The Lowdown on the Chief Babes
When we started Brass two years ago, we set out to build a clothing brand for women like us:
- Women who want sophisticated, chic clothing for their careers, travel and social lives
- Women who don’t need a lot of things – they just need the right things
- Women who want high-quality core pieces they’ll go back to over and over again
But women like us want more than great clothing. We want style inspiration. We want to understand where and how our clothes are made. We want clothes that work for our busy, on-the-go lives. Most importantly, we want to feel a connection with the brands we buy from.
With this in mind, we built Brass on three values: style, substance, and community.
From the beginning, you – our customers – helped reinforce these values. You shared how you were building your capsule wardrobe. You told us your thoughts about manufacturing and transparency. You provided thoughtful feedback on our clothing. You told us your stories. And we quickly learned you’re a pretty incredible group of women.
About six months ago we realized we needed to bring our community together. We were getting tremendous value out of the one-on-one conversations we were having with you. Women like you – with similar interests, passions, and problems – have so much to offer each other. We decided to create a group for women who are looking for a chance meet and engage with other interesting and intelligent women. The women in this group are our Chief Babes.
In full disclosure, we also hoped that women would talk about the group to their friends and family. We thought it would be a reason for women to help spread the word about Brass, and it has evolved in just that.
CHIEF BABES
We started the Chief Babe group in April. We invited a small number of customers who we had previously made connections with. We asked 20 women to participate and nine signed up. We centralized communication in a private Facebook group. We considered it our virtual clubhouse.
We weren’t sure what exactly to expect from the group. But the result was so much more than we anticipated. We talked style, discussed tactics for creating a capsule wardrobe, shared favorite brands and got to know each other on a personal level. When we realized our babes had so much to say, we invited them to contribute to our blog. We kept saying to ourselves, “this is cool!”
The coolest thing that happened was that friendships formed. For example, Alexandria, originally from Michigan, made a connection with Courtney, a current Michigan resident. The two met in person when Courtney was traveling for work in Houston (Alexandria’s current digs). The ladies became fast friends. Not long after they traveled together to Boston to visit Brass and meet us in person!
The Brass team with two of our Chief Babes (Alex and Courtney) at an event in Boston.
GROWING THE GROUP
The group was small, but it was clear the community was starting to take shape. Three months after we started the program, we decided to open it up to more women. We asked some of our most vocal Chief Babes to act as mentors to the incoming group. Their role was to initiate and facilitate conversation – and they really stepped up to the plate. We have discussed everything from tips for capsuling, de-cluttering and paring down to the history of pockets, dressing like an empowered woman and the science behind the reason we buy clothes we don’t wear. We think, we talk, we share and we come away with new perspectives.
MEET OUR MENTORS
These ladies lead the group with style, substance, and sass.
Alexandria Nolan, Texas
Courtney Soule, Michigan
Anne Russ, Michigan
Paige Marchi, Colorado
BECOMING A CHIEF BABE
In the beginning, we hand-selected Chief Babes. We’re changing things up a bit because we want to grow the community. Now, you can apply and become a Chief Babe, too. If you raise your hand to any of the following questions, we want you in the group:
- I love engaging with interesting, intelligent women
- I love learning and discussing issues of style and substance
- I’m interested in learning more about the fashion industry and how it impacts women
- I’m interested in learning more about what it means to be a thoughtful consumer
If you want to join, you’ll also help spread the word about Brass in a way that feels authentic to you. This could be a recommendation to a friend looking for a dress, posting a photo in Brass on Instagram, or sharing a blog post about capsuling on FB.
As a thank you for participating, you’ll receive fun perks and early access to new products. If you’re interested you can sign-up here: Chief Babe Application. We look forward to hearing your ideas, broadening the discussion and adding new voices to our amazing group!
