Last week, Palm Springs was beaming with energy, inspiration, and GIRL POWER as Alt Summit hosted their 10th anniversary conference filled with panels, roundtables, speeches, and fashion shows celebrating women and their passions around creativity, business and entrepreneurship. Dani crushed her speech at the Parker, which went over what it means to truly OWN your phone and Dazey even pulled together a last minute fashion show that turned out to be a HIT! We ran into so many amazing Dazey ladies throughout the summit and honestly just felt so free being there. Alt was truly a magical space void of judgement and negativity, and overflowing with pure sisterhood, overwhelming support, and inspiring spirits. After a week chalk full of education, collaboration, and fun we’ve put together 5 major boss babe hacks and takeaways we got from our newly dubbed Dazey work retreat, Alt Summit:

1. OWN Your Phone 

This NECESSARY hack every boss babe should start now is taken directly from Dani’s speech Own Your Phone that was presented on the first day of Alt at the Parker. It’s available to view on IG stories too if you want to take a peek at that! In sum: Your phone is your #1 tool and if you haven’t already, it’s time you create healthy boundaries and optimize your relationship with your digital space. This means diving into your social media space with MINDFULNESS > MINDLESSNESS, reflecting what you want your digital space to do for you and CURATE that, blocking or muting whatever doesn’t inform, inspire, or empower you, and learning to post for LOVE and not for likes. Once you’re able to stop the scroll, block the bullshit, and really FOCUS on creating a digital space that serves you, you’ll see your relationship with your digital space transform into one that you OWN rather it owning you.

2. Pinterest Is Underrated! Use it To Drive Your Business & Brand! (Tips Below)

Okay, we knew Pinterest was amazing for moodboards and endless inspo, but we didn’t realize all the STRATEGY you can do on the backend to drive your business and brand?! We’ve totally got Instagram down, but Pinterest is a whole new game for us! If you’re creating content in any capacity for your business, THIS IS FOR YOU! The #1 actionable tip we got from the Pinterest guru Anstasia Casey of the Identite Collective is name your files before you pin! It’s an easy way to OPTIMIZE and make all of your content instantly SEARCHABLE on Pinterest and Google! 

Example: Instead of keeping the file name that comes in camera like 0P439585.jpg, change it to DazeyLA-brave-babe-graphic-tee.jpg. This allows your content to automatically pop up when these words are searched on Pinterest or Google! She recommends keeping a consistent naming routine such as, brand-style-item.jpg, too!

4. Prioritize IRL Connection

Yes, we are all for digital communities but sometimes it’s important to stop the scroll and find connection IRL. Ending every day with genuine connection, insightful conversation, and dance parties was probably one of our favorite things of Alt. When you can lean into likeminded people, laugh about the ups and downs of life and HYPE each other up in real life, everything just gets a little bit brighter. It’s things like spending time in IRL that fill our cups back up after long work days. 

Looking for opportunity to connect IRL? Check out this upcoming Dazey LA / Biz Babez event! 

3. Be a HYPE Woman

In the office, on the street, at the store, and any other space you may be YOU have the opportunity to radiate positive energy and HYPE people up. At Dazey’s runway show we were blessed with tons of hype ladies who, in the end, made the experience WAY more fun and gave models the confidence to WERK the runway. If you don’t practice it already, a little “YASSSS QUEEN” here and there can go a long way and create positive IMPACT and instant community. As our ultimate hype bae Lizzo says, “If I’m shining, everybody gonna SHINE!”. Let’s spread those hype affirmations babes!

5. Create Systems to Strengthen Your Workflow! (FREEBIE ALERT!)

Running a business, brand, and being a working woman in general is tough work to balance, ESPECIALLY when you have a creative mind and don’t quite operate on a systematic level. Luckily, we sat down with the organization masters Katy Krupnik and Jessica Litman at the How To Stay Organized When You Have A Creative Mind roundtable and brought back an amazing, simple freebie all of you can try! A quick and effective hack to get your files, priorities, and endless to-do lists ORGANIZED once and for all is desktop organizer backgrounds!! Has anyone tried these?! Personally, my desktop always looks like a wreck and I’m so ready to change that and tidy up my digital life! Click here to get a download! 

The secret is out— the Allies of All Size campaign is HERE! Dazey LA is proud to collaborate with the women behind She’s All Fat podcast to launch a new graphic that will, FOR THE FIRST TIME, be available in S - 4X and directly fund the expansion of Dazey’s size offerings. The Allies of All Size design is a collaboration between the body posi queens Sophie and April, who coined the phrase Allies of All Size, and Dani, the designer behind Dazey LA, who created the artwork which includes a disabled person using a cane (inspired by Selma Blair at the Oscars), a person with a single mastectomy showing only one nipple, and a variety of bodies and body types. As a whole, this graphic aims to promote inclusivity and show women proudly celebrating their bodies.

This collaboration is a huge step for Dazey in becoming a more inclusive brand and doing the work to expand beyond 4X in the future. We realize that by going only to 4X in this campaign we are not including every size, however this campaign WILL help us reach those goals. Step by step, we are making our way to support people of ALL size.

We are thrilled to not only have the She’s All Fat babes collab with us on this campaign, but ALSO the incredible Dazey community, the amazing SAF crew, and fellow slow fashion supporters! By coming together and sharing, purchasing, and wearing this tee you are helping build a more inclusive brand with us. Join us in strengthening our sisterhood and being best allies we can be!

Fun fact: We cast each size for this photoshoot, S - 4X, and it was the best girl gang / dance party / fun loving crew we could have asked for. Sizes go as follow: Dani (small), Lindsey (medium), Jojo (large), Crystal (x-large), Gabi (2x), Sophie (3x), and Chauncea (4x).

Another round up of Dazey digis are here! This set of graphics is all about shifting our relationship with technology and social media into one that is positive and empowering. Remember that day we all panicked because of #instacrash2019?! While we may have gotten frustrated and anxious about it, it got us thinking about our relationship with our phones. Is being so tech-dependent weakening our human connection? Yeah, definitely. Has Instagram slowed our productivity, distracted us from our goals, and replace a good ol' lunch break conversation? Yup! So as we get back to the scroll, we're trying to be more mindful of connecting with our friends, family, and real life network. There's no shame in our IG game, as long as we keep it a place of inspiration and empowerment and block any accounts that trigger comparison, we are here to stay. Download the Dazey graphics to keep this momento visible on the daily! Scroll through the blog for all download link. Don't forget to screenshot and tag us at #dazeydigi and #highlightREAL! 

Download Stronger Human Connection Mobile
Download Stronger Human Connection Desktop

Download Inform, Inspire, Empower Mobile
Download Inform, Inspire, Empower Desktop

Download You Are Rare Nothing Can Compare Mobile
Download You Are Rare Nothing Can Compare Desktop

Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate we’re sharing the stories of four women who have used the #highlightREAL or #IGvsREALme challenge to empower themselves. These challenges were created to lift the veil on our curated digital lives and EMBRACE who we are without filters, Instagrammable moments, and in our full, raw beauty. Whether it's learning to love yourself unfiltered, makeup-less, and all or it's letting go of self doubt and just running with your passion, we are so thrilled that these challenges could help you GROW. Today is all about CELEBRATING our strength, courage, and resilience as a sisterhood and recognizing just how far we’ve come. We’ve made more than a dent in history and we should damn well celebrate it. Read on to see how four women got transparent with themselves through #highlightREAL. 

Power in Vulnerability

from Danielle Nagel

IG vs REAL me 👉 I’m going to be honest, this was a little scary to share. It’s so easy to hide behind the makeup, filters, and perfectly curated photos. It’s in our human nature to project our best self to others. The internet makes this SO easy, you can essentially live a double life. What doesn’t come as easy is showing your REAL side, flaws, insecurities, vulnerabilities, and all. But as Bene Brown says best, “Vulnerability is the core of shame, fear and a struggle for worthiness, but it appears that it is also the birthplace of joy, of creativity, belonging, and love.” 🙌 that’s what’s at the code of our new @dazey_la collection. We teamed up with our friend @officiallyquigley to bring back a super cool challenge she started, IG vs REAL ME 👊 Post your ultimate “highlight reel” GLAM shot, and then in your second photo post a highlight REAL photo. No makeup, no filter, no frills. Just like you see here! While a stunning photo of you that makes you feel confident AF is awesome, let’s remind each other that everything you see here on your screen is not the FULL picture ❤️ Make sure to use the hashtag #IGvsREALme and tag @dazey_la and @officiallyquigley in both the caption and tap tags so we don’t miss it 🙌 We will give away a free tee tomorrow 😘 Check out #IGmevsREALmeand get onboard with promoting realistic images of women.

Loving the Skin You're In

from Linnea White

I’m re-reading The Gifts of Imperfection by @brenebrown and realigning myself with a daily practice of Authentic, Wholehearted Living. Instagram is not as it seems. We live in a filtered, touched up world, on and off this platform. It’s crazy to think it takes bravery to show your bare face or unfiltered life, to allow for imperfections and flaws to show, to think that maybe someone won’t like you as much of you do... but lately, the need to be REAL has outweighed the lie to be perfect. All I want is to stand in authentic truth. Here’s to more vulnerability, friends.

by Cora Alvarado 

Real Lives Aren’t Photoshopped

from Skye Allen

Dani's trip to WWD MAGIC tradeshow in Las Vegas

Slow fashion, ethical sourcing, and fair trade is at the core of what Dazey is about. It's all about creating a brand that both empowers the person wearing it AND the person making it. We believe in embedding our values into our product from start to finish, no matter what. We have done tons of work to master this process in our apparel production, and we are so excited to learn how we can launch our slow fashion values into new Dazey goods! From insta polls, we gather our Dazey ladies would love phone cases, notebooks, reusable coffee mugs, and a bunch of other small everyday goodies. What better place to source than at an bi-annual fashion trade show, MAGIC?! It's one of the biggest shows of the year and all big brands showcase their fall collections, new trends, and so much more. There's even a section where you can directly source goods from companies! For a fashion industry professionals, MAGIC is a place to get inspiration, source product, network with others, and gather bits and pieces for your next collection. After a day and a half there though, Phillip and I quickly realized that the fashion industry is not prioritizing our planet or ethical, slow fashion practices. Follow along our MAGIC journey to see why the fashion industry is failing our planet and what really is pushed to designers and industry professionals behind the scenes. 

On another note, 

We made the best of the Las Vegas trip and found inspiration elsewhere! The Neon Museum in Downtown Vegas offered the best boost of inspo and excitement after a couple of days feeling defeated by the industry. The gorgeous pastel tones, original fonts, and old school designs reminded me that spending time IRL and just allowing myself to work through unexpected hurdles is what matters in the end! Remember, art, career, and life is a process. So often all we see are the final polished products. We see a beautiful work of art or someone’s success and not the messy BTS along the way. We’re here to burst that bubble and replace the highlight reel with REAL life moments. Just as you can see in my BTS video, I didn’t really know what I wanted to get out of the MAGIC tradeshow. But I showed up anyway and went through this process because I believe in creating a new offering for my Dazey ladies. When things take an unexpected turn, remember that EVERYTHING is a process. Take your time. Make mistakes. Then learn and grow into the person you’re meant to be.

For the very first time I am letting you into my full design process from start to finish! From inspiration hunting, designing graphics, fabric shopping, production meetings, creating the clothing and getting the final samples. I'm sharing the emotional rollercoaster along the way, which is always laced with both doubt and confidence. I made this video to share how the creative process isn't always as it seems. Nobody knows exactly what they're doing before they set out to do it and often times something unexpected comes from it. Transparency is the key to this collection and I am here to show you that there are layers to what you see on your screen.

In the fashion industry, everything is presented so fresh cut and polished that we forget how much intention goes into a project. There is purpose in our product, brand and mission and we want to highlight how we weave that in. See the reality of what it means to produce a collection from concept to launch day. I hope this BTS gives you a little boost and the confidence to go out and create something cool! 

xx, Dani

Watch the Full Design BTS Video HERE

Join the #highlightREAL challenge

Share the BTS on your life, love, career, and any piece of you that you'd like to get real on through the #highlightREAL challenge. Join the Dazey community in shining a light on REAL and empowering conversations by sharing something on social media that you would normally try to hide. Whether it’s a caption or photo, shared in your feed or story, we want to see and hear it. 

Let your digital space inspire you IRL. Dress your tech in Highlight Real mantras for daily reminders on staying grounding, staying true, and being REAL with yourself and others. Highlight Real is all about loving yourself, in both your highs and lows, your reels and REALS, and everything in between. It's about learning to look at social media through a more honest lens and letting go all the deceptions it can bring. The more we unveil and remember that the gram is curated, the more we can start getting REAL with ourselves and ditch that comparison mindset. Download these graphics and empower your mindset daily!

Download Influence Change Mobile
Download Influence Change Desktop

Download Spend Time IRL Desktop
Download Spend Time IRL Mobile

Download I Am Enough Mobile
Download I Am Enough Desktop

Before the Makeover

New digs for the Dazey Den! Recently I teamed up with @Society6 and @joybird, along with our own Dazey Den goods, to redecorate our whole apartment. When Phillip and I moved in together a few years back we updated his major "Bachelor pad" to a cute but simple little spot. We didn't really have the budget for a space that truly reflected our taste and personality, but we made do with some solid pieces and minimal decor. Fast forward a few years later after starting @bizbabez, buying our @dazey_desert_house, and launching a decor section of our website (the Dazey Den), our apartment started to feel a little lack luster. We knew it was time for a facelift. Luckily Society 6 hit us up about collaborating magically at the very same time! I've known about them for a super long time and it was actually one of the first places I sold my own art. Then my friend @Wesleybird became the art director over there and I started to work with them a occasionally with photography and modeling. They are a really cool site for small artists to upload and sell their work without having to do all the hard stuff (AKA dreaded production). I found some amazing prints by one of my fav artists @analeovy and even got some rugs and pillows. We swapped out our more mellow furniture with bold, bright, and on brand @joybird pieces and then topped it all off with some gorgeous goodies from the Dazey Den. Right below are the basic befores and then the bold and striking afters!  

Going Bold in the Bedroom

We decided to make a daring statement with a black accent wall. This was fully and unashamedly inspired by the fab @bobbyberk of Queer eye, I'm obsessed. Then we bring it back to the light side with some punchy and dramatic contrast colors. Had to keep things true to Dazey! The funky S6 prints really pop on the wall next to our painted canvas art pieces by @emksnyder, available on our shop. We got some amazing printed sheets from @ploverorganic, a female owned company dedicated to making safe and organic bedding. Another major upgrade was swapping out our old vintage chair (that was cute but had seen better days) with this velvet daybed! It added a whole new space for us to both sit. It gave us a reason to use the bedroom aside from just sleeping, and now Phillip basically works on it all day haha. 

Everyday Inspo in the Workspace

If there's any space I would prioritize in making aesthetically pleasing and my own, it would be my workspace, hands down. This is the place where so much of my artwork is born. Having an inspiring workspace is key to me as a creative. It gets me in the right headspace to design in zen. The new teal blue wall is strangely calming yet inspiring with some really beautiful work by Ana Leovy, centered in our gallery wall. I also like to keep a rack of the most recent collection right by my desk so I have easy access to everything for reference, wearing, and styling. I also love to show off what's new to friends who come over! The new convertible couch and ottoman from Joybird are perfect for this multi-purpose space. I can kick up my feet and do some design, or roll it away and use the pull-out bed for guests. Having that whole wall be blue on blue was a bold choice (that Phillip doubted..and even myself before it was done HA), but I think it makes a great statement and really worked in our favor. 

Adding Life in Common Spaces with Greenery and Pattern 

We had a pretty solid living room before this project, but we decided to make it even more magical with some extra plants and plant hangers for the Dazey Den shop. Another easy and super effective way to spruce up a space is by adding new textures and textiles! We swapped out all our old pillows for these beautiful mud cloth babies by Bekka, also available in our Dazey Den. In addition swapped out an older beat up table with this amazing Midcentury one from Joybird. It's great in our small dining nook because the seats seamlessly tuck into the table, it's seriously too cool. Thanks for taking a peek into this process! I hope it gives you some insight and inspo to work on your own home project.

HIGHLIGHT REAL, NOT HIGHLIGHT REEL

A collection designed to celebrate the REAL things in an ever increasing digital world. Whether it be spending more time IRL or being more transparent online, we are HERE for it. As women, we are constantly bombarded with unrealistic ideas of perfection and #goals through never-ending “highlight reels” in media. We're done with that. We are ready to highlight REAL moments, emotions, and conversations that matter and can better our human connections with others and ourselves. We are ready to transform the negative effects of a highlight reel by highlighting REAL life as much as we can. Who's with us?!

How we are Highlighting REAL

The Highlight Real lookbook is a dreamy portrayal of what media does everyday. We're here to show you, just like every one else, models done up, retouched, and in gorgeous spaces caught in moments of beauty. But we're also here to show you that this isn't real. Here are photos of our models, Morgan, Rachel, and Claire, before and after the shoot. They're still insanely gorgeous before, just not Photoshopped to "perfection". You see, perfection isn't real, the highlight reel isn't real. What is real is the amazing human behind it all, and that's what we're here to celebrate. We choose to be highly transparent about this whole process in the name of keeping it REAL. We recorded the process of creating this entire production just to show you how much work and people go into making images like this. We are lifting the veil on the highlight reel photos and showing you what's actually REAL. It's time to embrace the other side, once and for all.

The Highlight Real collection was inspired to create conversation on how we can better our mental health, human connections, and overall image of self by stepping away from the filters, reassessing our valued #goals, and getting real with one another. When you cut the b.s. and share the BTS on life, work, love, and all that good stuff, you build strong bridges for human connection. There is power in that courage to let others in. 

Along with a new collection of graphics and styles, we're launching a new YOUTUBE channel dedicated to giving you all the BTS behind the brand. Check out our first video filled with what it takes to launch a collection, create a lookbook, and what actually goes on behind the brand day-to-day. Get a real look at the day in the life of the Dazey team as we get fully transparent on the highs and lows, the creations and frustrations, and show you the full process unmasked. 

So here it is, both the highlight reel and the REAL of our newest Dazey collection. See the months of planning, long hours of creating, and the full progression of this production unmasked. When you see everything as a whole, you realize how perfection is really just a fictional reality we've been conditioned with. It's time to block that bullshit and embrace the realness. Use the hashtag #highlight real to follow along on this season of unfiltered realness and share your own stories.

Special thanks to the wonderful team who helped this amazing shoot come to life!

Photographer: Champagne
Dazey team: Dani, Phillip, Megan, Naohmi
Models: Rachel, Morgan, Claire
Hair and Makeup: Amber and Maura
Set Design: Tess (florals) and Paper Moon Shoppe
Accessories: Santa Venetia Clogs, Sigfus, The Little Avocado Shop, Dear Survivor, and I'm With the Band Headbands

This is what STRENGTH IN SISTERHOOD looks like. Last weekend our wonderful group of LA Dazey Ladies took to the streets to not only stand for our rights but spread a little positivity. In a movement sometimes fueled by anger, albeit righteously so, we decided to take a different route. We approached yesterday's Women’s March with love. Amidst all the important political debates there’s another force at work to bring women down, years of social conditioning to make us feel small and weak. Make us feel not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Not brave enough. Designed to pit women against one another as opposed to lifting each other up. Yesterday we decided to gather as a community and support each other. We made signs and flower crowns together. We wrote notes and passed out flowers to strangers marching alongside us and bystanders. Each year I march my biggest take away is always this: Women ARE strong enough. Women ARE bright and brilliant. Women ARE bold and beautiful. And together we are better.