 Today's guest left a successful job at Gap Corporate to create a versatile, convertible, and sustainable label of her own. Alvina Lamb joins us to talk about founding her line, Folly Aware, how it's different, and the importance of giving back. This is School of Hustle, the show where we find advice and inspiration from people who are making their own way. I'm Shannon, the VP of social here at GoDaddy, and I live and breathe the hustle of business. Today we're filming from the hustle of it all at the WeWork Times Square in New York City. Everybody, please let's give Alvina a really big warm welcome. Thank you so much for having me, Shannon. I'm a fan of the show, so it is an honor to be sitting here in the seat. Well, it's an honor for me to have you on the show. I love your line and your product and your vision, and you as a person. Thank you so much. Oh, my goodness. We met during Fashion Week at FIT. Yes. And I was honestly just walking through the kind of the main lobby area. I saw this rack of the most beautiful prints and beautiful person wearing the prints, and I made a B-line, and this is how we met. Absolutely. Your product literally drew me in, and your product and your company is called Bally Aware. Yes. And you are the founder, and Bally Aware is a fashion company that is introducing a new and versatile way to wear clothing, and it is, it is new and versatile. Thank you. I want to first talk about what inspired the company. Yes. And then I want to get into what it is. Of course. So the inspiration behind it actually came from the idea of sizing. So growing up, I found it really hard to find things that fit me. I was really petite, so I remember going home from school and taking a pair of scissors and cutting up clothing, going to town on my closet so that I could tie things to my body so that it would fit, but also so I could use the things in my closet to make other items of clothing. So fast forward till now. I do the same thing. Same thing growing up. And like other consumers, I find it hard to find things that fit me perfectly. We've all been there. You go to one store, you have one size, another store, another size. And so what I wanted to do is I wanted to create a piece of fashion that had this wrap functionality so that it was easy to fit each unique frame as fashion to fit you and not the other way around. And so it was inspired to create this line. And this is a Bollywood. And we're both wearing it. And I will say that I am not as petite as you, and I am wearing pants and you are wearing a jumpsuit. However, we are both wearing the exact same thing, like the thing that you buy. When I said I made a B line for the rack, there were products on the rack and they were all the same. I am sure everybody's wondering how is this possible and I'm fascinated by it. So I'd love for you to explain to us exactly what Bollywear is and have everyone watching understand that like we are both wearing the same thing right now. Exactly. Yeah. So Bollywear is a convertible line of clothing. I like to say it is as transformational. As the women who inspire it. And so it allows women to have this multifunction piece that transitions through the day. So like I was saying when I was making the sample, I realized that I could convert this one piece of clothing into two items and I thought this was perfect for me. So I lived in New York for the last three years and I would go to the corporate office and I'd be that person that had a bag of clothing and would change the bathroom after the typical New York schedule. You know you go to work, then happy hour. And so I wanted to then create the same idea and allow women who wear so many hats every day to transition this piece of item, this clothing. And then of course you bring in your sizing love for fitting you perfectly right? Exactly. Yes. And it fits to your body exactly. So how it works is so Shannon you are wearing the piece as a pant and like she said same piece as what I'm wearing. So she has wrapped it in the front to her body and that is a pant, a daytime look if you will, can wear it to the corporate office. And that same piece I have actually taken the front and tied it around my neck and to create a top and pant portion. And this is more of like the nighttime look but really easy for women to transition through that day. I think the line is it's so interesting and the material themselves is not your run-of-the-bill material. One, like I said the fabrics are so beautiful like it caught my eye but I'd love for you to tell us about like how you source your materials and think about your materials and how you use those materials. Absolutely. Because it's not just picking a pretty print. Yeah. Right? Absolutely. So everything that I do for Baliwear is local and local is really important to me. And I always say that fabric is queen in what I make. I make items, I sit down and I hand select the fabrics that I would want to consume at the end of the day. I want it to be luxurious. I want it to be easy, washable, easy to pack, wrinkle-free. That's something that I want as a consumer. So I make sure that each fabric that I use is what I think consumers want. Yeah. And then it's also really important for me that it's local as well. I do local production. Everything is handmade and that is sustainable. It's ethical. It is lower emission. So everything that I believe in as a company. And then we also make sure that every piece of this beautiful fabric is used. So for example, we make, from all of the scrap material, we make other items such as this scrunchie right here. So this scrunchie is actually that same print, but in blue. And Shannon, I wanted to give this to you as a present. I really do want this. Thank you. I love this. Of course. And so we repurpose all the scrap fabrics that we use. And then we also donate the really small scraps that we have to local companies. We partner with them and they make things such as dog beds. I love this. And I love the way you think about sustainability at the heart of it all. I also, when I met you, heard that you physically show some of the pieces yourself. Is that true? I like to get really close to the product. And so, yes, I do. I have a table I have in my dining room and I just used to cut myself. And I think it's really important to, as a brand owner, to be really close to every side of the process so you really understand every part of what you're running. Well, you were running it for about five years at Gap Corporate. And you founded upon yourself to walk away from a very successful career and launch your own line. How did you know that doing that was right for you? I didn't. Plain and simple. I didn't. It's hard. It's hard walking away from a career that I had built for so long. And it's stable and I loved my job at Gap. But when I was doing it as a site project and I was wearing my samples out, I would get great feedback from women who wanted the same thing. I shared my vision of wanting to do this new way of sizing to fit and be inclusive of everyone and then to help them transition and get more out of their closet. And so that passion and that feedback really drove me to actually do this full time with all my effort. And what lessons did you learn at Gap Corporate that you parlay into what you're doing right now? A lot. A lot. A lot of lessons, yeah. I think one of the big ones is that I don't think I would have gotten to where I am today without the knowledge that I got from this big, conglomerate, iconic brand and just the fundamentals of how to run a retail business. So when people ask me, other entrepreneurs, ask how to start, it is that knowledge of the business, that core that you do need to know about the industry before you start. Right. It was really transparent to me how many people touch this product from concept of design all the way till the customer gets it at the cash register and pays for it. And so I felt a responsibility, a social responsibility, an ethical responsibility because now I was the producer and I needed to produce a consumer good and I was putting this footprint on the earth. So it was really important for me to have this like good threaded through my company and then I also was part of the buying side of GAP, so all the numbers. And I saw that one of the problems was a lot of the waste that was produced. There was a lot of size inventory that was left over, you know, you go to a store and you see this extra smalls, extra largest in the clearance rack. So size inventory for me I saw was a problem in retail and I wanted to introduce a new way of sizing and hopefully produce things that people can wear and then you can pass on as well. You mentioned social impact and I understand that you work closely with trekking for kids. Can you tell me about that? Yes, of course. So I grew up in an immigrant family and so from an early age I was, it was really apparent to me that I was born into a lot more than some other people were. So growing up it was really important for me to give back and throughout my career. So I knew with my company I wanted to couple that. And so every sale, a portion of every sale goes to this wonderful organization called Trekking for Kids and it's a non-profit that helps to build infrastructure for orphanages in remote locations around the world. Wow. Yeah, it's a wonderful organization. Even better is that we've decided as a Bollywood team to then give back one of our vacations in Goad Northern Brazil in 2020 to help build these orphanages. So what I wanted to do is also make it fun with my collection. I've actually designed a Back to Brazil collection. I am wearing a piece right now. I launched it yesterday and I wanted it to celebrate the vibrance of the community we're going to. So you have like the bright blues, the blue and golds in it and everything from this collection will go to Brazil and our trip there to support the kids. As you think about growing Bollywood, how do you envision your company going? More convertible clothes. More convertible clothes to be inclusive of all sizes and to close people everywhere. You know, from New York City to Miami, I would love to keep creating, actually coming out with a new eight-way top. What? An eight-way top. Really? Yes. It goes eight ways. I'm trying to be as creative as I can. Like me as a consumer, I find one thing I'm obsessed with and I want to wear it over and over and over, but you want a little that freshness, you know? And so you can wear it to the yoga studio, to the beach, out at night and so that's coming out. You can have ties as well and all have the same functionality because I think with convertible clothing that I've seen in the past, it is one size fits all, but I don't think that you are necessarily one size fits all because you can personally tie it as tight as you need to. Do you know, does that make sense am I articulating that the right way? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I feel like I get to personalize my pants when I put them on. It's not one size fits all even though many people can buy that same thing like we discussed. I just think that's so fascinating. I love that you say the personal piece about it because it is that. It is your piece to really personalize. I'm giving you the base of how to wear it fashion, but it's really how you feel comfortable and which way you want to wear it. I've literally changed the way that I tie it after having a meal. Let me tell you, I'm like, I don't know, I'm going to give myself a little more room and I've done that and it's kind of, it's subtle, you know, it's nice and it's comfortable. Absolutely. I love your product and I'm literally going to be a customer forever. I would like for you to share advice with entrepreneurs out there who have a dream and are growing their own business. What sort of advice would you offer for them? I would say put yourself out there. I know it's so hard as an entrepreneur because your brand is your identity and it's so vulnerable to just be out there and I get scared too, but I think the more you put yourself out there and the more that you share with the world what you're doing, the more people are going to collaborate and help and bring you to the next level. So even though it's hard, it's just keep trucking, keep going. I do it every day. That brings us to my favorite game called Hustle Time. Are you ready? I'm ready. Okay. We're going to set a timer for 60 seconds and see how many questions we can get through in the allotted time. And I'm going to ask my team to please put 60 seconds on the clock. Which would you rather give up for life, pizza or sandwiches? Sandwiches. Favorite movie? That thing you do. First concert you ever saw? Anymore. Chocolate. Milk or dark? Milk. If you had to eat one thing for breakfast every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? Sushi. Which Hogwarts house would you be sorted into? Oh, I don't know. This Harry Potter. Camping or glamping? Glamping. Last person you texted? Becky. M&M's or Skittles? M&M's. Favorite holiday? Christmas. Instagram or Twitter? Instagram. Songlet is currently stuck in your head. That thing you do? Three things in your closet right now. Bollyoware, Bollyoware, Bollyoware. New York or London? Dark. Dream dinner guest? Will Smith. Number one guilty pleasure? Eating in bed. First place you visit where you retire? Grace. Would you rather visit Lakers Castle or Peppermint Forest? Peppermint Forest. Would you rather never be able to teach or never be able to learn? Never be able to teach. Favorite Disney movie? Pocahontas. First app you open in the morning? Messages. Fireplace fire pit. Fire pit. Oh my goodness. We smoked it. Did I do good? I was so nervous. Smoked it. Smoked it. Okay. One, two, three, 20, 21, 22. Favorite part of your day? From 6 to 9 p.m. when all the emails go a little quiet and I have less pressure so I can create more. Best piece of advice you've ever gotten? Always stand up for yourself in your career and stand up for what you think is right because no one else will do that for you. Worst piece of advice? Don't be resourceful. I think we should all use each other as resources. We're better together and there's a wealth of knowledge in the world. How do you use your career to inspire others? It's really simple but I would say be nice. I love connecting people. It's not just the give-back thing. It's just connecting people. It'll all come back to you in the end and everyone appreciates it. Ever felt like walking away? I would say every other day because it's like a roller coaster as an entrepreneur. But then it's like your successes are your successes and so you just get back on the ride. You keep going. Is there anything you still need to learn? To think big picture and to have patience with myself and realize what I've accomplished and keep going. What do you want people to learn from you? That there's a lesson in everything and to always move forward. So either it's positive or negative but you always just keep going and that's what will get you there. What's next for you? More convertible clothing for more women. Anyone who wants to wear it all over the world. Who inspires you? Customers. Every new person that I meet that is a female leader that is an entrepreneur that wears so many of these hats and that I would love to feel confident throughout their day. Who challenges you? My customer as well. Listening to the customer and trying to develop a product that they want some more of that. The prints that they want. Yeah. Noodle dreams of starting his own pug-friendly business. Afraid to leave the security that comes along with working his nine to five here at GoDaddy with Jonathan. What advice would you have for someone who wants to start their own business but is afraid to make the leap? First of all, Noodle, it is really hard. I understand. Yes. It's quite the challenge to take that risk. But what I would say is take that first step. Noodle, if you've always been dreaming of this pet toy that you want to develop, just take that first step, research it, or go find something that you like and develop it. Because that first step will lead to another step. And that's what happened with Volioware. I created a sample. I took a picture of it. I put that picture online. I created a website. And then I created a company. And so it's that first step. And whether you want to make that change in being an entrepreneur or if you just want to make a change in your life, it's that first step. Did you like that? I think that was a little sneeze of approval. We always end every show with a final thought. I'm going to give you and share with me the quote that resonates the most in why. So number one, what we achieve inwardly will change our reality. Number two, certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart. And number three, if you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. Number three, if you want to lift up yourself, lift up someone else. I think that's what I've been through in my company to give back, but also as a leader at GAP, I think that I loved helping people because you are a true reflection of your team and a true reflection of your surrounding. And so I really believe the more that you give back, the more that you're going to get back. Thank you so much for sharing your story and inspiration and advice today. Thank you so much for having me, Shannon. I had a blast. Remind everybody how they can find you. Of course, Bolly Aware, they are on Instagram and on our website as well, and we'd love for you to follow our journey. And I would love for you to also follow GoDaddy across social because every week we have fabulous entrepreneurs like Alvina coming straight to you so you don't want to miss out. There's so much to be had. So follow both Bolly Aware and GoDaddy. And as always, we'll see you next time. Bye.