Our Story
The origin of how most successful businesses got their start is always fascinating to me. How did they come to be? What problem were they trying to solve? What struggles did they face?
Like any other business venture, SHEDOES has its own story of how it came to be and this is ours...
In the fall of 2018, Graehme and I were introduced through a mutual friend, Alyssa. I was sharing my dreams of starting this business with her, why I wanted to start it, and how to go about it. My biggest concern was that I didn’t want the line to be ‘cookie-cutter’, I wanted it to stand apart--and that market differentiation all begins with the designs. She connected me with Graehme, whom she thought could be of some help in getting things off the ground.
While on an exploratory trip to New York City looking at different fabrics, meeting with prospective manufacturers, and honestly just exploring how and where to get started, Graehme and I had made plans to meet up at the Ace Hotel on my last day in the city before traveling back home. I pitched him my idea, he shared his portfolio, we struck up effortless convo and decided right then and there that we should work together.
The whole concept behind the SHEDOES suits is equal parts creator and designer. It was a natural fit. Drawing from my experience in modeling swimwear and Graehme's background in evening wear design, we endeavored to explore a sexy edge and to employ day-to-night designs that we felt were lacking in the industry. Out of this design collaboration came twelve, initial concepts, and from those, we selected what we felt were the six strongest suits to move forward with; the ones that we felt embraced the edgier design concept we envisioned for the line.
The goal was to create a luxurious yet functional line of suites that provided the option to wear them straight from the beach/pool and into the evening. These versatile, and in some cases convertible suits, are designed so that they can be easily complemented with other pieces and accessorized to create complete and stylish, top-to-bottom looks.
For me, the story of SHEDOES is not just about a business venture, but also as a means to share my personal story and journey alongside authentic content, all with the goal of encouraging and empowering hard working women everywhere. We are a lifestyle brand inspired by and designed for the contemporary woman who aspires to do it all, but she might just need a little extra reminder that an empowered lifestyle is achievable.
~Audrey, Founder & CEO