Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Rodriguez.
Hi Daniela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My business, Neems Jeans, was born out of a lifelong struggle with finding jeans that actually fit my body in a way that made me feel confident. As early as I can remember, I found the jean shopping experience to be extremely frustrating and disappointing; not only would off-the-rack jeans never fit right, but the sizing inconsistencies across brands always left me confused and feeling like my body wasn’t made to wear jeans.
In 2019, my partner Andre and I went to the mall to try on jeans and give it one more shot; we both tried on several pairs and still not ONE pair fit right on either of us. This time, instead of feeling frustrated, a lightbulb went off in our heads and we were overcome with curiosity: “We can’t be the only ones facing this issue. How many others struggle with finding jeans? How could we solve this and create jeans that fit everybody perfectly?” That same day, we pulled random people aside at the mall and interviewed them about their experiences with jeans. 100% of participants said they had NEVER found a pair of jeans that fit well! This was the catalyst for starting Neems.
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?
Given that neither I nor my co-founder had any experience or connections in fashion or denim, it was definitely difficult at first. Some of the early challenges that come to top of mind include finding a factory in Los Angeles that would work with us and teaching ourselves everything about denim pattern-making so that we can could design our custom jeans to our customers’ unique measurements. Luckily, we eventually found an amazing partner factory that sews and washes all of our jeans, and we’re also now experts in pattern-making. But it was definitely a learning process!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Neems Jeans is a made-to-order premium denim brand that creates custom jeans to your body for a perfect fit. We use leading digital body scanning technology to capture your unique body measurements, design your jeans digitally, handcraft them in our Los Angeles facility, and send your perfectly fitting pair to your doorstep all within two weeks.
Our mission at Neems is to revolutionize the notoriously size-exclusive denim industry by empowering men and women of all shapes and sizes with the confidence they deserve in their custom jeans. We have been featured in CNN, Byrdie, Marie Claire, and Insider as the “best fitting pair of jeans you’ll ever wear”. We’re also proud to ethically handcraft each pair in LA, exclusively using upcycled deadstock denim to fight the battle against textile waste. With each pair made on demand, we do not hold inventory and eliminate the risk of overproduction, one of the biggest issues plaguing the fashion industry.
On a personal note, I’m most proud of the fact that Neems has deeply impacted people’s relationships with jean shopping and their bodies. On a daily basis, we receive messages from our customers telling us that they’ve never felt more confident in a pair of jeans in their LIVES, which is such an incredible feeling! In fact, most of our customers return on a quarterly basis to buy another pair of Neems jeans; we save all of our customers’ measurements, so if they ever want another pair in a different color or style, they can ensure that their new pair will fit just as great as their last pair.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My biggest advice for networking is to search online for in-person networking events in your area & industry and go! When I first moved to LA in 2021, I didn’t know anyone, which definitely felt lonely at first. A few weeks into living in LA, I attended a networking event at Shopify LA and connected with so many amazing entrepreneurs! I think in-person networking events are a great opportunity to meet like-minded entrepreneurs that not only have inspiring stories but are also likely experiencing the same entrepreneurial hardships as yourself. I’m still great friends with a lot of entrepreneurs that I’ve met through these in-person networking events.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.neemsjeans.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neemsjeans/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearneems
Image Credits
Sarah Menasce Hyperblack Studios
