Nissa New york and Growth Mindset

Fashion is an expression of the human experience — changing, evolving, and innovating from decade to decade. Designers today are looking for that thing that differentiates their brand identity in an increasingly digital market. Nissa NY has done just that. Based out of New York City, the brand features incredibly bold, colorful, and unique pieces for every person of any size to wear. When navigating the colorful UI of Nissa NY’s website with a cherry cursor, or their vibrant Instagram feed, a person will find themself captivated by the brilliantly curated collections that reaffirm that the next generation of fashion is here. 

Just as captivating as the brand is its founder, Amanda Hoffman, who took some time with Fashion On the Beat’s editorial contributor, Anna Geiger, to speak about her experience as a designer and business owner. 

FOTB: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

“I grew up in upstate New York and I went to college at FIT in Manhattan. I always knew I wanted to be in fashion. I always knew I wanted my own brand at some point. When I started to go to school there, half of my experience was in person, and then COVID hit halfway through towards the end. I ended up going back home upstate and that's when I really started the brand. When I went home for COVID, everything was online, so I had more time on my hands. I wasn't really expecting to start it so early on. I interned at a bunch of places when I was still in the city. I was expecting to work for a company first and then start something later, but it kind of just happened at the same time.

I've always been into fashion. I started sewing when I was in the second grade. So that's always been an interest that my parents led me in the right direction after they realized that was my interest.”

Amanda Hoffman: How did the idea for Nissa NY begin? 

“I always knew I wanted to have my own brand, but like I said, I didn't know when or how that would happen. But when COVID hit, I was like, I really want to do this. So, why not start now? I started to hand make things for myself for cute little outfit pictures. And then people started to want them. It started with my friends. I would start to make things for them and sell them to them. And then I was like, you know what, maybe I should just act.

I would just keep posting. I would just make new things and post myself in them and just keep doing that. I mostly grew the business on Instagram during COVID. Everyone was online, so it helped push things. I reached out to some smaller influencers and made them a couple of things and started to build a little bit of a following that way. It progressed into doing made-to-order. I would make a dress and you could pick whatever size and I would make it for you. Then when that started to get out of hand, I had people help me with sewing for a little bit. and it became a bit tough to keep up with.

I had a friend of a friend that did small batch production, so I talked with him and got some contacts, and I produced my first two little knit sweaters. I still do custom orders, but for the most part, I do small batch production.”

What is something that you want people to walk away with when either interacting with your Instagram content or wearing your clothes?

“The feeling of confidence that you get when you wear something that you absolutely love—I want people to walk away with that feeling. Another thing that’s important for me from the beginning has been to try to be as inclusive as possible. I carry XS to 4X now and I want to expand that. I think it is so important for people to see something they love and be able to actually get it for themselves and feel very confident in it.”

As you continue to grow, are there any new challenges that have come up? How are you adjusting to your gradual growth over time?

“I actually took a little bit of an off season because I was having a little bit of a tough time. I think once you get, not exposure, but more experience doing this and you have access to more capabilities of production, you get a little carried away with all the things that you can make because it's like, wow, I have everything at my fingertips.

I feel that last summer I had a season that was not true to the Nissa NY brand identity. I had to regroup and figure out, okay, what do I want the brand to stand for? What do we want the designs to look like that's still true to the original vibe? I think that's always important to relook and not get carried away. I think finding new ways to grow the business and getting exposure has been good, but also a challenge for sure.”

What are some specific goals that you have for your brand in the next couple of years?

“I think the biggest goal that's in the front of my mind is I want to get into a bigger retailer. I really do love having my stuff carried in boutiques and all the online stores and I want to keep that momentum going and get it more on a bigger scale.”

What is something that you wish that you could tell your younger self who was just starting out with this brand?

“I would tell myself to try to push to do even more when you had the time. During COVID, I had all the time in the world, and it was like I could fully focus on that all the time… just keep pushing through, keep emailing people, even if they don't answer, just keep going.”

What advice do you have for people who might be interested in starting their own brand themselves?

“My advice would be just start, just do it. Don't think about it. Don't think about people. Don't be embarrassed. Post as if you have a million followers at all times and be consistent with it. Make products that you love and just really stand behind it. I think the thing is a lot of people have great ideas, but they don't know how to start, or they feel weird or it's embarrassing. But the only way that my brand started to build traction was me just pretending I already had a following.”

If there’s anything that evident from speaking with Amanda about Nissa NY, it is that this is a brand to watch. Her growth mindset and positive demeanor translates to the unique and vibrant aesthetic of her brand, and reflect the next age of inclusive, expressive, and innovative fashion.