Sophie Nistico first started making her See The Way I See apparel as a way of letting herself and others express their mental health concerns in an open and healthy way. She suffers from anxiety brought on by recurring migraines she’s been suffering since age 15. At first, she just put her expressive art on stickers. In 2020, she started putting them on clothing and things took off for her.
She got a lot of traction on Tik Tok with almost half a million follwers. The messages on her apparel resonated with her audience and they bought a TON of clothing from her. She does “drops” of merchandise, a method used by other millenial entrepreneurs, to build up excitement and a sense of scarcity with her customer base. She announces the drops on her Instagram page.
The reason the apparel is so popular (she has over $1 million in sales) is the messages on the clothing resonate with her audience. A sweatshirt with the word “Anxious” emblazoned on the front has the words “this too shall pass” embroidered on the sleeve. It allows the presumably anxious wearer to proclaim their anxiety while offering reassurance at the same time. It’s working. She has her parents and brother helping her pack up the tens of thousands orders she’s racking up. She likely wants a Shark’s help managing her growth.
My Take on See The Way I See
I have four daughters and they all expresseed various mental health issues in their teens, particularly after the death of two of the girls’ friend by suicide. We got them the help they needed and they are thriving as adults now. I’m not sure what they’d think of this stuff, but I think they’d like the messaging.
That said, I amm not a customer of this business, but it’s clear Sophie knows her customers and what they want. She’s effectively used social media to become a million dollar business and that’s to be commended.
Will the Sharks See?
I’m thinking Sophie closes a deal here. She recently moved into a warehouse and began buying a lot more inventory. That often is a result of an infusion of cash – possibly from a Shark. The question is, which Shark?
I’s always easy to say Daymond will invest in an apparel business, but he might actually do it tonight. He invested in SPERGO last season largely due to the messaging of that company. I think he’ll make an offer. Mark could too as he’ll like the direct to consumer model and her organic marketing. Likewise for Barbara who has several successful clothing related businesses. I don’t think Lori or Kevin make offers but I think Sophie leaves with a deal.
