How to pursue your business venture with Jessy Dover
Let's cozy up with Jessy Dover, Co-Founder and Creative Director for Dagne Dover! As huge fans of their versatile and beautiful accessories and handbags, we had to hear how she and her partners built such a successful business. We chat about her life in a small town, how she got into design, her collection with Coach and her recent ear piercing story!?
As Creative Director, Jessy leads everything creative including product design, and creative marketing. She tells us about her journey from being a mountain girl from Colorado to moving to NYC and pursuing fashion at Parsons School of Design.
Exclusively for our podcast listener's you'll hear about her first trip to NYC, how her family aided her journey into fashion, designing a collection for coach (as an intern!), and how she left her corporate life to start a new business venture with her two partners, Melissa Mash and Deepa Gandhi. Plus some exciting Dagne Dover news for those who like to shop in-store!!
Watch the full video below:
Jessy grew up in a stunning town in Colorado. She grew up being immersed in nature and focusing on sports. She was ALWAYS obsessed with art, beauty and fashion. Her aunt recognized this and she gave her pamphlets for RISD and Parsons School of Design. She looked the schools up and fell in love with the idea of going to design school. She wanted to create things, so she started a portfolio. That changed her life! She went to Rhode Island and started studying fashion and eventually ended up at Parsons. The opportunities that came up for her were always in accessories - no surprise! What she loves about bags is their utility -- they have to stand the test of time and go with everything you wear. We are both investors in accessories over clothing!!
Dagne was founded soon after she started working. She didn’t like her job at the time and she got an email from her now partner at Dagne Dover asking to get coffee. They hit it off! They were super entrepreneurial and wanted to start something. They went to Asia and found factories and got started from there! They wanted to solve a unique problem for working women: we need to look stylish, cool, and effortless in a bag (and be organized at the same time)!! No more dumping your bag on the floor just to find keys. They designed the bag for the modern women: their laptop has a compartment and is protected, so does your water bottle, keys, and everything else you need!
They surveyed women and hosted focus groups to better understand what exactly women need. Their first two products are still on their website!! They are launching their first physical store in NYC in the spring! We cannot wait!!
Jessy’s spark is creating. She loves making and building things and at the end of the day, what drives her is helping her customers because of her creations. Every time she sees someone wearing her bag, it warms her heart! She brought her first earrings and she loves chunky jewelry and our cigar signet ring!!
Who do you want to see next week? Let us know in the comments below!!
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