The Vision Behind the Brand

When you think back to what you wanted to be when you were younger, what pops up? My very first memory of being asked this question was when I was in elementary school. At the time, I was obsessed with Lizzie Maguire & the new movie. Reflecting back now, it was clear how badly I wanted to travel the world & have a future in fashion. I would spend hours jumping on my bed in my moms old dresses singing along to these songs. (Fast forward almost two decades & I've been places where Hillary Duff was right next to me...too funny). ANYWAYS, there were these online games that I would play when my family got out first computer where you would spend HOURS designing outfits for these dolls. I was actually obsessed with this game. I got all of the new barbies & polly pockets just so I could dress them up.

It's safe for me to say that I always loved putting together outfits. Growing up, my parents weren't as well off as all of my peers, so I was usually off left to heavily budgeting if I wanted to get new clothes. Looking back, I'm really glad that this was the case, because I really valued the pieces of clothing I purchased and I always looked different than everyone else. I wasn't purchasing the newest Free People outfit like most of the other girls in my class were fortunate enough to (don't get me wrong, I was definitely jealous lol.) But this gave me the freedom to put together outfits that were unique and my style. I've still brought this into my adult life. I would 100% rather go thrifting for a one-of-a-kind piece rather than buy what "everyone else is buying".

When I was in high school, and it was really time to start thinking about what you want to do with your future, I was fortunate enough to get scouted by a model scout when I was a Junior. This pretty much catapulted any dream of me being in the fashion industry. Senior year, you have to do an internship, so I interned under a family friend who owned a successful local fashion boutique. Throughout this experience, I was able to see how the backend worked, including how the buying process worked. It was a thrill. Although I was doing a lot of busy work, it was such an incredible experience that I will never forget. (This really sparked the idea in my head that I want to own a boutique one day - the power of manifestation is real, let me just tell you) A year later, I was set up to pursue modeling full time & didn't go to college. A few months later, I decided to quite modeling & pursue my degree. I knew that I still wanted to be an entrepreneur and work in the fashion industry but a business degree was NOT for me. I went in as a communication studies major with a minor in Graphic Design, which was the best decision I could have ever made. Fast forward, I signed with a NEW agency in New York, which opened up another door for me to get into the industry again. The idea of owning a boutique always lingered in the back of my mind, but as a recent college graduate with student debt, that wasn't a possibility yet.

My new career in modeling allowed me to meet new people, travel the world, & really figure out what was trending in the fashion world right now. I spent all of 2019 soul searching, which led me to getting REALLY clear on what I was passionate about and what I wanted my ideal life to look like. This lead me to going back to this idea of owning my own brand, but not only did I want to own a boutique, it had to be something that aligned with my beliefs. One of my other big passions is helping the environment as best as I can, and I morally could not start a boutique just to make a quick buck. It took months to fully grasp that I could do this the way I wanted to.

Months later, I ended up going on an immersive weekend yoga & meditation retreat, where I got the most creative downloads I think I ever had in my life, and that's where this brand was formed. The name of the brand came to me in a dream, the beautiful experience I had on this retreat gave me the meaning, and from there it's just been one thing after another falling into place. 

This retreat was over a year ago. All good things come with time. Each building block has been carefully molded and placed before this launch.

The name of this brand AVA the label, stands for All Vibrations Allowed. This really spoke to me because we all come from different walks of life. No one is the same & we should all be accepted for who we are. I've always lived my life with the belief that no one is better than anyone else & I knew I had to incorporate this into my brand. It just felt right.

AVA is a one-stop-shop for ethically sourced clothing & goods. Everything from t-shirts to skincare, you can rest assured that it is something you can feel good about buying into. All of the packaging has been created from recycled materials, & most are biodegradable.

I have poured my heart into all areas of this business & I hope you love it as much as I do!

Please feel free to ask any and all questions. I believe in full transparency!

With love,

Jennifer