Life & Work with Alicia Reyes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Reyes.

Hi Alicia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
UNFAZED Shop started with the “radical” belief that a woman has the right to wear whatever she wants and be whoever she wants. I have always loved fashion because ultimately, we all choose our clothing because we like the message it conveys about us. It’s an extension of our identity; a way we can connect with others. As a child, my mom said I was always way more excited for all of the cute clothes I got over the toys, to the point where I would put all my clothes in a pile and hug them. As an adult this is still the case, I might not hug them anymore but it definitely still brings me so much happiness.

I ended going to college and majoring in the Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising. I thought I was going to be a kick ass publicist someday. After I graduated, I fell into a Marketing job and then after I became an assistant. Life didn’t go exactly how I planned it and then 2020 happened. With the pandemic and social injustice happening all around me, it caused me to reflect on my life and what’s important to me. Through my reflecting, I realized that I’m wasn’t happy with my current position as an assistant and I don’t enjoy working my butt off for someone else’s business and dreams. I decided I want to create my own dream and create a business that gives me the opportunity to create a space for woman to feel comfortable in their own skin, spread self-love and a place where I’m empowering my customers.

With everything going on in the world today, a lot of businesses and influencers are remaining silent about a lot of important issues. As a consumer, I question where they stand and as a businesswoman it motivates me to be clear about what my business stands for, even if it means I lose some customers along the way. I hope to be a small business owner on the right side of history by using my work experience, my love for fashion and my passion for supporting important issues.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Fortunately having an online business during a pandemic is something that has been extremely beneficial. Everyone is shopping online right now. However being a small business in LA, it’s extremely hard to get our name out and compete with bigger companies. It seems like working with social media influencers are the way to go to get your store out there, however my small business can’t afford influencer fees. Attracting new customers is more expensive than retaining the current ones you already have. Which means I have to learn how to implement tactics to help get the most out of our customer base and increase customer lifetime value. On a small budget, it’s a struggle and sometimes discouraging when you’re not seeing the progress you want to see.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I graduated from Cal State Dominguez Hills University with a degree in Communications, specializing in Public Relations and Advertising. My diverse coursework has greatly enriched my job skills and developed my excitement for innovative and creative media content across all social media platforms.

Over the years, I have learned how crucial it is to focus on cultivating client relationships, building meaningful connections with consumers and build a meaningful brand. From interacting with customers, monitoring social media content and working collaboratively with creatives, it brought me to create something of my own.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Having customers who appreciate what we do and what we stand for, to always strive to grow/evolve, adding more brands and styles to keep up with demand and the ever-changing trends and eventually being able to give back to our community is very important.

Pricing:

• Affordable clothing prices, currently ranging from $27 – $56

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.unfazedshop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfazedshop_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unfazedshop

Image Credits:
All images were taken by business owner – Alicia Reyes