Suddenly Darling teen fashion web site debuts with “modest” clothes

October 7, 2009 | Dean Takahashi | Comments |
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suddenly-1Katelyn Rose, a 17-year-old high school student in San Diego, Calif., felt like teen fashion retailers didn’t really dish out positive messages of self worth to teen girls. So she started an online fashion site, Suddenly Darling, that is debuting today.

Part social network and part e-commerce site, Suddenly Darling will sell clothes at a low price and with an emphasis on positive self-worth messages for girls. The styles emphasize modest attire, rather than racy stuff that is shorter or tighter.

“If we want guys to respect us, we’ve got to respect ourselves,” Rose (pictured right) says on the site’s welcome video.

Rose, a part-time model, co-founded the site with Andy Jedynak, founder of the WeatherBug online site, and Karen Paull, a veteran of e-commerce sites such as Snapfish. The site sells clothes and offers advice on fashion, style, hair, and makeup. Visitors can create personal profiles, upload their wardrobes, and share them with friends. The site is aimed at emphasizing variety, rather than peer pressure to buy the latest cool thing, Rose said. Rose hosts the site through a series of blogs, articles, celebrity interviews and video news updates.

“For teens like me who are online all the time, we’re really under-served when it comes to good online fashion help,” Rose said. “What’s out there is mainly about fashion for fashion itself, and not about the way girls live their lives every day. We want to make good decisions about how to look our best whenever we step out of our front door.”

The motto is to bring reality to the runway, said Renee Rebold, general manager of Suddenly Darling. The site had its beta test throughout the summer and has drawn thousands of visitors. Celebrity supporters include Disney star Katelyn Tarver, Power Ranger star Jessica Rey, and musicians Cassi B and Caitlin Crosby.

The company, a subsidiary of CastFam Productions, has raised less than $1 million from private investors. It was founded in 2009 and has six employees.

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Photo of Dean Takahashi

About the Author, Dean Takahashi

Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • That is amazing how young girls can make their own business.
  • would this company like to advertise on our online shopping network http://www.zovue.com, its a social network with an interactive shopping magazines that feature full page ads. (8.5 x 11 inches) to showcase your products.

    Its free to sign up, take a look and see if you are interested. Once you upgrade your membership, you will have access to do display advertising in the online shopping network.

    If you have any questions, please email us at sales@zovue.com

    Thanks,

    Julia
  • WONDERFUL! Been preaching this since 2005!

    I am so thrilled to see credible and established companies along with investors getting behind our innovative and fearless teens. Too many adults speak of teens in future tense when they need to speak of them in Present Perfect Tense. They are deep thinkers and socially conscious and have already set so many things in motion. They just need people to LISTEN and be engaged.

    When given the same opportunties, access to resources and information they get KNOW how to get things done....without a doubt.

    Go Katelyn. Awesome story and continued success and creative inspiration to you.

    XO

    @teenbizcoach
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