“Dream big, finish strong in all that you do, but most importantly, stay true to yourself!” This is the mission statement of Missy Erickson, Wash Park mom, owner and creator of Moxy Evolution.evolution.
BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
Missy Erickson is a mother, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, so naturally we were drawn to her story and brand. She is an inspiration to anyone who dares take a step down a new path. Living in Wash Park and part time in Vail, this Colorado girl proves to be a force in the local fashion scene and we are eager to see how her clothing line will evolve.
We were instantly drawn to your messaging of empowering women. Tell us what inspired you to start moxyevolution.
MoxyEvolution means so many things to me. My brand is timeless, ageless and empowering for all women. Moxy stands for the fight and persistence in all of us to go after the things in life that we want. We can have it all, ladies! And the Evolution is just that. We are constantly changing and evolving and our hopes and dreams are always changing as well during different times and events in our lives. There is no expiration date on realizing a dream or finding new purpose in your life. Dream big and finish strong in everything that you do. And my signature ME on my tees simply means BE YOURSELF because you are enough. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t! It was important to teach my daughter these valuable lessons as she ventures off to college and navigates her life now as a young woman with many choices to make.
For me personally, MoxyEvolution was really about finishing something that I had started in my twenties and also about putting myself out there for the first time in the most vulnerable way. Am I too old? Too out of touch? Will they laugh at me? Hate what I create? The list goes on and on . . . .
I created the brand not so much to just sell clothes but to have purpose and that purpose is to be an inspiration to my daughter, Miki, that she can do whatever she wants in this life at any age. Just work hard for what you want and always have integrity. That is success. No dream is too big. And then I want to reach as many women as I can with that same message.
You describe your line as modwear movement. Can you tell us more about this look?
It stands for modern modular wear. The modern component is just creating a more sophisticated and luxe approach to athleisurewear.
The modular is just that. I only make separates that can be mixed, matched and layered. The color palette for each collection is cohesive throughout each style so everything works so well together.
Do you design your clothing line alone? Give us a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes of moxyevolution.
I do design my clothing line alone. This is my favorite part of the process. I usually find an amazing fabric and then build the style around that. Some designers do it in reverse and create the design and then seek out the fabric. Once I find my amazing fabrics, all in the United States, I will sketch out my collection by hand and then recreate digitally to send to my lead designer and sewer at my factory. She takes it from there and creates samples bringing the idea to life. It’s amazing to see the idea turn into a real piece of clothing. Once the collection is complete I switch gears and go into business mode. Now I have to figure out how to get people to know my brand and see my beautiful clothes. I am a people person and have been in sales & marketing my entire career life so this part comes easy for me. I spend most of my time in the business role. It’s a constant cycle of idea to creation, manufacturing the collection and then putting it out there . . . REPEAT. I want as many women as possible to become familiar with my brand. I feel that my clothes are for all women and my purpose, behind the brand, is too. It’s not just about selling luxe athleisurewear in a highly competitive market place for this concept in the fashion industry, but bringing awareness to women about what they are capable of doing if they want something bad enough. My message is to compete only with yourself and continue to raise the bar.
We noticed that you mention SafeHouse Denver in your posts on social media. Tell us how you became involved with this nonprofit organization.
I have a Psychology Degree from the University of Colorado and my senior year I did an internship with the Commerce City Police Department. I worked under the Director of Victim Services and spent the majority of my time helping women and children escape domestic abuse and fundraising for our department and trying to gather material resources for these families including clothing. Most of these women and children leave their situation very quickly with literally only the shirt on their backs. This organization seemed to be the perfect fit with my moxyevolution brand of empowering women, dreaming big and finishing strong with just a little help from other women that support and stand with them. I wanted women to be able to put on brand new clothes with tags still on them and feel beautiful and worthy. So whenever at the end of a season I have extra inventory or I have samples that I am not ecstatic about, I give them to the women at Safehouse. The women at Safehouse come from all walks of life, socioeconomic levels, educational levels and I want all women to wear moxyevolution and to feel confident and comfortable.
We love supporting women-owned businesses. What advice would you give other women thinking of pursuing their dreams of branching off on their own?
Learn from other people and don’t be too proud to ask. You CAN disagree with the experts and you should ALWAYS go with your instinct. OH…….Have a lot of humility and vulnerability.
Where can we find your clothing?
Right now I am only online at www.moxyevolution.com or at an event or party near you. I am always up for a sip and shop hosted by great women so if you are interested in hosting please reach out to me at info@moxyevolution.com
What is in store for the future of moxyevolution?
I love where we are right now which is just a slow and steady reveal, personally and organically reaching women over the last year. I launched my online store August 25, 2017. I think we will be in specialty boutiques in 2019 and maybe expanding into more of a lifestyle brand. MoxyEvolution is gaining so much momentum right now that new doors open up every day. It’s fun to imagine the possibilities!
Thank you for telling us your story, Missy. You’ve given us a glimpse into the passion and drive that goes on behind the scenes of MoxyEvolution.