Bonnie Kirby was inspired to start Well Dressed Nashville in 2019 after she attended a pop-up closet sale at Parlour 3 hosted by Hunter Premo and several of her influencer friends. Bonnie’s initial idea was to have local pop-up sales with items from influencers' closets. A portion of the proceeds would raise funds for Tennessee’s Kids Belong, an organization that improves the experiences and outcomes for kids in the foster care system. She developed a business plan that very night.
Shortly after Bonnie’s first successful local event, she faced some setbacks that could’ve ended it all. “First of all, Covid hit. I knew I had to pivot and put everything online. I had to learn how to make a website and put clothes online and shoot everything on a mannequin. That helped solidify that it really should be a national brand. And then, we lost our initial Instagram account, over 30k followers, and had to start over.”
Well-Dressed Nashville rebranded as Well-Dressed, an authentic online resale from the closets of top influencers and celebrities. Bonnie says, “The Well-Dressed buyer is usually somewhere in the 25 to 45 age range, and they are fashion-focused. It’s interesting; the demographic is split. Buyers are either really about the celebrity and influencer side of it and are shopping with us just because of that, or they don't care about the fact that sellers are celebrities or influencers. They’re there for the deals. We have really amazing brands at really great prices.”
Previously a pediatric cancer nurse, Bonnie never expected to transition to a full-blown businesswoman. “I thrive on it. It’s fun for me to find the sellers and get the wins. It's fun to have our customers love the things they get, and every sale is different. I left nursing in January 2021. I couldn’t keep juggling being a mom to three kids and being a cancer nurse and trying to start a business. It was a hard decision. I loved that part of my life.”
With the rebranding, Bonnie is taking the local love for Tennessee Kid’s Belong to their parent organization. “Now that we’re moving toward a more national brand, we’re expanding our charitable focus to America’s Kid’s Belong. I want to make an impact on people’s lives and make a difference. Foster care has become a big issue because of how much it affects the world and how much work is needed to improve it. Our followers really get to see the impact we make over a long period of time, and they’re really getting to know this organization and what they do. It was important for me to be familiar with them and to know they are doing great things with the money we raise.”
Well-Dressed has monthly online ticketed events. To find out more, visit their Instagram page or website.
instagram.com/welldressedofficial/?hl=en
bewelldressed.com/
