Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Brown & Barbara Ortiz of Athena Apparel.
Hi Danielle and Barbara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
At Athena Apparel, Barbara and myself have always had a passion for comfort and running a conscious business. We met as co-workers and were always looking for comfortable clothing and sharing finds with each other. We took our initiative to join forces and create Athena Apparel. Our love for comfort took us everywhere we went, from working from home, running errands, working out when we can fit it in, but wanting to stay stylish was always a want for us! We knew there had to be high-quality products that are comfortable & affordable too. We knew that by creating this brand from 2021 to now and in the future, we’ve been able to implement many more styles and create such a personalized brand to really establish a friendship with our customers. Creating a brand for the girls who live what we live, our busy hustle through corporate 9-5’s, but styling a comfortable and chick 5-9!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As co-owners/founders taking the leap to start a small business from ourselves. We face many challenges! One of our biggest challenges is while working our 9-5, we are left with our 5-9 hour block to get dinner, workout, shower, laundry, animal attention, and many more responsibilities we fit into our day! We have made sure to remain committed for weekends to meet together for photoshoots, work sessions, and a weekly power hour to remain committed and find our newest ideas together, even though we run entirely remotely. It’s never easy starting a small business, but at least we are comfortably working on our business, right?!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Athena Apparel?
Athena Apparel is committed to finding the highest quality and affordable pieces for conscious sizing, materials, and origin. In loungewear, there are a lot of matching cozy sets, but not everyone’s the same size in the top and bottom, we want to make sure that our pieces can be sized to any fit, mixed with any product, and sustainably made to last. We hope to add more and more size-inclusive designs, with the intention to never separate styles for plus sizing. We stand apart by making sure we carefully select pieces that can offer a range of sizing, without changing the product, comfort is for everyone! We are so proud of the response of everyone who purchases Athena Apparel, that they are so surprised by the quality and materials we find. Shopping online is difficult since you don’t get to touch the product and experience it yourself but by Athena representing a brand that no matter what piece you find on our website, your stop for all things loungewear, will always be the comfiest purchase.
We want to emphasize to readers that we live the brand we show on social media. We both are constantly trying to balance corporate work from home jobs, responsibilities, animals aka our kids, keeping a positive mindset, etc. Our brand is an extension of us. We only sell products we absolutely love and wear ourselves. Not only are we trying to share our cozy outfits, but we try our best to foster a positive and stylish space for our customers and followers. Mental health is a HUGE value of ours and we always talk about self-care on social media and blog posts. Athena Apparel embodies the look good feel good aspect of self-care & so much more. This is something that we ourselves preach and want to share with others.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Gwinnett & Athens are full of a mix-verse of shopping, food,& culture. We love the diversity of not only people but the culture they bring. We love trying new foods, specifically Japanese or Korean. We love being invited to different parties and gatherings. We definitely love just sharing our backgrounds with everyone. We love the connections we make every day. What do we like the least about our city? THE TRAFFIC. That’s exactly why we are WFH girlies.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopathenaapparel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopathenaapparel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AthenaApparelClothing
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/82500524/admin/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@athenaapparel
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopathenaapparel?_t=8ZT1lselY0Q&_r=1
