{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The 7 Laws of Scaling with Jim Huffman","title":"How this Fashion Brand Pivoted from Wholesale to DTC & Built a Multi 7-Figure Brand - The Shopify Growth Show (#18)","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/9fc38aff\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2857,"description":"What do you do when wholesale feels like success but starts killing your brand? For the founders of Mestiza, it meant rewriting the playbook. In this episode, they share how they survived COVID, pivoted to DTC, and built a multi 7-figure fashion business - while raising kids and refusing VC money.\nJim is joined by Luisa Takas and Alessandra Perez-Rubio, the powerhouse duo behind Mestiza - a New York-based fashion brand worn by celebrities and loved by loyal customers. The two dive into how they broke into Neiman Marcus early on but quickly realized wholesale wasn’t sustainable. From there, they detail how COVID forced a DTC pivot, how their hero product (“The Shimmy Dress”) became a game-changer, and how they’ve grown profitably while bootstrapping. This is a behind-the-scenes look at resilience, customer obsession, and building a brand with values.\n \nTOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODE\nWhy wholesale nearly derailed their brand vision\nHow COVID forced a DTC rebirth that changed everything\nThe power of flagship products like the Shimmy Dress\nTactical tips for customer feedback, crowdfunding, and growth\nHow they raised a friends-and-family round and used SBA loans\nWhy being moms made them better founders\nThe co-founder dynamic that’s lasted longer than most marriages\nIf you’re building a brand and wondering whether to go DTC, how to grow without VC money, or how to survive the messy middle - this episode is pure gold.\nResources:\nMestiza\nJim Huffman website\nJim's Twitter\nGrowthHit\nThe Growth Marketer's Playbook\n\nAdditional episodes you might enjoy:\nStartup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)\nNathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)\nHow I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)\nRyan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)\nHow We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)\n ","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/o2LQlWgTbns0mw3pkbfZyyACZ_ssUafgaoXrX9iPDv0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85N2Mx/ODFkMzBjZjA2M2Uy/OTRiZTgwYjRhZmMx/YmE1YS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}