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For her second brand launch, mega-influencer Valeria Lipovetsky (2 million Instagram followers, 1.7 million TikTok followers and 1.6 million YouTube subscribers) is implementing lessons from her first go-around. Lipovetsky launched Verie, primarily an accessories brand, in 2019. On Tuesday, she launched its replacement, the eponymous Valeria, an apparel brand. The Instagram handle has been updated to @valeriathebrand.
“It has more intention behind it,” Lipovetsky said, of the difference between the two brands. “Verie started as a passion project, and then it grew really fast. We were figuring out who we are, what we are — it launched without us understanding what we were launching. When you’re in that position, it’s difficult to see the future.”
Verie started as an accessories brand, but was eventually used as a testing ground for activewear and loungewear. “We learned a lot,” Lipovetsky said. “Now, I have a clear vision of what I want to bring forward — our mission and the [brand] value. All the pieces are coming together, and Verie cannot carry this new vision.”
Lipovetsky talks to her followers about a wide range of topics, from marriage to nutrition to home design. But her fashion sense is a major pillar of her popularity. She prides herself on helping her followers not just by linking a piece, but also by talking through how to style it — a practice she plans to carry over into the Valeria brand.
Most fashion brands today are selling customers “clothes” and “items,” she said. Conversely, she wants to sell Valeria’s customers “style” and “looks.” She plans to do this by keeping Valeria a content-driven brand, in keeping with her expertise.
“Our media company, Valeria Inc., will guide our decisions around consumer insights and data to understand and execute what our consumers want, where there’s white space in the marketplace and in their wardrobes, and what types of marketing and social media content work [best],” said Rachel Ostro, CEO of Valeria Inc. “We’re excited to take our learnings from the media side and apply them to the Valeria brand.”
Lipovetsky said Valeria will also focus on wardrobe pieces that “serve” shoppers, in that they’ll be staples that can be worn repeatedly and mixed and matched. However, she was sure to avoid using descriptors including “essentials,” “classic” and “timeless,” which are often used by brands to describe collections where “everything ends up looking the same.”
As its differentiator, Valeria will provide a guide to combining the pieces according to one’s personal style. “If I look at my closet, I’ve been wearing the same pants for probably six years,” she said. “But I continue to build on them. And learning [how to do that] is a skill. That’s what I want to provide.”
