We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daniela Skrein. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daniela below.
Daniela, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I was lucky to have had two amazing parents who recognized my strengths (and weaknesses) early and were able to nudge me in the right direction. Luckily, I was pulled out of traditional high school and was accepted to Modeschule Hetzendorf, a public fashion school in Vienna, Austria, where I felt accepted and my talents were recognized and celebrated—rather than looked down upon.
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?
I had a coat made with boiled wool. People loved it. Constantly, someone would come up to me and ask where I got it—whether I was on a farm in Montana or at the airport in San Francisco. My entrepreneurial brain kicked in, and I decided to hang up my canvas and paintbrushes, borrow my mother-in-law’s 1976 Bernina sewing machine, order a few yards of boiled wool fabric, and get to work.
I made five coats and showed them at the Homemade Show in Bozeman, Montana, in 2021. I sold three in the first 10 minutes. That gave me the confidence to go ahead with the business.
Four years later, with my awesome assistant Brianna, we make all our coats in-house here in Montana for our winter collections. For summer, we work with linen, French terry, and other cottons—all 100% natural materials. I still work on that 1976 Bernina. We’ve added more machines, but I keep coming back to it.
I love trying out new patterns, changing them. The most rewarding part of running this business is seeing the joy and surprise on customers’ faces when they slide into a coat and see their reflection. We call the mirror in our studio the “OHHH!” mirror because that’s the word we hear the most from customers.
And then there’s the deeply rewarding feeling of offering sustainable fashion as an alternative in a small rural community here in Montana. Customers can come in, meet the people making their clothes, and watch them sew them.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Firstly, you need to know your trade before you build a business around it. In my case, in my business, you can’t be a klutz. You need to be able to work beautifully with your hands, have a good sense of color, shapes, and proportions—you need an eye. If you, for example, want to open a restaurant, it helps if you know how to cook and eat, even if you’re never in the kitchen. You’ll understand your employees much better and ultimately lead them more effectively. They’ll be happier, and your business will thrive.
Listen to your intuition.
When deciding on a product to move forward with, you need to love it. If you like it, other people will like it too. But make sure it’s something you really love. Liking it is not enough—you must love it.
Stay positive and be kind to yourself and others.
Yes, I know. Moa Moa. But it does make a difference—both your inner voice and your outer voice. Also, never burn bridges, because you’ll always meet someone twice! Stay connected to the joy your work brings you. Let that be the wind beneath your wings. Have fun! If you hit a roadblock, stop and ask yourself: What is this teaching me? How can I learn from it?
Listen to advice from others, but trust your intuition in the end.
There are a lot of opinions out there from well-meaning people. Listen, consider them, do your research. But at the end of the day, trust your gut and do what feels right for your business or brand.
Continue to educate yourself.
Free resources are everywhere—use them! I listen to podcasts while I work. I listen to business leaders, entrepreneurs, artists like authors and musicians, investors, spiritual leaders. I’m interested in how people think, act, sleep, what they eat, and why. It’s all connected. We are all connected.
Know what you’re good at—but know what you’re bad at even better.
Outsource the things you’re not good at. I have a great eye, skilled hands, a fantastical imagination, and strong execution. I’m a jack-of-all creative trades—but I suck at numbers and sales. I don’t like asking for money, speaking in front of large crowds, or doing my taxes. So I outsource and hire people who are great at those things.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
I would spend it exactly as i do now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thereisonlyoneofyou.com
- Instagram: @thereisonlyoneofyou_apparel
- Facebook: @thereisonlyoneofyou_apparel
- Linkedin: @thereisonlyoneofyou-apparel
Image Credits
@whiteclovermt4
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