AUREUM's Cass DiMicco on Brand Building and Business Management: Trend Forecasting, Personal Style, and the AUREUM Journey

Summary

Summary of "Life with Marianna" Podcast Episode Featuring Cass DiMicco of AUREUM

Introduction In the November 26, 2024 episode of Life with Marianna, host Marianna Hewitt welcomes returning guest Cass DiMicco, the founder of AUREUM, a distinguished jewelry and accessories line. The conversation delves into Cass's transition from a buyer and content creator to a successful brand founder, exploring her strategies in brand building, trend forecasting, and business management.

Career Journey: From Buyer to Founder Cass begins by recounting her professional background as an assistant buyer, where she not only managed purchasing but also played a pivotal role in product development for private label brands. “I was the main person providing all their inspiration” (00:51). Realizing the limitations within the corporate fashion environment, Cass decided to leverage her skills and personal brand to launch her own venture. “The end goal was always to be able to eventually start something myself” (01:58).

Brand Building and Product Development AUREUM, initially launched with statement chain necklaces, has since expanded to include belts and sunglasses, celebrating one year since introducing these categories. Cass emphasizes offering high-quality, luxury products at accessible price points. “Providing high quality luxury products at a fraction of the price point” (03:15). The brand's rapid growth is attributed to Cass's expertise in trend forecasting and maintaining short lead times, enabling AUREUM to stay ahead of market trends. “Our belt lead time is six weeks, eight weeks” (04:56).

Trend Forecasting and Business Management Cass highlights the importance of identifying market gaps and understanding emerging trends, a skill honed during her time as a buyer. This foresight allows AUREUM to innovate and introduce products that resonate with consumers. “Being able to figure out at least six months or plus ahead of what we think is gonna be trending” (06:25). Managing the business alongside her husband, Matt, Cass discusses the challenges of maintaining boundaries and delegating responsibilities to sustain growth. “We are literally boots on the ground” (07:28).

Content Creation and Brand Aesthetics Transitioning to a founder-first mindset, Cass shares her involvement in the creative aspects of AUREUM, from designing to styling shoots. She utilizes both professional cameras and her iPhone to create authentic, visually appealing content. “Highlight myself and then invert and make the background darker and desaturated” (31:31). This approach ensures that AUREUM's social media presence aligns with the brand’s elevated yet accessible image.

Working with Her Husband: Balancing Personal and Professional Cass and Matt's partnership is instrumental in AUREUM's success. While they navigate the complexities of running a business together, their complementary skill sets—Cass’s creative prowess and Matt’s operational focus—create a balanced dynamic. “He’s very intense and type A, and I feel like he's taught me how hard I need to work” (34:06). This synergy allows them to push each other towards excellence while managing day-to-day operations effectively.

Personal Style and Inspiration Cass describes her personal style as classic and easy, favoring loose bottoms paired with tighter tops to maintain a balanced and chic look. This minimalist foundation allows her to incorporate AUREUM’s statement accessories seamlessly. “Dress simply, let your accessories do the talking” (35:19). Her journey in refining her style inspired the creation of AUREUM, aiming to provide elegant accessories that elevate everyday outfits without the need for significant wardrobe investments.

Business Insights and Future Goals Looking ahead, Cass aims to continue expanding AUREUM’s product categories while maintaining the brand’s commitment to quality and affordability. “Even if it’s outside of accessories, kind of our ethos of like, dress simply, let your accessories do the talking” (35:19). She plans to introduce new products thoughtfully, ensuring each addition aligns with AUREUM’s core values and customer expectations.

Conclusion Cass DiMicco’s journey from a corporate buyer to a flourishing brand founder underscores the significance of leveraging personal strengths and market insights to build a successful business. Her dedication to quality, trend awareness, and authentic content creation has positioned AUREUM as a beloved brand in the accessories market. Listeners are encouraged to follow AUREUM on Instagram at @orium.collective and visit their website at oriumcollective.com to explore their range of stylish, affordable luxury accessories.

Notable Quotes:

• “I was the main person providing all their inspiration” (00:51)
• “Providing high quality luxury products at a fraction of the price point” (03:15)
• “Our belt lead time is six weeks, eight weeks” (04:56)
• “Being able to figure out at least six months or plus ahead of what we think is gonna be trending” (06:25)
• “Dress simply, let your accessories do the talking” (35:19)

Transcript

[Mariana Hewitt]

The following podcast is a Dear Media.

[Cat Amico]

Production.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Hi, it's Mariana. I am the host of the Life with Mariana podcast and co founder of Summer Fridays. In this episode, we've actually got a repeat guest. It's Cast Amico. She's the founder of Orium and it's a beautiful jewelry accessories line I'm sure you've seen. Every time you open Instagram, I feel like one of my friends are wearing their earrings, their belt, their sunglasses. Cat Cass has just like the best style. I love how I see her style. A staple everyday closet with these elevated accessories to really make the look. If you guys want to learn from Cass and her really interesting career, from being a buyer to content creator to brand founder, keep listening and don't forget to subscribe to Life with Mariana for new episodes.

So before being an influencer, you were working as a buyer. So what were you doing prior to being a founder and content creator?

[Cat Amico]

So I was an assistant buyer and I also ended up getting put on a team where I was doing some product development as well. So basically helping with the product development for some of the in house private label brands. So that gave me a really interesting experience because I love doing it and I was really good at it. And it got to a point where I was just realizing I was making the company a lot of money for these design like the let. Even though I was an assistant buyer, they really let me run with the design process for things. Like I was kind of the main person providing all their inspiration. And then once I was kind of realizing there was such a ceiling in the corporate fashion world, I was like, wait, maybe if I kind of build up my personal brand, I can eventually start my own brand.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And so when you were working as a buyer, did you ever think, okay, one day I'm going to start my own fashion brand?

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, I definitely did at the time. There was many years that I wanted to do both where I wanted to be an influencer and work in fashion still. And I thought it would be really cool to capture like office culture. And that was my dream. I never wanted to just be an influencer. Now obviously I know how much work goes into that, but I, yeah, the end goal was always to be able to eventually start something myself because I was realizing that I was pretty good at product development, so.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And then you started creating content when you were at work and then you made the switch to being a full time creator and then you started the brand. So in 2019 you were like, okay, I've been a creator for a few years. I have this background as a buyer. I know how to make product. Why were you like this is the time? Because I think if we think back now, today, 2024, we have a lot of like peers and friends that are starting brands and businesses. 2018, when I started, 2019, when you started, there wasn't a lot yet.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, it was pretty few and far between. But there was definitely some girls who were, who now are my friends who were great examples, like yourself, Shay Marie. Like there were a few girls who I, who I really looked up to who had their own brand. So it wasn't like I was fully and for whatever reason. It's funny that I thought the only path I could take would be being an influencer first then starting a brand because I felt like just starting a brand was, seemed really overwhelming. Like I think when you're able to build up your own community and get a sense for what your community wants, it's easier to kind of transition into starting a brand. But it is.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And so if you had to describe orym to somebody, they don't know what it is, how would you describe the brand?

[Cat Amico]

I would say that it's statement accessories that just elevate your everyday looks. And I think what we do really well is providing high quality luxury products at a fraction of the price point.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Yeah.

And I think that really describes your style because your style is very like classic. I mean you're wearing tan today, but I feel like you usually are always in like black and white or denim and then really like your accessories are what's making the look. And I love that you can have this like capsule wardrobe, invest in pieces and the accessories are really what's making it stand out.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, exactly. It's very much like exactly what you're wearing today. A really cool statement belt. And you can just throw on your favorite pair of jeans, your favorite black sweater and you look super chic and still unique.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I feel naked without a belt. Like without belt and earrings.

Like I never like even when I.

Just go to work out, I always have at least like a stud or something on. And because I dress like pretty simple.

Like every day, like really to the.

Office I'm wearing jeans, ballet flats, a long sleeve tee or a sweater. And just adding the belt really does make a big difference.

[Cat Amico]

No, it really does. I literally wear a belts every single day. And now we have a lot of skus and I actually get around to wearing almost all of them all the time.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And you, when you launched the brand, you started with earrings.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah. So we launched the Brand. We actually started with chains. We were kind of like big statement curb chain necklaces, because that was just what was going on at the moment. And then the brand had definitely evolved. But we just celebrated one year of launching the belts and sunglasses, which has been game changing for us. Like, we're up on over a hundred percent this year, and the belts has become a huge part of our business.

[Mariana Hewitt]

So when people see a new category like this, it does take a little bit of time to be able to react. Are your, like, lead times, are you shorter, longer? Cause I feel like when I'm seeing something, it feels very much like of the trends that are happening in the moment.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, I think that has to do with me, my background. I think that's definitely one of my skill sets, is trend forecasting, kind of being able to be ahead. But we also are have really short lead times, which is amazing. Our belt lead time is six weeks, eight weeks, which is crazy.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Wow.

[Cat Amico]

We're actually starting to get in trouble, like, now that we're on. A lot of wholesalers, they're like, okay, where's your fall 2025 collection? I'm like, I'm not designing that now. I have a lot of time until that comes out. But I think that's great for us because we can like, really react really quickly to what we see, like, trending.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And you just said retailers. Where are you sold now?

[Cat Amico]

So now we just launched on Nordstrom, which has been really exciting. Nordstrom, Revolve Forward, Shopbop, Neiman Marcus. And then now we're starting to get into, like, more boutiques and stuff, but lots more to come, hopefully.

[Mariana Hewitt]

So you've now been on the buyer side. You're now on the brand side. What did being a buyer teach you about starting a brand?

[Cat Amico]

I think it kind of really helps me with this mindset of I really enjoy figuring out which brands are on the forefront, which new brands I think are gonna become really big brands, which product categories are maybe kind of missing something. Like that's kind of how belts came about. I felt like there was something missing in that category. And I also think it just helps me with overall figuring out the trend forecasting of everything. I think that's very much a buyer mindset, is being able to figure out at least six months or plus ahead of what we think is gonna be trending.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And you're working with your husband.

[Cat Amico]

Yes.

[Mariana Hewitt]

So how do you guys fund the business? Because it's a lot to do, and especially when you guys are both fully invested in wanting to make it work.

[Cat Amico]

Exactly. And I think a lot of people don't realize that we only have two full time employees.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Crazy.

[Cat Amico]

Crazy. And then Matt and I work 24 hours a day. But it is a lot and we're trying to learn those boundaries. But at the end of the day, I do really enjoy doing it with him and sharing on the journey with him. And even though we kind of do come together for a lot of like big picture ideas, he's really managing like our employees the day to day. Cause you know, I'll be traveling or doing this, like, even though I'm trying to stay more put, my schedule ends up being all over the place regardless. So we try our best to like separate our responsibilities.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Well, your responsibilities are within the business, but you still are a content creator outside of this, an influencer, and you're still doing other things. So what are you doing within the brand and how are you spending your time and like kind of dividing everything the best you can?

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, it's. It's been changing a lot, I think this year. I'm honestly embarrassed to admit this, but I feel like this year has been the first year that I feel like I've been a founder first. I think I kind of was trying to balance it all and it was like 50 50. And it was just. I feel like I want to get to a place where if I dedicate this extra time into Oryem, then I can start to take a step back because I want to be able to get to a place where I am delegating more and not have to be like in the nitty gritty as much. And long term, I don't want to be an influencer forever or like that be my sole, like, purpose of what I'm doing. So I feel like for oryum, I'm actually still very involved in everything. I'm the one designing everything, talking to production. You know, we're really unique in the sense that we have no middleman that helps us with production. Like we are literally boots on the ground. The one talking to our manufacturers in Italy. We actually just visited there a few weeks ago and it was the best day of my life. I can't even tell you is the most surreal thing because the last time we were there was right before we were about to launch the belts. And the difference from like that how we were treated to now this year, he literally, the owner of the factory, took us out to this Italian lunch. We were eating spaghetti and drinking wine and he was like congratulating us and telling us how in his 56 years of owning the factory, he's never had a brand do that much business in its first year.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Amazing.

[Cat Amico]

And it was just. Yeah. So I feel like I'm still very much involved. I'm doing creative direction for all of our shoots. I literally just flew from New York to LA in like a two day period to go oversee all of our shoots. I'm trying to step away from being one of the models in the shoots, but I also just styled all of our shoots. I edit all of our shoots.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Oh, my gosh.

[Cat Amico]

I know we're really trying hard to start offloading, but a lot of it comes from me being just to type A. I think I need to, like, learn how to let it go, but it takes time.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I think it's like hiring people. But I think being creators, you are a photographer, editor, stylist, hair, makeup, you know so many things. You understand what resonates on social, especially if you're a social and D2C brand. First, it's like you understand, like, the types of pictures girls want to see. So it's. It is hard to give some of that up. But then to scale and grow, there's only so much time that a founder has, but I think at the beginning, really being a creator gives us so much insight of how to do so many parts of the business and be really scrappy.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, exactly. But it's definitely becoming too much like the styling and, you know, I'm designing all of our pieces, so then I want to be the one who's bringing them to life, of exactly how I envision the designs to be styled. And then I'm also trying to make sure the image of the whole creative direction of whatever we're launching is like, under my vision. So it's. It's hard. It's very hard.

[Mariana Hewitt]

It's very hard.

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Okay, so you just talked about Italy. So you produce some things there. How did you even find places? Like, I think it's like people are online, they're like Googling. But it's like, okay, they want to start sunglasses, they want to start belts. Like, where does one even begin?

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, so it's pretty crazy what we've been able to build off Googling, and we really didn't have any connections in fashion. We still are just starting to get some more connections of people reaching out to us to maybe help with production or whatever it may be. But we would email people and it's actually really hard. You have to spend a year of like hounding these people down to get them to answer you. Like, we found this one manufacturer that I'm dying to work with for a new category that I want to do, and they work with a lot of designer brands and it's hard to get them to want to work with you. Like, they. They really do have to take a chance on you. It's like an investment. And even if you get them to Answer. Like, when we started working with the belt manufacturer, we were at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of lead times and everything. It was really, really slow. Now our lead times are so fast because we're their most important clients. So I think you kind of have to ease into it. And even our jewelry manufacturer that we started the brand with is not who our manufacturer is today. I think you kind of have to be okay with starting where you can, and then as you get more resources or higher minimums or new connections, you'll get new manufacturers that you can work with.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I feel like it's so, like, you work with one person, for one thing, they give a recommendation to somebody else. It's like you just have to get that one first person, and then you end up getting, like, a whole new network of people if they're willing to share. Yeah, usually they are because they want to give their friends business, so.

[Cat Amico]

Or yeah. Or sometimes people take a cut of it or whatever is going on. But we actually also had one of our jewelry manufacturers reach out to us, so that will start to happen, too. Like, we get reached out to a lot from manufacturers saying, you know, we produce X, Y, Z. A lot of them are probably not great, but, you know, some of them are. So I think once you just start and you're out there, you'll get new opportunities.

[Mariana Hewitt]

You mentioned about this being, like, the first year.

Really?

You're thinking about yourself being founder first. I saw you're talking on TikTok, and you were like, I'm trying to get comfortable with being this is it. I don't like to say, like, imposter syndrome, because I don't think that's what it is. But do you.

You feel a little bit of that at all?

[Cat Amico]

Sometimes I think it. I. Because I had talked to my therapist about this, and I think it stems from me being so in love with the creative side of things like designing and styling and all of that, that I don't feel as businessy. And then I feel like when you see some other women talk and they can speak, like, not that I can't speak to my business, but. And I'm very involved. It's just, I think. Because I think of myself as that side first, but that's just as important for the business. You know, I think those are times, like, the side of things that might be a little bit more irreplaceable, in my opinion. So I think that's kind of where it stems from, is feeling like, because I do the creative stuff, maybe it's not as serious, you know, I know.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I feel the same way. And it's like, we have such a great team of people of the things that I don't want to do or I don't know how to do. And, like, for our business to scale and grow, we had to hire those people. And then they were the ones being like, no, Mariana, your time is better spent here. This is invaluable to the business. This is what you guys should be doing as founders. Let us take care of all of this other stuff. And that was really when I started to, like, start to, like, let things go.

And I'm like, okay.

And so now I'm like, oh, I don't have to go to every photo shoot. They can text me things when they're there. I can come stop by at the beginning and then, like, let them do their thing. But it definitely takes a little bit of time even for me to be comfortable being like, oh, no, I am an entrepreneur.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Like, I'm not just this thing. I am this other thing too. So I think it's something we all struggle with, especially when you're still actively working, doing the other stuff still.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, I. I'm definitely an entrepreneur. I'm definitely very involved, grinding 24 7. So I think it's just kind of realizing and I think kind of what we were speaking to earlier, I did have a lot of goals that I wanted to accomplish as an influencer. And even though I had started oryem, it was hard for me to, like, let go of some of those goals that I always had. And I think you just kind of have to let go of certain things to make room for new things, for sure.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And I think being an active influencer, song content creator, you understand what's happening on social. So you're creating for the girl because, you know, what you want to shoot, you know, what looks good in pictures, you know, it's like, shareable.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, exactly. And, you know, like, what's going to perform well and what's, like, more fun to produce? Like, I think that's another thing that we kind of struggle with, is we're kind of almost in this in between price point, where we're not, you know, Kate, you know, or the Row, but were not fast fashion. So I go back and forth on how those brands kind of do social, and it's very much no, they. They don't care how many likes they're getting on Instagram. It's very much just a vibe and aesthetic, and they're trying to be this luxury brand. So I feel like we've been trying to figure out this middle ground of where we should be sitting because our products are quality, but we're not. Our price point isn't that high. But at the same time, I want the brand to be elevated, but then you also want to connect with your community. So it's kind of. Kind of have to figure out the balance between.

[Mariana Hewitt]

We talk about it too, and I'm like, okay, not every content needs, like, perform if it serves a greater good. That's the purpose of this singular piece of content being here. So it's not that everything needs to perform the same. So we have to, like, tell our social team the same thing.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah. Because I'm sure you want to produce, like, beautiful, high production things, and maybe that's not even what performs well, but it helps, like, elevate your brand.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Yeah.

[Cat Amico]

And I feel like I'm in a place where I love content like that that's maybe doesn't perform well, but it's super elevated and high production value or whatever it may be, because I want to be known as that elevated brand.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I love when you guys take trips and Matt takes your pictures.

Like, first of all, how did you.

Train him to take such good photos of you?

[Cat Amico]

Well, Matt does have an eye. Like, when I met him, he. He's definitely a fashion guy. I don't dress him. He picks out all of his.

[Mariana Hewitt]

He always has a fit on, and.

[Cat Amico]

He'S always been very into fashion. Just I think this has helped him kind of step into it. And he does have a good eye for photos. And we try not to take photos together as much anymore so that we don't kill each other. But he is really great at it. I honestly haven't even really trained him well. He kind of bosses me around being like, no, this is the vision. And like, I'm like, okay, I just let him go.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I love when you guys are on trips together and I see all the content and I see how you're like, styling stuff and like, you were just in Venice. It was probably your Italy trip that you were on. And I was like, loving all the pictures that you were taking. And so I love the two of you guys together. But do you think having the business now has grown your personal social.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's been pretty crazy. I don't even know if it a hundred percent has to do with oryem. I think it's a mix. I think it's tapping into. I don't know, just kind of like figuring Myself out. Along the way, my style has changed quite a lot. I think I've kind of been stepped into more elevated. That was even why Orium started in the first place, was because I was on a budget and I really wanted to look more chic and elevated and put together. I wanted to just redo my style. And I was wearing really simple pieces and I was like, I look so boring. And then I wanted to create these elevated accessories that make it really easy for you to change what you're looking like. And, you know, maybe you don't have to invest a ton of money in your trousers and tops. They could be super simple, more affordable, but then maybe have these little elements that are a little bit more elevated to elevate your whole look.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And how do you describe your personal style now?

[Cat Amico]

I think I describe it as just classic, easy. I don't know what else.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I love it. It's so good.

[Cat Amico]

I need to get my actual three words done.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And if you get dressed like in the morning, do you have like typically like a go to outfit that you like to wear?

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, I'm always wearing something loose on the bottom, like loose trousers or loose jeans about and a tighter top. That's basically what I wear every single day.

[Mariana Hewitt]

It's good to, like, know what you like. Like, for me, I love baggy stuff, but if I wear baggy, baggy, it just does not look good on me. So like yesterday even I was like, I wanted to wear a sweater because I was cold, but the sweater was baggy. But I was going out for a walk, so I wore like tight leggings.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And even though I was like casual, I was like, okay, it looks balanced and it looks like, like it goes together. And I think having those things, it helps shopping a lot more. Because I used to just shop and be like, I like trends, I like these things. And I was buying stuff, I was like, why does this not look good on me? I don't feel confident. I feel like I look messy. So, like the tight, tight top, loose bottom. I love the combo.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, it's a great combo. And then I feel like a lot of women, as you start to get older and you've gone through so many closet clean outs throughout the years, you start to realize what you got rid of, what you keep, what you wear all the time, and then you kind of invest within that.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Yes.

[Cat Amico]

I kind of have like the same version of a lot of things. Just different colors, different materials, but it's pretty similar.

[Mariana Hewitt]

What are your favorite brands to shop from?

[Cat Amico]

Okay, let's think I love Enzacosta.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I love best materials. So soft.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, they do an amazing job for the price point. I love. I do love Kate. I don't invest in their clothes as much, but I do love, like, their jeans.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Their jeans are really good.

[Cat Amico]

I love Levi's.

[Mariana Hewitt]

These Levi's that I'm wearing right now and other ones I got. I've been buying them on Etsy now. So on Etsy you can go and there's all these vintage Levi's and you just put in your size that you are and they'll send it to you at like a certain inseam. And so I just buy a couple of them and I've got really. I've got some of my favorite Vint Levi's from Etsy.

[Cat Amico]

I don't have any vintage Levi's. That's the one thing I'm slacking.

[Mariana Hewitt]

You have to go to with Love by Lenny next time you're in la.

[Cat Amico]

I've heard a lot of people talk.

[Mariana Hewitt]

About that, so I usually like, well, what's the difference? Like, I get my jeans tailored anyway. No, the way that she, like, does the jeans all the way down the side, the fit of them. The pair of vintage Levi's I wear the most are the one pair I got done from her. So next time you're here, I would go take some time trying a bunch of jeans and like invest in a couple from her.

[Cat Amico]

I 100% should because I like, like a looser leg. But then I want my waist to be tighter.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Yes. So she has these clamps and she clamps the whole thing, like down the leg and then she'll make sure it's like, perfect. And it takes more time to get back than like a normal tailor. Yeah, but it's totally worth it. I'm obsessed.

[Cat Amico]

Do this. What else do I like? I love the Row for, like, shoes. I feel like all my shoes are either the Row or St. Laurent.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I feel like you're like a big, real, real girl though, too.

[Cat Amico]

Oh, yeah. I find half my wardrobe is from the real real.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Do you have any tips for searching and shopping on the RealReal?

[Cat Amico]

Yes, I do. I go on every day like a lunatic.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I have the app and I have saved searches.

[Cat Amico]

Same. Yes, I have pages of saved searches. And Matt makes fun of me because he's like, this is like your daily newspaper. Like, I. The 10 o'clock when it refreshes, I'm just sitting there and I never miss it. And then. But when I miss something, I get really upset. But My safe searches are either by brand or, like, just something I'm kind of like wanting in my closet. Whether it's a leather jacket, black leather jacket, you can get really specific by searching that. Searching your size. Like, you can filter your size and then save that search. So I think that's the best tip. I know 10am EST is when they refresh.

[Mariana Hewitt]

You know that they have this first look thing.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, I have that.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Okay. So I don't have it because somebody just told me about it. So if people are listening, it's where you can basically pay Real Real. And you get a chance to look at stuff before it goes live on the site. Right.

That's what it is.

[Cat Amico]

I don't pay. I sell a lot. So I think I'm like, on that level.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I do too. But I didn't get it for free, so I need to, like, I didn't need to. I think you have it.

[Cat Amico]

You probably have it.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I probably do.

I love real Real.

Like, if I'm looking for something specific too, like in the summer, I love anything raffia. So, like, I have a save search or like PVC or clear. Yeah. Like, when I'm looking right now, my save searches are like suede leather jackets. Very like, specific things because you'll find stuff. And I'm like, oh, this thing is $17.

[Cat Amico]

I know. It's wild, amazing.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And I'll find such good pieces on there. And I find a lot of, like, special occasion dresses I wear on there too, because they end up being really expensive from a store. So I'm like, I love Real.

Real.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah. I actually do get a lot of my stuff on the RealReal. Even if it's like current season. Th shoe. I'll find it on the Real World or.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Yeah.

[Cat Amico]

Whatever it may be. I feel like I save a lot of money doing that.

[Mariana Hewitt]

There's like a couple stores near me too. And I go. And I feel like I see stuff in there that I'm like, I've never seen this on the site. Yeah, they have really good stuff. So if you buy one, I feel like this is like a sponsored real real, like, segment because I. I love it. I know. I sell so much on there too.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah. I love cleaning out my closet. It's my favorite activity. I do it like every two, three weeks. It's crazy.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I have a closet clean out on my calendar for tomorrow.

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[D]

I'm Whitney, the buyer. You may know me from Love island, but it's time to know me from a little island called life. My podcast, what's It Giving? Features my sister Lizzy as well as special guests getting into all the things life, love, laughter. I'm not saying tea will be spilled, but I'm also not saying the floor will be dry. Send me a DM on Instagram if you have any dilemmas you want to be answered on our podcast. Watch or listen to what's It Giving. Wherever you get your podcast every Wednesday.

[Cat Amico]

Be there or be square.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And when you clean out your closet, like, is there like a system? Is there something that you do? How do you do it?

[Cat Amico]

I separate it into three piles. The real real, which is typically like things that are a tiny bit more expensive. I have a girl who I can sell, kind of revolve like maybe just less high end things. And then I give a giant bag to my cleaning lady every single week. And I do those three sections of where I'm gonna sell. I go through my closet. I kind of know. I honestly, I also really like going through my closet after, like a trip. Sometimes I go on a trip and I go to New York, especially now that I live in Miami and it's not the best fashion inspiration there. I'll go to New York and then I'll come back and I'm like, oh, I'm never wearing this. I should never wear this. I kind of do whatever. Either doesn't fit right or I should have returned or it's starting to look a little gross.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Is your closet really edited?

[Cat Amico]

Yes.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Okay.

[Cat Amico]

Yes, because I also. My closet's big, but I like to keep it to that size. Like, I never want my hangers to be chaotic going through everything. Like, I don't want it to be stressful to look through my stuff.

[Mariana Hewitt]

If I don't have any new hangers, that's when I know I have to do a closet clean out. So I never buy new hangers. It's like, okay, if I ran out of them, then this is. I need to get rid of this many things. So I usually take them out by section. So I'll be like, okay, today I'm gonna go through jeans and I'll take all my jeans out and I'll go through every single pair and then only put the jeans back that I wanna keep. And same. I have like a friend pile, a sell pile, and a donate pile. And then that's kind of. And like my best friend is always like, let me know when you're doing.

A closet clean out. I need like some new black top.

[Cat Amico]

Okay, I did that. I do that with beauty products now too. And my. Some of my girlfriends came over and they were freaking out. They were just like sitting on my floor testing all this makeup. They were like, this is the best day ever. I'm like, okay, you guys need to come over more often.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And do you ever see these, like, memes or TikToks? And it's like at the end of like a closet clean out and you have like all these like different things on you, like swatches of makeup all over your face. That's me. Because I'll just start trying stuff on at the same time and have like the weirdest outfit on at the end. Okay, so closet clean out. We talked about oram and now I want to talk about content creation. So I do love your pictures. I love how you like style edit, but they are not really edited. They just feel like you took a picture and put them up. And I feel like that style kind of changed for you over the years. So you like a no filter girl now. Like, what's the content?

[Cat Amico]

Okay, I'll give you all my editing secrets. So I love going in lightroom, adjusting the colors just like a tiny bit. I love doing. My number one trick is doing the masking. I always highlight myself and then invert and make the background darker and desaturated. So that's why you always pop.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Oh, that's a good tip. And are you taking everything on an iPhone?

[Cat Amico]

A mix of iPhone and camera.

[Mariana Hewitt]

What camera?

[Cat Amico]

So I have like five cameras. It's A problem?

[Mariana Hewitt]

No, it's not a problem. This is your job.

[Cat Amico]

So I, I have one camera that's an R5, I believe with a crazy lens, like a paparazzi lens. And I like using that in Miami so that I don't have to stress about not liking the background because I was just like if it's fall, I don't want palm trees in my background. So I got a super blurry lens and I love taking content on that. I also have the Fuji X100V that's like my secret sauce camera. I think it's still sold out.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Every day I have that camera and I feel like I don't look good when I take it.

[Cat Amico]

Yeah, I use it on like the auto.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Okay.

[Cat Amico]

I don't do anything fancy. I just love the way it picks up colors.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Okay. I need to like try it again because I have a whole thing of cameras because I'll see things and I want to test and try them. And then that one I can't figure out.

[Cat Amico]

Really, it's really simple.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Okay, I'm going to try.

[Cat Amico]

I also have a screw on lens for when you're taking close up photos.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Okay.

[Cat Amico]

Because that camera you can't zoom in. And you know, as an accessories owner, business owner, shooting earrings and super close ups of your face, I've learned what makes you look good because you never want to be like, you know, on one, going up to someone's face. Oh, you want to be on 2 or 5. So the same thing with a camera. Like I have a screw on lens that zooms in and doesn't distort your face.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Okay, great. Good to know.

[Cat Amico]

Otherwise that will give you lots of insecurities. Those are my two main cameras, I would say. And then phone.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Amazing.

[Cat Amico]

And then I also use the Tesla app. Obviously my favorite filter. Right now I use Kodak gold.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Okay.

[Cat Amico]

The filter to zero, basically everything to zero. But I just love the vignette and like the little tiny bit of.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Because it's such a good app.

[Cat Amico]

No, it's the best app ever. If you don't download it, you're very silly.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I really think that creators make really good business founders because we understand what we wanted. So if you're marketing to social, if you're using these platforms, we know what it's like because we knew what we wanted for ourselves. So I think that's why you make such great accessories. She understands filters. I understand like beauty products. So it's like we're making these things that we hope to be like receiving and using and so I think it's like the best experience that you can have to being a brand founder. Okay, so you guys are working together, husband and wife. How is that working together?

[Cat Amico]

It's very challenging. I would say it's. It's really hard to turn off. We still really desperately need to start having boundaries, but we definitely have very different opposite skill sets and opposite ways of doing things. Like, he's influenced me in a lot of ways, and I've influenced him. I'm definitely more easygoing, a little more nonchalant. He's much more intense and type A, and I feel like he's taught me how hard I need to work to be able to accomplish what I want to accomplish, which I'm honestly really grateful for. I don't love people around me who just yes me to death. Right? Like, I love someone who keeps me in check and pushes me to be the best that I can be. And I feel like so much of what I've been able to accomplish is from him, like, pushing me. I don't want him to listen to this. I don't want him to hear this. But a lot of it has to do with him pushing me to just see so much potential in me and giving me that nudge. Because sometimes you maybe think less of yourself or you're kind of. You don't see something that's so clear of, like, oh, I think I'm working so hard and doing all the things right, but you're really not. Like, I think we balance each other out and compliment each other in a lot of ways.

[Mariana Hewitt]

And what are your goals for the brand? Like, if you can share something that you guys are working towards.

[Cat Amico]

So I definitely want to continue to launch other categories. Lots of things in the works that we're trying to get sorted, but I never want to launch into too many categories too quickly. And the goal for the brand is always going to be, even if it's outside of accessories, kind of our ethos of like, dress simply, let your accessories do the talking. And I think so much of the brand is also rooted in me wanting to be able to provide properly high quality products for a fraction of the price. So I think we will definitely launch other categories. But that's always what I want to be able to accomplish with whatever category we do is make it actually great quality.

[Mariana Hewitt]

I'm excited for that because I think you came out, you had the necklaces, then you had the earrings, and I was like, okay, go to earring company. It was like, I knew if I wanted, like a statement earring I was coming to you guys for something like special unique vintage feeling and then it was like you own belts and then sunglasses people were dying over the sunglasses. So I'm excited to see what thing that you guys own next because I feel like you guys do it so well and I love to see see how you style it. So if anyone wants to shop the brand and find you guys and follow you, where can we find you?

[Cat Amico]

So Orium's Instagram is orium.collective, our website's oram collective.com and you can find me at Cast Amico thank you. Yay. Thank you.

[Mariana Hewitt]

Thanks so much for listening and be.

Sure to subscribe to my podcast and rate and review because it would mean.

So much to me and follow me on Instagram. Mariana Underscore Hewitt to see what episodes.

Are coming up next.

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.