Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Elharrar and Chaya Israily.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We started about 4 years ago. It was ordinary day in April and Chaya my partner called me up and said, “Sarah let’s start a clothing line!” Without thinking or planning, we drove to DTLA fashion district, parked and had no clue what to do next, but we were determined. We met a guy from Turkey on the street and asked if he knew where we could make samples…he said follow me! Without knowing who this guy was or if he even had a clue about fashion, we followed him for about 10 minutes. Chaya gave me a “Are you sure about this” – look and I shrugged my shoulders and said Ya! what do we have to lose.
He led us to Santee and 9th street and we followed him into the elevator, got off at the 9th floor, walked into an office and he said, “Meet Annie” and then disappeared. From that day on, G-d led us from one contact to the next and our business kept growing thank gd.
Sarah Elharrar – A Los Angeles native, Sarah has honed her craft for clothing design since childhood. In Preschool she met bestie and future partner, Chaya, and began cultivating her passion for fashion and its catalyst potential to empower women all over the world. With a keen ability to read people and pickup more nuanced self-expression, Sarah has synergized her intuition, generous heart and transparency with the fashion platform, to create timeless looks that are at both modest and trendy. The blossoming entrepreneur loves the hustle and never loses an opportunity, with a vision to feature SOLIKA in 100 new stores over upcoming seasons. Leading by example, her motto is “If there is a will, there is a way! Nothing is impossible!”
Chaya Israily – Chaya, a fellow Los Angelean, has studied abroad for a year in Jerusalem and would love to live in Israel if not SoCal. The cosmopolite is most inspired by giving back to the community and being involved in meaningful work, leading to Chaya’s passion for causes such as education, mental health awareness and Israeli wounded soldier projects. Her dream of fashion took form at the age of 19 and through determination, positivity and business savvy, Chaya manifested her purpose by creating a collection of minimalist designs that exudes all the value, beauty and confidence of the women who wear them. Each day is a celebration of life and in between family time, dancing, and traveling with friends, this boss babe is working hard to double SOLIKA’s inventory and with goal of a sold-out season! “Live with focus, purpose, and stay real” is her daily mantra.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There has definitely been ups and downs, the struggles and bumps always giving you the greatest possible experience.There were times when we weren’t so confident about a particular design and then it sold out in a day! And other times when we would get thrown out of a store because they weren’t interested in our collection and now a few years down the line they carry our brand.
We just stayed strong, persistent and we never lost hope. And now we now sell to over 50 stores around the US, Canada and still growing!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Solika – what should we know?
The heritage of the brand spawns from a powerful woman of the 1800’s who stood up for her beliefs despite society’s standards. Her name was SOLIKA.
Founded in 2013, based in Los Angeles, SOLIKA was created by designer friends Chaya and Sarah with a mission to empower women all over the world. Focusing on minimalist designs, each piece is expertly crafted, creating stylish and timeless experiences. Every collection has a distinct palette; whether it’s a pop of color or soft nudes, the details are kept tonal – letting style and fabrication create the vibe.
Although the aesthetics of the line are detailed with simplicity, the message is bold – the purpose is to empower women to share their beauty and confidence through modest clothing.
We specialize in Women’s Clothing and we design Modest dresses that are minimal, sharp and timeless. We want our customers to feel, Strong, Confident, and Beautiful!
We are most proud of our strong branding! Our brand is full of inspiration and values.
What makes us different is that we keep strong to our branding and values. Our clothes are modest yet fashionable, timeless, minimal and modern. Not only do we want women to feel beautiful when they wear our clothing, we want them to feel empowered!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
We strongly believe that Gd is leading us in every direction, every opportunity is a clear blessing from Gd and day doesn’t go by without us being appreciative of that!
We are also surrounded by an incredible team of people that support our vision. We feel blessed!
Pricing:
- Our price range for our dresses are from $78-$200.
Contact Info:
- Website: solika.com
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Photography: 838 Media, Ash Gupta
Creative Direction: New World Agency
Clothing: Solika
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
