We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Wenger McPhaul a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jessica, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
I attended FIDM in Los Angeles and have been working in film/tv ever since. I started as an assistant costume designer and progressed to costume designer. I’m fortunate to be a part of the House Of Cards costume team with an Emmy Nomination and back-to-back Costume Designers Guild Award Nominations.
Early on in my costume design career I had a dream opportunity to assist a multi-Emmy nominated costume designer on a commercial project and create elaborate costumes.
Before fittings began, I had to buy nude bras for our leading ladies. I shopped the big box stores and returned to meet our talent. In walked the most gorgeous group of women- a dance troupe from Africa. I was in awe of them but growing more horrified by my store bought selections. The nude bra sold in stores matched me- and no one else in the room.
It hit me. We shop in the same stores, but only 1 in 10 women see themselves there.
I was fired for the ‘nude’ bras I purchased. I was fired for what the fashion industry didn’t represent and what I couldn’t buy. I was floored, embarrassed and so surprised that this is what could end my career if I let it. I chose to not let this be the negative defining moment- but a positive one. I knew I could use this for change and for growth -to be an ally- a catalyst for good. Flash forward twelve years–
…and Naked Rebellion was born.
Naked Rebellion is a women-owned business that helps women feel acknowledged, comfortable, and confident with 9 inclusive skin tones, a size for every body and is focused on building a highly, supportive community of bad-ass, rebellious women.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Jessica got her start making costumes for a small youth theater in Arizona when she was 16. A few years later, she moved to LA to attend fashion school and has been working steadily in film/tv ever since. Starting out as an assistant costume designer, she quickly progressed to costume designer for films and tv. Jessica has been in both the Costume Designers Guild and the Costumers Union for over a decade and was part of the House Of Cards team that has received an Emmy Nomination and back to back Costume Designers Guild Award Nominations. Her almost 20 years of costume design experience helped her identify a huge market need- and she created Naked Rebellion. She couldn’t find nude shade undergarments for all of her on screen talent. If she was having this issue- clearly other women were as well. Naked Rebellion is nude shade luxury lingerie company crafted for every woman on earth.
They have been able to become a platform in the community where every woman can see themselves represented. She has created the most rebellious, inclusive, and comfortable brand around.
I still pinch myself every morning that this is what I get to do for work everyday. The fact that I am a costume designer turned entrepreneur and got to turn one of my worst days into the thing that lights me up more than anything is mind-blowing to me. I got fired for the bras I couldn’t find in the store. I was fired because MACY’S didnt offer a product for all women. And I am the most proud to say in February 2023 MACY’S emailed us and now sells Naked Rebellion- Finally, for every body on earth.
We are so thrilled to announce we just opened our first store front and we are able to expand our styles of offerings through wholesale purchases to our customers. So we have our core Naked Rebellion bras and undies sold with different athletic wear from factories in Italy and the US. We are using this new HQ as a testing ground for what products our customer wants to buy from us next. With all of that data that we are gaining here we know that we will use this grant funding on our next production run, and expanding our offerings to include Naked Rebellion branded active wear and our newest collection called “us” a genderless loungewear collection of tanks and undies for ALL OF US.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Since our launch in 2019 have sold almost 10,000 bras and participate in a bra recycling program. We offer the bra recycling program both online and in store. We have helped countless women find a bra that helps them love their body- not try to change it like the industry preaches. I have continued to take that approach in all areas of my business, and I am happy to say that I am a business mentor in a local female owned entrepreneur group called The Foundress.
I get to be a mentor- in a group of 12- to over 150 women founders in Arizona. We have monthly meetings with speakers and networking and we have another monthly mastermind meeting with 10 of our own members where we get to focus on accountability and intrapersonal business struggles. Through this amazing group of women I have been able to carry lots of women owned products in the store. We carry Foundress member products ranging from jewelry, handbags, shirts, vintage, candles, activewear, florals, and balloon installs. Being able to support women owned business and give back directly to the community I mentor is one of the best things about having our storefront.
I would encourage anyone looking to start their entrepreneurial journey to find a group that resonates with them. Where they can share likeminded battle wound stories and have community. Being an entrepreneur is often times a lonely island by your self so when you get to be a part of something bigger than yourself you can grow 10x. I have because of a group that challenges, encourages and holds me accountable.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
An Entrepreneur, by definition, is someone that organizes and operates a business, while bearing most of the risks but also enjoying most of the rewards. That is everything that Naked Rebellion embodies for me. Naked Rebellion has been a dream of mine for 15 years, and finally being able to self fund the dream is wildly scary. Once it started, it couldn’t be stopped. It went from concept to sample making to a full blown launch with a fashion show in 6 months. I was able to focus solely on the brand and create an inclusive lingerie based completely on the community of rebellious women supporting me. We have bootstrapped almost 100k throwing ourselves 100% into making this company successful, and have never looked back.
Now that we are starting to grow at a rapid pace- finding the right investors to align with our business and our strategy have been the hardest. We have had the uphill battle of being a woman owned company and trying to secure proper funding. 42% of all businesses in the US are owned by women yet they only get 4% of commercial lending every year. We have been focused now on beginning on equity partnerships to grow our company with the people to our sides that believe in us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nakedrebellion.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naked.rebellion/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naked-rebellion
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nakedrebellion
Image Credits
Headshot- Lauren Peachie Photography- All others- Fully Alive Photography
