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"Self love isn't selfish, it's necessary." - Dani Dazey

Share your self love 

The theme of our most recent collection was The Summer of Self Love. Dazey's mission is to empower women, whether it be in their careers or everyday life. Empowerment begins from within and promoting positive self esteem helps with every aspect of your life.  

We started a challenge over Instagram asking women to share their self love by posting a photo of themselves and talking about their personal journey with self love, then tagging @dazey_la & #shareyourselflove. Whether you're head over heels in self love or still battling, it shows other women that they are not alone. It's a challenge that everyone has to face. The stories shared have been incredible and a true source of inspiration. Each month this summer we have been giving away a free tee to one of the brave babes who have joined the challenge. There's still a week left in August so we hope you share and win a free tee!  At the bottom of this post we show a few of the Dazey Ladies's posts who have joined the challenge. 

We made this video to highlight a few of the amazing stories and to continue spreading our self love message far past the summer! All the women you see in the video and photoshoot below were casted in one week through Instagram. We posted a last minute video asking if anyone was interested in sharing and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect diverse, dynamic, and inspiring group of Dazey Ladies! The girls gathered at a Downtown LA loft early on a Wednesday morning, got decked out in Dazey, snapped some photos, and bared their souls on video. Then something even more magical happened, they began sharing stories amongst each other, taking selfies together, and exchanging contact information. I received multiple messages later that evening saying they had never felt more embraced and empowered as they did that day. It really goes to show through openness, conversation, and community we can begin to build self love. Below are the faces and words of the women who joined us that day. Behind each beautiful smiling face there is a story.

We hope you share your self story love along with this video, we think the world need to see it :)

VIDEO BY: Marissa of @reelradfilms

PHOTOGRAPHY BY:  @danidazey of @dazey_la 

HAIR & MUA: Jessica of @bebeautybyjess

DAZEY LADIES PRODUCT INVOLED: @starkthelabel, @metalli_luna, @CBGems, @im_with_the_band_headbands

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Megan of @thelittleavocadoshop SELF LOVE

ADVOCATES & MODELS: Vanessa Acosta, Courtney Cain, Jeanette Ramirez, Alma Lake, Taylor Ulrich, Courtney Welch, Emily Kincaid, Chelsea Moon, Ruth Lanuza, Catrina Banci, Reid Cox Sarabeth Opplinger, Katelyn Suihkonen, Jess Dutkovic, Alexandra Tanner, Arlondriah Lenyéa, Sophia Carter-Kahn, April Quioh

 

"I'm always comparing myself to people. Wanting to be like they are or in the journey they are in. It's still something I struggle with" 

-Jeanette Ramirez (above)

"I do have a lot of trouble with fitting in with what society would describe as female. Having friends in the gay community embrace me allows me to accept that I can be both, and I can be myself."

-Arlondriah Lenyéa (above)

"Providing an avenue for all women to see themselves in the light they want to me seen is crutial, and that's why sharing your own self love journey is so important. Everybody out there is going through something similar or something different or whatever rendition of this they're going through. You have to share because you have to make sure everyone knows they are not alone."

-Courtney Cain

 

"Just because my struggle has lessened doesn't mean it's gone away. It is comforting knowing that probably every single person you encounter on a day-to-day basis is struggling with something within themselves."

-Emily Kincaid (above)

"For years and years I was having different types of eating disorders, I was trying to fill a hole with food. It wasn't until I actually started basing my worth on what's inside instead of what's outside, that's when I actually started to love what's outside!"

-Reid Cox (above)

"Crying actual tears right now because I have never felt so confident and empowered as I did after this shoot!!!" 

-Katelyn Suihkonen (above)

"I was the only brown girl in a private school that was not a size zero. I think it's okay not being 100% everyday. Having that self love mean that you're okay with not being okay all the time." 

-Vanessa Acosta

"One of my legs was shorter and larger than the other. I got made fun of in school as a little girl because it was obvious. After the birth of my son my heart started failing. I was dying. I wound up having open heart surgery. That put everything into perspective. I want to live. I've got one leg that's fatter than the other and you know what, I'm flipping gorgeous. I've got a husband who loves me, I've got beautiful children, and life is good."

-Cristina Nagel (above, left) 

"Sisterhood was crucial for me feeling good about myself."

-Sarabeth Opplinger

"I was bullied at a young age. A lot of times for me it was skin color or my hair color. (Self love) is about learning to be okay with me every single day, good or bad."

-Courtney Welch

"I deserve to be happy in my body. Whether or not I want to change it in the future I think is beside the point. I deserve to wake up today and think I feel beautiful. Or even if I feel okay, or I don't feel okay, but that doesn't mean I'm going to punish myself."

-April Quioh

"Self love is great, if you can get there great. If you're not feeling it today you're still apart of this community, you're still here, you're still okay."

-Sophia Carter-Kahn

 

#SHAREYOURSELFLOVE

 Below are some real posts by some of the brave babes who shared their story via Instagram. Be sure to check out the hashtag #shareyourselflove to see everyone's journey. We welcome all to join the challenge this summer and far beyond that! 

 

🚨 The #SHAREYOURSELFLOVE challenge has been so impactful I've decided to keep it going all summer long 👊 We will give away a tee each month 🙌 June's prize winner is the amazing @ms_rains ⭐️ Her powerful words: "My journey to self love was long and physically painful. I had always judged myself the way we are taught to do. I could always loose a few more pounds, tone up, wear less makeup, wear more makeup, whatever. Then I was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer at the age of 26. Suddenly I no hair, I gained 50 lbs, and lost both of my breasts. I didn't even resemble what I thought a woman looked like. Neither did my husband. He left me right after the mastectomies & I was devastated. I hated what I saw in the mirror, but it got worse before it got close to better. Due to radiation therapy damage to my skin, I couldn't have implants. My only option for breasts was to cut off my bottom ab muscles and my tummy and turn that into breasts. 40 hours of surgeries, leech therapy, 30 days in the hospital, and one boob later, I was worse than when I started. One breast transplant hadn't taken so now I had tons of scars and only one breast. I had almost died. I had put my life in danger for boobs! How crazy is that? After the months it took to heal, I learned that cleverly designed graphic tees were a great way to distract from the imbalance in my chest. I lost all of my chemo weight and I noticed that people didn't look at my chest. They had no idea, unless I told them. My insecurities where mine, no one else saw them. They saw a warrior, a badass! They were right! So everyday I would look at myself in the mirror naked and touch my scars, there are many more now, and admire the fight it took to earn them. I remembered willing myself to get up, put my life back together, and I did it in a new body. The body of a someone who went into battle and won. How could I not be in awe of myself?" She is one strong and inspirational Dazey Lady 💪 I love how she specifically uses graphic tees to give her confidence ❤️ I can't wait to add one more to her collection ✨ #summerofselflove #howdazeydoes

A post shared by Art Apparel 👉 Shop Dazeyla.com (@dazey_la) on Jul 3, 2017 at 7:15pm PDT

I've been at war with my body for as long as I can remember. I always felt too fat, too flat, too blotchy and blemished. The world teaches girls from an early age to despise and abuse these vessels as loathsome works-in-progress. And if you ever do find peace with your body, confidence is often criticized, self-love is slut-shamed. Our society celebrates body-hatred disguised as modesty. . It's taken me about 26 years, but I am finally learning to love this body. With all its lumps and dimples, mysterious bruises and scars. While in Iceland, I had to shower naked in a room of other women before entering the hot pools. Maybe this isn't the biggest deal to other cultures, but in America, the only naked bodies we see on a regular basis are the ones deemed "desirable". Unceremoniously stripping down in a roomful of bodies of all shapes and sizes, and then going on about our business was strangely momentous to me. These bodies are incredible. They take us on adventures, conquer tremendous feats, bear life. And yet we spend most of our lives hiding and hating them. . I'm done doing that. I'm sure I'll lose some followers and get some flack from those who are more offended by naked bodies than our society's gross body standards. But I'm done trying to maintain the approval of those who'd rather see me secretly at war with myself than proudly loving my body. . Iceland, thanks for helping set me free. 🍑✨ . 📷 by my incredible Instagram husband @realdavegargula ;) . @dazey_la #shareyourselflove

A post shared by Corinne Alexandra (@stuckwithpins) on May 21, 2017 at 7:55pm PDT

I thinks it's pretty obvious that I am an open book! This year isn't even over yet & it has been one hell of a roller coaster. What happen to me in December is old news to some folks but it is still very relevant & real to me! Everyday I wake with it weighing heavy on my chest and every night I go to bed with flashbacks. I don't expect anyone to fully understand how that incident has changed my life. Yet, I do expect consideration, compassion & love. Sexual assault, verbal, emotional & mental abuse is NO JOKE! It hurts in every way imaginable! I am always on high alert. I still have fear of walking or driving alone since it happen. I still struggle with men looking at me or even complimenting me. When I smile or when I laugh know that it is genuine. When I am quiet & closed off ... please don't judge me! Know that I am still healing. I mean no harm & I do not mean to offend anyone when I choose to hide out or not speak. This road to healing & recovery has been very difficult. I don't know when I will be back to "normal." Yet, I do know that I am able to do small things for myself again & that to me is victorious. My attacker changed my entire outlook on life. I do forgive him though and I STRONGLY encourage who ever has endured any sexual violence or abuse... regardless if it is a stranger, family friend, sibling, family member or partner. If it is WITHOUT your consent ... Please speak up! Go to your place of safety and get therapy! Believe me, I neglected therapy for as long as I could after my incident. Feel down inside I was hurting in every way. I was scared of everyone! I struggled silently feeling like I was robbed of my purity for my fiancé. I still struggle daily with my body too. Always feeling like "someone wants to hurt me or take advantage of me." Indeed it is a shitty feeling but it has been much easier to process w/therapy! After several months of therapy, I understand this! YOU ARE NOT DAMAGED GOODS! YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH! YOU ARE WHOLE AND BEAUTIFUL! YOU ARE WORTHY! & " IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY" Believe me, it's hard but it gets better.

A post shared by #becomingRamirez (@desiraeramirezz) on Jul 23, 2017 at 9:33am PDT

 

Growing up, I was very self-conscious about being tall and curvy. Most of my friends were shorter and thinner, and I wasn't confident because I was different. Now that I've grown up, I realize how crazy that is! There are so many women built like me, and so many other beautiful body types! There is no "right" body type. We're all unique, and we're all beautiful! With all the negativity that there can be on social media, I think it's important to empower each other. @dazey_la has created a great community across multiple social media platforms for women to share their stories, and for all of us to support each other, which is truly inspiring! The tee says it all: love more. #shareyourselflove #dazeyla #dazeylady

A post shared by Lindsey Livingston (@thelindseylook) on Jul 1, 2017 at 12:08pm PDT

I recently saw @dazey_la post about #shareyourselflove and I thought it was a way to share this message and get this new account started. Whenever I go to a new place people always notice my eye. One is a lot smaller than the other because it's a glass eye and I can't see out of it. In a new place I'm always reminded that I'm different because of the weird stares I get. As I get ready to go to a new country for gap year I think this message is important. I need to remember that the things that are different about me are what make me unique and totally unlike anyone else and I should be proud of that and so should you! #shareyourselflove

A post shared by @mayatakeschile on Jun 17, 2017 at 10:34am PDT

"Body confidence does not come from trying to achieve the perfect body, it comes from embracing the one you've already got." || Shorts or skirts were never really a part of my wardrobe. I would always try to cover up as much as possible because I despised my wide hips and thighs. When we live in a society that profits from our self loathing, it's very easy to succumb to their beauty standards while accepting ourselves is considered a rebellious act. Shopping for pants or jeans were and still are a pain. But, it wasn't until recently that I began to embrace this part of my body. #shareyourselflove @dazey_la | If you haven't already, check out my recent blog post. Links in my bio 🤗

A post shared by D C A D (@intodeeseyes) on Jun 30, 2017 at 3:25pm PDT

When I was younger you would never see me in a photo standing up straight with a huge grin 😁 I hated my smile, my glasses, my flat chest, my scrawny body that made me feel more like a little boy and not a woman coming of age. I created the @dazey_la #shareyourselflove challenge to helps girls of all ages realize we are way too hard on ourselves 💕 As I get older I learn to appreciate the things that make me ME 🤗 I used to be self conscious and shy. Now I love being bold, unique, and standing out 🦄 Last day to enter the contest and share your story ✨

A post shared by Danielle Roxanne Nagel (@danidazey) on Jun 29, 2017 at 9:56am PDT

This video explores the full process Dani of Dazey LA takes to design, manufacture, shoot, and release a collection. A true behind the scenes look into running and creating a fashion brand. Follow all the small business fun @dazey_la where we share BTS daily!

There is a lot that goes into the making of a clothing collection and this is my best shot at breaking down the process into five easy steps! I can only speak from my personal knowledge and attest to what works for me. Hope you find it helpful :)

We made a full video on the topic with the amazing Marissa Rascon of Reel Rad Films. Please check out the vid along with the steps broken down in words and images below!

 

Step 1: Find your theme and inspiration

It can seem daunting to design a whole collection! A great way to get started is to come up with a theme. For this collection I wanted a tropical look mixed with positive verbiage promoting self love. Once I had that established it was much easier to plan the designs to match.

I can pull inspiration from everywhere and anywhere. Once I go into "inspiration hunting mode" I find it in all sorts of places. Sometimes that means coming up with an idea while I'm walking around the street or as simple as scrolling through Pintrest. There's not some big secret to being hit by inspiration, you just have to look for it.

I jot down all of these ideas in my phone so when it comes time to design I have a good list to go off of. I write little descriptions for each idea, and then find a few inspiration photos to reference. I put those photos right next to the blank page I am designing on.The trick is pulling bits and pieces from each inspiration image to create something totally new. I do all of my designs in Adobe Illustrator using a drawing tablet and then texture in Photoshop. It's very important to me that each graphic has a hand drawn feel and vintage vibe to it.

Step 2: Merchandising

This is a super fun step! At this point I have all the designs created but no solid color story or idea the fashion bodies yet. I play with all sorts of options and colors and see what works best.

Coming up with colors has a lot to do with the season and feel of the collection theme! For the Summer of Self Love collection I wanted warm and fun colors that reminded people of a sunny day at the beach. I went for a playful pink and rich cognac to add that pop of color! There is even a splash of teal in two of the designs to add that tropical feel. I try to tie those colors into all of the graphics to make everything look cohesive. Good merchandising is all about making a collection that looks solid together! 

We have our classic tee as a staple but I usually design some special cut & sew bodies (term for the blank tee) to make the collection more unique. A lot of tee brands buy blanks from other companies and just print their design & logo on them. At Dazey we wanted to make everything custom just for us! Often times I use flat photos of tee bodies and manipulate them in photoshop to look like a brand new design. For example, the tanks you see below are just photos of the tees with the arms cropped off haha. If it's a totally new body I have to create it from scratch in Adobe Illustrator making a flat illustration. 

Once I have all the bodies and color story it's time to match the graphics to the tees! I line up all the bodies in photoshop and plop the graphics on top to get a visual. This process can take some time to get right. I do two color and body offerings per graphics so I try to make them different enough, yet still work on both bodies and color-ways! 

 

Step 3: Production

A necessary evil. Finding a great factory to work with is key. Luckily, I have an awesome production partner who is really great at bringing my ideas to life. We also get along famously and have such a fun time working together! We met though one of my freelance clients at a trade show, networking and putting yourself out there is so important.

My production partner is on board with my mission to make things locally to order. We do this in an effort to avoid waste and create the best quality garment. They sew small batches of the blank bodies and as the orders come in they will print the graphics via a screen printing process. The tricky thing with going about creating the clothing in this way is it takes time! Hence my adoption of the phrase, "Slow Fashion." 

I send the team over my mock up of the collection and they get to sampling. Once they have the first samples of the bodies I will try them on and make adjustments on fit and color. Once the bodies are approved they will do the prints and then deliver the full collection ready for the shoot! 

Step 4: Shooting the Collection

This is what really brings everything to life! I love putting the clothes on the models and seeing new Dazey in action.

I choose to do my own photography to keep everything cohesive and on brand for Dazey. Shooting graphic tees can be tricky so I'm extra careful about the models poses and hair placement. Plus I love taking pictures haha. 

All of my lookbook shoots are a huge collaborative effort. I invite other female entrepreneurs to join in so we can all benefit with killer content. We also benefit from cross promoting each other's brands in posts. I often work on a trade basis, like trading graphic designs or photos, so most of my shoots don't cost me a dime. For this shoot Marissa of Reel Rad Films approached me with the idea of making a video and hooked up the epic location though her friend Michelle of 6th and Detroit. We pulled in a jewelry designer to dress up the Dazey and the models even helped style with pieces from their clothing line, Monatazami Brand. A 4th generation lei maker contacted me via Instagram about collaborating and I knew it would just be perfect for the vibe :) These are just a few examples!

All the Dazey Ladies involved in this shoot and video:

Step 5: Going Live

Lastly, I have to get everything up on the site and make some serious commotion about the new collection! I use Shopify to host my website and it makes it pretty easy (yet sometimes time consuming) to upload products. I make sure to post photos showing off the garments from every angle. Descriptions are very important too for an online store since people can't see and feel the goods in person. Be as specific as possible naming fabrics and dimensions. On top of the technical stuff be sure to write a little story about the inspiration behind the piece and what it means to you. When it's all ready, go ahead and publish... ahhh!

Then you have to promote! Post everywhere and anywhere. I'm talking emails blasts, multiple Instagram posts, Insta story, Facebook, Pintrest- basically all the platforms you have. Have your fellow collaborators post that day too so you can really hype it up. Then all you have to do is watch the sales come in haha, though this can take time! 

Shop this full collection HERE :)

Dazey Lady Swimwear collaboration! 

Just in time for summer our swimsuit collab is HERE! Stoked to partner with fellow Lady Boss Sarah of Swim Like a Mermaid on these suits. We used a few of her best selling swim bodies combined with a custom pattern hand drawn by Dani Dazey. Each suit is handmade right here in Los Angeles with incredible fabrics fused with our original Dazey Design. Below you can see a video Dani made showing the process of designing the pattern in super fun fast motion! We love to give you guys a peak into the design process to show all the love and hard work we put into each product! 

I met Sarah in the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey and we have worked together on quite a few photoshoots and pop-up shops. I was beyond excited when she asked to design a suit with Dazey! Having spent most of my career in graphic tees, doing textile design is always a treat.

I was inspired by my childhood growing up in California. Each year my parents let me pick one swimsuit out and I always went for the quirkiest, most colorful 90s prints! I wanted to design a suit that gave me that sweet feeling of spending summers by the beach as a kid. It's playful, colorful, and quirky. I like to call them the "Sweet Suits"! Say hello to happy, tropical, tutti-frutti fun that'll give you all the summer feels :)

 

 

Quick design with Dani

Hey all, Dani Dazey here! I'm always sharing how I create Dazey's designs on the insta story and now I'm brining them to the Zine in fun & new ways. I decided to create a time lapse of me illustrating a design for Dazey. A lot of time and love goes into each design and I am so excited to share how they are made. My goal is for everyone to feel so involved in the design process it's almost like they are apart of it too!

I have added an audio tutorial along with the video to give you an idea of my thoughts and design process so be sure your sound is on too. For those who are curious I work in adobe Illustrator and photoshop. I also draw using a Waccom Intous medium sized drawing tablet to give me designs that true hand drawn feel.

The "Local Female Powerhouse" tee should be released in the next few months along with the rest of the "March On" collection inspired by the incredible Women's March that took place January 21st. I used to always get in trouble posting designs before release when I worked at corporate companies, even to the extreme of getting fired for it. But when you run your own business you can do whatever you want! I love being overly transparent with Dazey. It's all about sharing and helping fellow female here :)

Xx- Dani Dazey

Dani (@danidazey) and Rachel of Process/Progress (@processprogress) continue to talk about the journey of starting an running their small businesses. This episode we talk about building your dream job. We go over establishing your company, logistics, and costs. Physical actions you need to take to get started! Details include deciding your name, designing a logo, website, and how you will finance it. Girl boss life is within your reach :) Subscribe to see more and follow @dazey_la on instagram!

 We're back at it! Again bear with us as we figure out what on earth we are doing haha, still filming on an iphone and realize theres a weird background noise lol :)

Episode 2 is all about how to design your dream job. We go over things like how you can combine ALL your passions to create a SUPER JOB! We go over what skills and expertise you might have to lend your business. And finally how you can delegate and trade the not so favorite parts! Theres are all things to consider when creating your dream job checklist. Positive or gentle constructive feedback welcome. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

When I started Dazey LA all I really wanted was to FINALLY have full creative freedom on a project I could call my own. I was not expecting it to create a community of like-minded creative ladies who share this same passions! Weather it's fellow girl bosses I've met along the way or aspiring ones who have been following my adventures. Connecting with, supporting, and inspiring people has been the cherry on top of this creative journey. I had no idea I would have such a passion for it :)

I wanted to go a little more in-depth than the 10-second Instagram stories so I decided to start a Dazey LA youtube channel! I teamed up with my friend Rachel of process/progress to do a little series on the inner thoughts and workings of starting a small business. We literally just filmed on my iphone in my living room with no planning and all in one take, so bear with us. I asked you guys what you wanted to see on the new Dazey channel and "how did you take the leap?" was the top runner by far. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to subscribe. I will also be doing design & photography tutorials, fashion videos, interviews, and more!