If you are having a hard time pulling on a suit or tightening up that tie in this post-Covid, back-to-work world we are now in, you’re not alone. Not everyone who smoothly accepted the Zoom sweatpants look is ready to embrace a work wardrobe once again. But perhaps everyone is OK with that?
OURS the Brand is a new mother-daughter luxury fashion brand that was born out of consideration of this exact conundrum. Aislinn Cushing, a public relations and communications professional, realized that she hated getting dressed in her former business clothes once she went back to work in person. That was the light bulb moment, and she got in touch with her mom to discuss the idea of launching OURS, with luxurious comfort in mind.
“It’s really my daughter’s brainchild. During Covid everyone was in their workout wear and sweatpants, and this comfortable way of living really took hold. When it was over, and it was time to get back to work, every time she had to go out to lunch or dinner with clients, she just didn’t know what to wear. Everyone we knew was complaining,” explains Jacqueline Neuwirth, Aislinn’s mom. “We felt there was a real gap in the market for elevated comfort. So we started the brand and it very quickly resonated with people of all ages. We have an 86-year-old wearing our clothes who looks phenomenal and my daughter is in her late 20s and wears them. It’s timeless.”
Both Cushing and Neuwirth love fashion and the concept of starting a lifestyle brand was not out of left field. Cushing had always wanted to launch a brand, and they talked about doing it together at some point. “We are both people that know how to pull an outfit together. There’s an ease of style. And that has really helped us with our vision of who we are and what our story is,” says Neuwirth. Their Marin proclivities are also an element of the new brand. “Our lifestyle is in Marin and it is really at the heart of the comfort aspect of what we want to do.”
The line is more than just comfortable and cozy, though. What makes the pieces truly special is the fabric, sourced from exceptional textile mills in Milan. It was important for the team to create something the opposite of fast fashion, made responsibly with fine quality fabrics. Working with a partner in New York who has done extensive work in Italy, Cushing and Neuwirth brought the design concept for the capsule collection to the partner to refine and make the pieces fit well and so that they make sense on the body. “The clothes aren’t wearing us. We want people to be able to wear our clothes in a variety of ways,” Neuwirth says. “And some are unisex. It’s telling in the multigenerations of men and women that are wearing our clothes.”
Being at the very beginning of a brand isn’t easy and it takes a large amount of courage to launch something in the luxury e-commerce space right now. But the two knew they had a great concept and that the time was now. “There is a gap in the market. When you see the moment you have to jump on it. And when your daughter calls and says ‘Will you partner with me?’ you take those opportunities in life,” Neuwirth says. “It’s a time where people value smaller businesses and care about who’s making their products and connecting more to the lifestyle. We are shifting collectively.”
That shift has been both personal and professional for Neuwirth and Cushing, and for all of us as well in this new reality. Neuwirth explains the OURS vision: “We want to bring comfort to anyone who wears our clothing. We want to be a leader in this space. Speaking to the quality, the history, giving a story to each piece. Generations have been defined by their fashion styles and for us, it is the specialness of wearing something that feels good.”
