Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Hegwood.
Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Our journey began in the summer of 2020 – right in the midst of the global pandemic. We wanted to bring some positive change to our neighborhood so we planned a pop-up consignment sale to raise money for COVID relief – hoping to give back to families in our neighborhood who were going through a hard time. After the sale, we had so many awesome clothing pieces left, we decided to take our sale online! Hence, Meliora began. Through a lot of hard work and learning, we’ve started a small business and cannot wait to see where the future takes us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has been a struggle. I mean we started a business during a global pandemic – crazy right? There’s so many things I did not know about running your own business – how to market your products, gain exposure, create a brand, build a functioning website, run social media accounts, and so much more. But luckily, I have an amazing team to help me do that! The awesome part of it all is that I get to work with my best friends while trying to change the world – one person, one order, one package at a time.
We’ve been impressed with Meliora, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a female-founded, sustainable clothing business! Our goal is to provide affordable, slow fashion pieces with thoughtfulness, understanding, and trust – handpicked just for you. But why do we do what we do? To better our world by decreasing our water footprint and changing the narrative of fashion. We sell everything from purses to blazers to art to jumpsuits to t-shirts. I think what sets us apart is our passion to give back. Every three months, we pick two charities to donate 10% of our revenue to – it’s our way of saying thank you to our community and striving to make a positive change. I think the other thing is that we really are starting our business from the ground up with essentially a college-level budget and not a lot of experience but with a lot of lot work, passion, and commitment to what we do. Our team is learning from each other and learning from our customers every day. 20 seconds of insane courage is all you need to say, “Yes, we’re going for it.”
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
It’s kind of funny that in the beginning a lot of our friends didn’t actually know that we (myself, Kaysel, and Amanda) were the faces behind the brand. We followed all of our friends Instagram accounts, and then when we finally announced our team on the account, I got so much love and support from everyone saying, “Oh my gosh, I had no idea that you were doing this! I love the company so much already. This is so awesome.” I think the other thing is that our team is insanely diverse yet very similar!
My father was born and raised right here in Atlanta though his family was originally from Tennessee. My mother was born in Uruguay, and she speaks Spanish and a little bit of Italian because her parents were born in Italy! Her parents immigrated to Uruguay after World War 2. My major is in Human Resources Analytics and Supply Chain/Operations Management. Kaysel’s dad was born in Minnesota, but his family are Russian Jews from small towns who moved to the US before World War 2. Her mom was born in Venezuela. Her major is in Interior Design with a minor in Spanish and Entrepreneurship. Amanda was born in India but spent most of her summers in Italy. Her dad was born in Italy, and her mom was born in Tennessee. She loves modeling and grew up with an eye for social trends and fashion.
Pricing:
- Our clothes cost an average of $10-15!
Contact Info:
- Email: meliora.team@gmail.com
- Website: www.shop-meliora.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shop.meliora/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shop.meliora2020
- Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJKdReGK/
Image Credits
Grey Kenna (@greytakespictures)
Ashleigh Dennis (@momentsbyrose_)
