Made in KUWAIT, ATELIERDOLZI is a non-seasonal brand that offers a collection of Bold Blazers for all. It is the first Kuwaiti brand to be featured on Fashion Channel and The Monte Carlo Fashion Week 2020 edition under the High Patronage of H.H Princess Charlene of Monaco.
At ATELIERDOLZI, we believe in slow fashion and ethical fashion luxury. We minimize wastage and work on pre-ordering only to be able to support local craftsmanship. All of our fabrics are sourced from Italy and are REACH Certified. We produce limited quantities every collection with no restock. Investing in one of our Blazers means investing in a unique high quality garment. But not only. It is also a platform supporting current and future Boss Ladies around the World. ATELIERDOLZI believes in Coopetition rather than Competition. We want to support and help people achieve their dreams by providing them with the boost their careers need. ATELIERDOLZI offers brand collaborations opportunities during shooting campaigns and business promotions on its channels. We also provide services to help you build your online dream business.
– https://www.atelierdolzi.shop
We design. We collaborate. We empower.
Born and raised in Paris, Dolzi is a Kuwaiti entrepreneur who travelled and lived throughout her life in multiple countries. She graduated with a B.B.A in Event Management from top hospitality school Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland. That is where she discovered her love for Blazers, a part of her daily university uniforms. A year later, Dolzi decided to pursue her interest for the Fashion industry and attended SDA Bocconi university, in Milan where she graduated with a Master degree in Fashion luxury and design management.
Dolzi was always fascinated by the Fashion industry and her mother played a huge role in her love for it. In January 2020, Dolzi moved back to her home country, Kuwait where she decided to found her own brand ATELIERDOLZI: not just a clothing brand but a brand that supports, promotes and empowers others. She wanted to introduce to her home country an ethical fashion luxury collection, to educate today’s consumers about the topic of sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry. Dolzi always say: “A Blazer is the Extra touch of your outfit. It is so powerful. You can be dressed very casually, just throw a Blazer on and watch the magic happen. It is like you’re a whole different person.”
A CONVERSATION WITH DOLZI X 33 MAGAZINE
Describe yourself as a creative and when did you decide exactly to launch Atelier Dolzi?
I am a Visionary, I dream big and envision the impossible. I believe that we limit ourselves by creating our own boundaries. We need to push ourselves to get rid of any limits, and that is when you are going to create something different, something that will stand out in its own creative way.
I always knew deep down that one day I was going to found my own brand but I did not know when or how it was going to happen. After graduating with a BBA in Event Management at Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland, I moved back home to Kuwait and started to think about my next step. I always had an interest for the fashion industry and thought it would be a great idea to tap into it. That is when I decided to move to Milan for a year to pursue a Master degree at Bocconi University in Luxury fashion and design management. During the program, I started working slowly on my brand starting with the business plan until I eventually had concrete results with my first sample collection.
How do you manage the creativity process exactly as it’s really challenging in fashion industry?
Every time I design a piece, I never look for inspiration of already existing brands to avoid being influenced by a certain design that already exists. I tune in with my own inspiration and creativity and once the design is final, then only I sometimes look at what other brands are doing to see if any garments I designed already exists in the market. That is when I adjust my designs into a unique piece that will stand out in the market. I do this for the very simple reason that I believe every brand is unique and should be different.
I design garments that I would like to personally wear. My collections are very distinct and I don’t think you would find the exact same design elsewhere. It is important to bring in something different to the table and for clients to recognize our unique designs.
What is the most challenging issue in promoting your own fashion label ?
Social Media today is such a powerful tool that you don’t really need to be in a certain industry for decades to be successful in your industry. The most challenging issue in my opinion is to convince clients that what you are selling is up to the standard of what you are promoting. Moreover, there are thousands of brands that are doing similar work, so you really need to have great and unique marketing to prove that what you are doing is different and worth it.
What’s the main impact of social media in both ways, buying and brand marketing?
It has such a positive impact, like I previously mentioned to you, you can tap into any industry without prior long term experience in it and see a huge success. It is all about the right timing and sometimes the right contacts too might help. You can reach a huge audience within seconds anywhere in the world, and that is so powerful. With just one click, people from all over the world can talk about your brand, purchase your products and recommend them to others.
Do you have any intention to expand your label in a different way and produce as well different kind of garments?
Since we launched in September 2020, we progressively grew in the eyes of people from all around the World with the image of being an ethical Kuwaiti brand that produces Bold Blazers. It is our competitive advantage, and I think that focusing on just blazers is what makes us different. I am not saying I will never consider expanding but I personally think it is too early to start doing so.
What we have been implementing progressively is helping and supporting other entrepreneurs with their businesses by offering them brand collaborations opportunities and business consulting services to benefit from my own experience.
– DOLZI
What do you think is the biggest challenge after the pandemic situation?
The biggest challenge is to prove to the audience that you deserve to have a shot and persuade them to purchase from a new brand. People tend to go for the safer choice, the comfortable choice, the choice that everybody wears, the trendy one.We have been limited with this pandemic with lockdowns and curfews that people started to turn to online shopping. Usually, this means they would be generally purchasing from a store they already know of and would be often less likely to purchase from a new brand. Purchasing power also went down during the beginning of the pandemic, which was also an issue for new brands. Also, shippings and logistics in general have been quite challenging as the whole world was on pause.
Define the marketing concept related to social media nowadays. How do you think this issue is very related to fashion industry?
Social media marketing is great and it provides a lot of brands with a way to engage with existing customers and allows them to reach new ones. Brands can promote their desired culture, mission, products, tone etc. Social Media Marketing in the fashion industry is what gets it running today in my opinion. You see your favorite influencer or blogger promoting and talking about a brand you never heard of, then you go check out the brand’s page, and then their articles, maybe ask your friends about it etc. until you make the decision to purchase from them or not. The return on investment when in comes to the fashion industry is very high. I think that today, even though some brands still care about story heritage, vision and mission, majority of them focus more on influencer marketing, although there has been a shift lately with eco sustainable brands that got to make it in the industry without it because of their strong story and heritage.
How do you think your label can play an important role in your daily client’s life?
We constantly try to educate consumers about the topic of ethical sustainable brands. It is important to explain to them that fast fashion may be cool for you to keep up to date with all the latest trends and own many pieces in different colors or patterns because it is very affordable but to what price? A brand should be transparent with labor work, where their fabrics are sourced from and how they are produced, do they limit wastage, do they impact the environment etc. At the end of the day, it is not only for your own good but for your future generation and the planet’s future. Fashion is a huge industry and it has a huge impact on our planet, therefore a lot needs to be taken into consideration before purchasing from any brand. We also created our Dolzipreneurs series, which are series of Women profiles from all around the world that we promote to empower each other and give them a platform with more visibility.
Imagine that you must write a letter to your FUTURE SELF. What would you write?
I am very proud of everything you have achieved. Never stop believing in yourself, don’t get distracted, stay focused. Everybody has got their own timing to shine. Keep on hustling.
ATELIERDOLZI
33 MAGAZINE 