a pair of trousers from Zara, but you put on a belt that actually makes your whole look look expensive now.

28:38And I think that more mature type of aesthetic, you know, when you're in your 20s, 30s, I mean, honestly, any age where you want to just have like fun fashion accessories, but they don't need to be solid gold. If you had a pair of earrings that were like this or a cuff like this in solid gold, that's costing you$15 ,000 up. For people who are listening, she's wearing a really big, like a good silver cuff. And then her earrings are kind of this oblong, long-shaped silver. They're gorgeous. I also think I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up the Saint Laurent accessories of it all. I feel like when they really started to invest in their accessories again a few years back and you were seeing these like incredible like big gold earrings on Hailey Bieber and they were really kind of making the rounds in the fashion world.

29:30I feel like people who love fashion really got excited about that vintage aesthetic and wanted to bring it into their home. It's interesting. Obviously, I'm so in it. So I'm very knowledgeable now about jewelry and what it's made out of. So when I see these designer brands and what the jewelry is actually made out of and what they're charging, I'm like screaming, screaming. I'm like, all anyone wants to do is figure out how to get your margins to be the highest they can possibly be. And I'm like, I don't really what brings me joy about running my brands. Obviously, I know that's the business side of things, but I feel like what makes us different is being able to provide something that's amazing to people for, you know, I don't want to like move where we make everything and make it crappier and keep the price, you know?

30:20I would love to be a fly on the wall in your pop-up how you were just saying that people were coming in and kind of were starting at different levels of the accessories they were going for, you know, the starting point of a black belt to something a little bit more stylish, like the studded belt. And I frequently get asked how to kind of figure out your jewelry DNA, as I like to call it. Like, what are the things in your closet that you're reaching for that feel like you and go with your wardrobe. Accessories queen, what's your best tip on accomplishing that? I think it's just kind of what you gravitate towards.

30:53I think everyone has such a unique style. So it's hard for me to say, oh, you know, we're just all black and a cool belt. You know, I don't think that's how you have to dress. I think if you have a more eclectic style, you can incorporate a giant studded belt and have fun with it. I think in order to find your DNA, just figure out what speaks to you. Try one piece at a time. Try a cool statement earring. See how much you wear it. Don't be afraid to wear it with everything. You know, this is like if I say I was going to work today, why not wear a statement earring? These are lightweight. It's fun to wear.

31:27It also amps up your outfit. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So I think don't be afraid if something speaks to you. Don't be afraid to try it and style it and maybe wear it in scenarios that you wouldn't even expect that you'd have to wear a more statement earring to and just have fun with it. I think don't be I my number one pet peeve is when someone says I can't pull that off. Like me saying the belt colors. Yeah, it's a confidence. No, if you like it, try it and you will pull it off. Just have the confidence. I like to try it because I think it's more specific, like get one piece and take it for a spin.

32:03Yeah. Like I always get a little overwhelmed when, you know, I have friends or people who reach out to me being like, I just bought 10 things. Like, I can't wait to try them all. I'm like, that might overwhelm you a little bit. Like, yeah, just buy this one thing, buy the silver earrings, see how much you're going to wear it. Even actually like talking about silver, I feel like silver is really trending right now. And I have some friends who like went and bought the belt, the earrings, the cup, all these things. And I'm like, are you actually going to wear all that after having never worn silver before in your life?

32:28Yeah. Like give one thing a try and see how it fits. Yeah. And if the shoe fits great. Wear everything. Exactly. But it's better to kind of temper it and see where it works. Yeah. Well, like one piece at a time. Doing a full wardrobe rehaul is a little challenging. You have to kind of ease into it and put the pieces in that are speaking to you. Speaking of trends, what do you think is really trending right now in accessories? So I don't love to say trends because I think a lot of the things I gravitate towards now are not trends. They're just a fresh texture, whatever it be. I'm obsessed with chocolate suede.

33:04We have our chocolate suede belts do amazing. Of course, especially right now. I feel like that's yeah. It's so what you just said about trending is something I've been thinking about a lot lately because I do these AMAs every weekend. And the questions I've been getting when I got the other day was like, and by the way, this did not frustrate me. But someone said, are cargo jeans still trending. And I was like, is that a trend or is that like a dent of a pants style that maybe you just rotate through in your closet? Yeah. But I do think that like as like fashion storytellers and journalists, like there does need to be a deeper emphasis on the difference between a trend versus just like a wardrobe.

33:47Yeah. Like something that feels fresh for the season. Exactly. Because I would never want to create things that someone looks, buys, and then looks at next year and is like, oh, this was so last year, you know? I do think there are things that are trendy, like bows trendy. Yeah. Like we don't need to have things with bows in our closet forever. But suede right now, people are like, suede's trending, leopard's trending. And I'm like, no, you're telling me that you get rid of your leopard every year. And then when it comes back, you bring it back. You don't just like have the leopard coat in your closet and just keep bit and like wear it every once in a while when you're feeling inspired or want to try something new?

34:20Yeah, I think that that's where your personal style starts to develop is maybe you do try out something that's considered a trend, you know, chocolate suede or are like Bordeaux croc belt does really well. And to me, that's so not a trend. It's something that maybe just resonates with you and then you keep it in your wardrobe year after year after year. Like if you love loose jeans or the cargo pan, if that's something that you feel good in, that's so not a trend. You can wear that for eternity. And now that's what gives your personal style a little bit of flair. Like we are actually launching in like two weeks, a cow print belt and a leopard belt.

34:59And to me, those are classic things. They're very much having a moment right now. But I think if you love it and you wear it a lot, then you'll have it in your closet forever. you know you can wear a leopard belt forever you've been really quick on not to say things are trendy but i feel like whenever i'm on your website or on your instagram you guys are really good at staying relevant in the fashion conversation the chocolate suede the leopard even i would say like the studded belts that really like happened really fast and you guys were on it is there something that you can attribute to the like rapid growth of the brand I know you just did an article with Forbes saying it was an eight-figure business.

35:40That growth is incredible and I think really sets you apart from a lot of other influencer brands. Is there one thing... She's smiling right now and I love that because I'm so proud of her. It's very exciting to say those things. But is there one thing that you're like, this was so crucial to our growth? A lot of it had to do with launching the new categories. I think it's definitely about being able to see what's missing, what I was speaking to earlier, and then be at the forefront of things. I think that's also kind of my previous buyer brain is I love trend forecasting. I love figuring out what's going to be next and setting the trends.

36:18And I think right now, belts is a very, our most like fashion forward category as of now, where it's really easy for me to, you know, chocolate suede's happening, make a chocolate suede belt. It's really easy to interpret what's happening in the fashion world into the accessories. But yeah, I think it has to do with just being on the forefront of trends. And I honestly think a lot of it has to just do with our quality. And we have a lot of customers who have bought, like our repeat customer rate is very high. We have a lot of customers who own 10 plus belts from us and really trust us on what we're recommending.

36:54And I think that's what it is. I think that we're trying to... I pride myself so much in the product and what I'm actually delivering to people. And I take a lot of pride in that. And I'm someone that really appreciates and loves beautiful things and in fashion. And I think it's really important that what I'm creating is stuff that I would even personally wear. You know, I wear my purse. I wear it every single day of my life because I not just because I want to market the brand, whatever. I'm wearing it around my house when I'm by myself. It's more so just because I genuinely love it. And that's what I reach for.

37:32Like when we started belts, I got rid of all my designer belts. I was like, I don't need any of these belts anymore. Wow. What a feeling. Yeah. I think my goal for the brand is to always be doing something that's like my designer taste level for a fraction of the price and figuring out a way to make every single category the best looking piece possible and not have to charge an arm and a leg for every single thing. What's your best piece of advice for a brand founder right now? You have to have a reason why. You know, the world doesn't need more products in the space. So you need to have a reason for why you're creating it, why you feel like it's filling a void in people's lives and actually genuinely be connected to that why.

38:14I think if you kind of just are trying to do like a cash grab, people can kind of sense that or it won't last for many years. So that would definitely be my biggest piece of advice is leaning into why you're so passionate about what you're doing, what you're creating, and what it's serving for people. I'm so glad we got you back. And IRL, what a treat. Yeah. So much more fun. So much more fun. And I got to see you. It's been so long. So long. Okay. If you guys want to shop Orium Collective, you can go to oriumcollective.com. It's going to be linked in the description of this bio in case you don't know how to spell it.

38:43And we have a code for you guys. It's Dressed20 and you'll get 20 % off. Oh my God, guys. Yeah. Run. We love a discount. We love to make it Christmas around here. Run. Perfect for the holidays. By the way, if you guys are looking for good gifts, these are the perfect gifts. Yeah, it is. Good earrings, good belts. Killer. Yeah. Thank you. You're the best. Thank you. Thanks for coming on.

39:19Thank you.

40:02Thank you.