I started The Lifestyle Edit and our consultancy on my own. If I’m being honest, choosing not to go into business with a partner is one of the decisions I find myself second guessing most. Admittedly, I’ve never particularly been a group person. In school I grimaced at group projects and have just always been someone who prefers to work alone. But over the past year and a half, there’s been countless times where I could have done with having someone to share some of the responsibilities with and, well, just keep me pressing through the challenging start-up phase.
There’s countless examples of people who have found success through professional collaboration. Many of the world’s biggest designers have partners behind the scenes manning the commercial side. But is working together, especially with someone you know or are related to, really possible for most of us? For every success story, experts will point to even more partnerships that have failed. In fact, talk to any person in the know and they often liken business partnerships to marriage: are you willing to hand on in there for successes and failures? Can you accept the little things about them that may annoy you, even more so under stress? It’s often hard to distinguish between work and your personal life at the best of times but even more so when your partner is a relative but for sisters Jordana and Gillian Warmflash, joining forces was the best decision they ever made.
The sisters are the duo behind New York-based label, Novis. With nothing to wear to a wedding, Jordana created a black strapless dress for herself in silk, complete with a full skirt. It helped that she knew how to sew – her mother taught her the ropes on the family sewing machine when she was a teenager – and already had a strong fashion background having cut her teeth at the likes of Peter Som, Zac Posen and Alice + Olivia after graduating at one of the oldest fashion design programs in America at Washington University in St. Louis.
Novis was born in 2012 and while Jordana had learned everything she needed to know about the creative side of the industry, it was the business side that she needed the most support with – and that’s where Gillian came in. An accomplished lawyer, she walked away from the legal world and joined Novis early last year and has since helped take the brand to the next level. Bergdorf Goodman bought their latest collection. Enough said.
Sure, disagreements have popped up along the way, but the pair have found the perfect formula for surviving start-up life’s bumpy roads together while keeping their relationship as sisters in-tact. If you’re considering following suit, we suggest you bookmark this. Here, they share how they’ve done it…
JORDANA ON LAUNCHING NOVIS
Both of my parents are entrepreneurs and own their own businesses, so the entrepreneurial bug was always in my blood! Also as a designer working for other designers, while it’s creative, you are executing someone else’s vision and I always had the desire to execute my own vision through creating my own label. I always knew starting my own business would be very hard and a lot of work, the reality of it is hard, especially at a time when the retail industry is very challenging, but I also never realized how incredibly rewarding it could be! Every milestone we have hit as an emerging business is extremely gratifying.
I think the biggest lessons I learned working at both Zac Posen and Alice + Olivia is that you need to work very hard and follow your passion and vision. Of course, it’s important to take feedback from others, but I learned that following the vision and maintaining true to your point of view.
In the year or two before I launched Novis, I designed and sewed dresses for myself. Not only did I miss designing independently (as opposed to designing as part of a design team for another brand), I also didn’t see much in the market that I wanted for the occasions I needed new clothing for. The dresses got a great reaction from friends and my larger network, so I felt I had proof of concept. I also felt by 2012 that I had learned enough about the business of fashion from my jobs and industry contacts to get the brand off the ground from a business perspective.
THE NOVIS WOMAN & THE BRAND’S USP
JORDANA: She’s cultured, audacious and happy – just like Gwen Novis, our grandmother for whom the brand is named – and treats what she wears as a reflector of, and enhancer of, these characteristics. We love that the Novis woman isn’t necessarily of a certain age or geography or shape – she is defined by her attitude more than anything else. In terms of aesthetic, colour is fundamental to me – it’s fun, can be used in unexpected ways, and stands out in an American market that is mainly minimal in style and neutral in colour. Right now we are doing a lot of colour-blocking, though custom prints have always been part of the brand signature. Texture has also become increasingly important to us as a brand – unusual, luxurious fabrics, knit techniques and embellishments also help us stand out.
I think we stand out for a few other reasons too. First, our construction quality – I’m a total perfectionist when it comes to construction. Second, our fit. I understand that most women don’t have the shape or proportions of a model and so very consciously design to flatter women of varying figures. It’s the combination of our aesthetics, quality and flattering fit that makes us unique.
ON BEING INSPIRED BY THE ‘60S
JORDANA: As the brand has evolved, I have started moving away from vintage prints, but I do still look to vintage inspiration constantly. My mother grew up in Brooklyn in a two-family home with my grandparents and my great grandparents, who lived upstairs. They had the house for about 65 years and when we cleaned it out, the basement was filled with clothing from three generations: my mom, my grandmother and my great grandmother. I now have a nice collection of vintage garments that are a constant source of inspiration, in terms of silhouette, use of texture and color, but most importantly quality and construction.
JORDANA ON THE CHALLENGES SHE FACED BEFORE GILLIAN JOINED
It was everything! Managing the business side and the creative side was certainly a challenge, it was really difficult for me to manage everything myself and also it was challenging to make decisions all by myself. Gillian is the best thing to happen to Novis and we make the best team together. With Gillian focused on the business side, it has allowed me to focus more on the creative/design side. I’m more of the dreamer and she is definitely the realist and very pragmatic and keeps us on track and on budget!
LIFE FOR GILLIAN BEFORE JOINING THE BRAND
In the same way Jordana has always had an interest in fashion, I’ve always had an interest in law. After college I worked as a legal assistant before enrolling in law school at the University of Michigan. My first law school summer, I worked at Time Inc. (publisher of Time, InStyle and Sports Illustrated, among others). My second law school summer, I worked at the law firm Cravath, Swaine and Moore. I returned to Cravath as a corporate lawyer after graduating, and stayed for several years doing mergers and acquisitions and finance work before leaving to join Novis.
ON DECIDING TO JOIN FORCES
GILLIAN: Jordana and I have talked about running a brand – Jordana overseeing creative, and me overseeing the business – since we were kids. The timing felt right in early 2015 since Novis was growing very quickly and really needed someone business-focused in-house, and I was looking for a way to get more “into the action” of a company than my role as outside counsel permitted, and in a setting in which I felt more personally invested. I also knew, from informally advising Jordana over the years, that there would definitely be legal work for me to do at Novis – different than the work I had previously done, but adjacent enough that I wouldn’t feel totally outside my wheelhouse (and, indeed, would be building on existing skills). This ability to continue as a lawyer in some capacity made it easier to take the leap.
GILLIAN ON WALKING AWAY FROM HER LEGAL CAREER
It took me a while to get mentally comfortable with taking the leap, even though it was something Jordana and I had long discussed in the abstract. She and I had a number of meetings in the months leading up to my joining Novis at which we discussed the industry, business goals and logistics, what my role would be and how it may evolve. I spoke with friends who had made similarly dramatic career jumps to get a sense of what my transition may look like. And Jordana and I had a key breakfast with the always lovely Lizzie and Kathryn Fortunato, twins who run a jewelry and accessories business, about the benefits and pitfalls of working with a sister. As I did, Kathryn joined her sister after working in the corporate world, so her insights and advice on that specific dynamic and experience were very helpful too.
I’m a big believer in taking risks – and benefiting from all the growth that comes with doing so – but I’m not a natural risk taker in the work/career arena, so I set a few mantras/exercises to make this particular risk easier to face. First, I repeatedly told myself to take things one day at a time. When you break up a big move into more digestible pieces, it becomes a lot less intimidating. Second, I scribbled down – and continue to scribble down – all the skills I’m acquiring, adventures I’m having and lessons I’m learning. This process helps me appreciate the value of this experience. Finally, I pat myself on the back as much as possible for taking a leap into the unknown – it’s so important to give yourself credit for doing something bold (and not just try to minimize the enormity of it to make it feel easier!).
JORDANA ON HOW THE BUSINESS HAS CHANGED
Oh boy, it has evolved so much since Gillian has been on board. We have grown our wholesale business a lot (still have a long way to go) but we have expanded our distribution to some of the top stores in the country, including Bergdorf Goodman. We have begun to focus on our direct to consumer business both with our own ecommerce and private client events.
ON THEIR WORKING DYNAMIC
JORDANNA: We are constantly in each other’s offices, bouncing ideas off each other and seeking input from one other. We have the same goals for the brand, and very similar personalities and principles when it comes to the manner in which we run the business. That being said, we have very different professional backgrounds, and Gillian is mostly left brain to my being more right brain. Obviously these differences can lead to disagreements, but when we think through the disagreements we often reach a better result than we would otherwise.
GILLIAN: We’re a Venn diagram in action – there are portions of the business I oversee, portions that Jordana oversees, and portions where we overlap. Design is Jordana’s wheelhouse. She designs each collection, oversees sourcing and works with our production manager on production, and takes the lead on visual assets such as our seasonal lookbooks. She’s also the face of the brand, which comes with PR responsibilities. I oversee all legal, financial, operational and HR matters, and more recently have taken a bigger role with marketing. Where our responsibilities overlap, we work together. We also make many larger strategic decisions together, whether they relate to sales, personnel, public relations or other issues.
ON THEIR NOT-SO-AVERAGE WEEKS
JORDANNA: Depending on the time of year, I am all-in on developing a new collection, or we’re working to conceptualize and plan our fashion week events or our entire team is focused on sales. Gillian’s days and weeks also run the gamut – sometimes I find her knee deep in QuickBooks or marking up contracts, or working with our marketing team on strategy and budget considerations for the next six months. Other times, we’re steeped in the mundane – shipping product, managing inventory and updating records.
GILLIAN ON THE TRANSITION FROM LAW TO FASHION
It’s been exhilarating, challenging, frightening and frustrating, but also a huge amount of fun. At a law firm, responsibilities and career paths are clear and resources of all kinds are waiting for you when you hit a stumbling block; at a company like ours in an industry like ours, anything goes, and you are always your own best resource. I have loved the range of roles I’ve taken on, areas of the business I’ve had to develop facility in and nuances of the industry I’ve learned about. It’s a constant crash course; I don’t think I’d have it any other way.
ON DEALING WITH DISAGREEMENTS
JORDANA: Haa! On key elements in the business, we’re generally aligned. On the smaller matters on which we’re not, we’re both okay deferring to the other if the other has more skin in the game on a specific issue, defends her position and feels very strongly about the “right” way forward. That being said, most business issues aren’t zero-sum games. We’re both quite good at compromise, and often work together to craft creative, middle-of-the-road solutions to tricky problems that in the end will satisfy both of us.
ON SEPARATING WORK AND FAMILY LIFE
GILLIAN: It would be impossible to maintain a total wall, which probably wouldn’t be the best idea either for either our personal or our working relationship. Our experience at Novis has made us even closer than we were, and we frequently work so well together precisely because we innately understand each other as only siblings can. That being said, it’s critical to both of us – and our sanity – that part of our sisterly relationship remain sacred and private and personal and just for us. We haven’t had to really be strict about it. We both want to – and intuitively understand that we need to – “leave the office at the office” when we go home.
ON WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A BUSINESS PARTNER
GILLIAN: One thing we didn’t give too much thought to before starting to work together, but that we’ve both come to appreciate, is our compatibility in terms of values and principles when it comes to running a business. We knew what skills and background the other brought to the table, but didn’t know for sure until we jumped in that we approach employee and outside consultant management and expectations similarly; that we have similar approaches to problem solving, and that we so closely share a vision for the brand. So focus on the personality and soft skills fit when finding a business partner, not just a resume-based fit. In terms of working with a friend or a family member give advance thought to how your personal relationship will affect your working one and vice versa, and what you may need to do, if anything, to ensure both thrive.
GILLIAN ON WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE CHANGING CAREERS
First, let the possibility of a career change marinate for a month or three or five. Make (reasonably) sure you’re not just running away from your current job, or towards a new one for superficial reasons. But second, try to get comfortable with – and relish – some uncertainty. I don’t mean for my second piece of advice to sound like it’s contradicting my first; my point is that you’ll never ever know for sure, ahead of time, that a career change will work out perfectly, or you’ll love a new industry, or a new role will fit like a glove. If you wait until you feel totally comfortable to make a leap, you may never make the leap at all.