Review Fix chats with Rosie and Kristina, the CEOs of Valid Vibes to find out all about their amazing business.
Click here to find out more about Valid Vibes.
Listen to the Podcast, Here.
About Valid Vibes:
Our past experiences and traumas formulate us into the people that we are today. We all have to give each other a helping hand to get through everyday life problems, big or small. We want people to be more open with their struggles and understand that the fight between past traumas is a major accomplishment. We have always been each other’s versions of a therapist. We are each other’s safe space to talk throughout our hard times together. While creating Valid Vibes, we realized that not everyone has that safe space to openly talk about their feelings or their past experiences.
Review Fix: Why is your business special?
Our business is not like any other business. We are two young entrepreneurs at age 22 from a town that is so afraid to spread awareness on something that has a strong stigma to it. Mental health is important for people of all ages and it needs to be focused on more. We donate a % of EACH product we sell to NAMI (the National Alliance of Mental Illness).
Review Fix: How did you get started?
We came up with Valid Vibes after having a heart-to-heart with one another. We have daily conversations about not only our personal experiences with mental health, but our loved ones as well. We both came to the conclusion that many people struggle, but not many are open to talk about it unless it is being brought up, which is very rare. We agreed on how frustrating the stigma around mental health is.
Review Fix: What has the journey been like?
We launched Valid Vibes on May 1st, 2022 in honor of mental health awareness month. Before this date, we have been working behind the scenes since April. We came up with our brand name, the logo, shirt designs and staying with the color green. The color green represents mental health. We went on a photoshoot with people all around our age. When we were looking for models, photographers and people to shoot with us, we were shocked at how many people were interested in coming on board. We realized that mental health means A LOT to A LOT of people. It made us feel good walking along the high line of Manhattan with people wearing our merch that spread positivity. We created merch that has inspirational quotes on them so that when our customers wear their valid vibes shirt out in public, they make someone’s day. We are up late nights creating content, hand making our shirts and products and filming our podcast. We film our podcast once a week. On our podcast, we go on and tell our viewers our “VALIDS” and “INVALIDS” of the week. We open up ourselves and our life problems in hopes that others do the same. We push people to be their real and authentic selves. We want to be their safe place. We want to be their friends.
Review Fix: Tell us about some of your favorite products you sell…
Our personal favorite product that we sell is our “Don’t Trip Over What’s Behind You” tie dye zip up. Not only is it cute and comfortable, but it spreads a message to the person behind you. We also have another shirt that says “If you’re reading this don’t give up, you are doing amazing”. These kinds of shirts are our personal favorite because we know where to make someone’s day. We want our shirts to be a “sign” to people going through a hard time. We also have a shirt that says “The World Is A Better Place With You In It”. Imagine if someone was going through a real hard time and they were thinking of doing self harm and all they were looking for was a sign. They come across you standing in front of them and they read your shirt. You just saved a life.
Review Fix: How much does being from SI mean about your business?
Our best seller is our “I need therapy just from living in Staten Island shirts”. That shirt speaks for itself. Staten Island put a huge stigma on mental health and going to therapy in general. It is known for one of the most toxic places to grow up in… if we’re being real. We talk all about this in Episode 3 of our podcast. Other than that, we are blessed to say that we’ve been spreading our Valid Vibes all around Staten Island since we launched. We were a part of the new Starbucks location events. One event was for Mental Health Awareness and the second event was for Suicide Prevention. We are also blessed to say that we are permanent in the Lo’Kel-Li Vendor Market in the Staten Island Mall. Every day, we see people’s eyes light up when they look at our table. Some people get emotional and thank us for doing what we are doing. You don’t see anything like our brand in Staten Island. It feels good to spread positivity in such a place where there barely is any.
Review Fix: What are your goals for your business?
We want people to open up, and feel comfortable enough to do so. We are more than just a clothing brand, we are a community. All of our quotes are sayings that have gotten us, and a lot of others, through tough times. Our clothing is a daily reminder of your story, and your progress. We want everyone to wear an item that holds the quote that got them out of a tough time and wear it proudly in public. Whether it’s as simple as a sticker on your phone, a hoodie or your wallpaper, it is important to be proud of your story, and not be ashamed of it. We hope that Valid Vibes can be a safe place for people.
Review Fix: What have been some of your most memorable moments on this journey?
Our more memorable moments come from the amazing strangers that open up their hearts to us every day. When we are at the Lo’Kel-Li Vendor Market or any of our pop up events, we meet so many amazing people. We meet people that have gone through hell and back. But they stand in front of us with a smile on their face. It blows our mind, but it makes us feel good inside knowing that we are helping so many people. You never know what someone is going through or what they have gone through. That’s why it is so important to be nice to everyone and spread your valid vibes wherever you go.
Review Fix: Any advice for someone starting their own business?
JUST FREAKIN DO IT! Every business starts with an idea, but it’s your job to bring that idea to life. Do what you love! If you put time and effort into something that you love, it will grow. Be grateful for every step that you take. All of these major businesses that you see and support every day were really small one day. Everyone starts somewhere. I know right now you’re probably like… “maybe one day” but how about maybe DAY ONE! Any step is a step. Any piece of content is a piece of content. Stop making excuses and give yourself the life you deserve. You are amazing and you can do anything that you set your mind to. You are capable of doing anything that you want. Our last piece of advice is to do it for yourself and stop seeking validation from others. You will thank yourself one day. STAY VALID!
Review Fix: Any fun plans for the rest of the year with it?
We would like to spread our Valid Vibes throughout as many places as possible. We want to change the world by putting more positivity out there. People need us. The Lo’Kel-Li Vendor Market is having an event on every Friday of October! In honor of October being breast cancer awareness month, we’ve created “Life is tough but so are you” shirts with a breast cancer ribbon on the sleeve. We will be donating a % of each of these shirts that we sell to the American Cancer Society in honor of breast cancer awareness month! We have a team through the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer fund and we are trying to reach our goal before the end of October! (LINK IS IN OUR LINKTREE TO DONATE)
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Mental health is more than just a diagnosis. Our past experiences and traumas formulate us into the people that we are today. We all have to give each other a helping hand to get through everyday life problems, big or small. We want people to be more open with their struggles and understand that the fight between past traumas is a major accomplishment. We have always been eachothers versions of a therapist. We are each other’s safe space to talk throughout our hard times together. While creating Valid Vibes, we realized that not everyone has that safe space to openly talk about their feelings or their past experiences.
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