Today we’d like to introduce you to Marianna Bollini
Hi Marianna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Marianna Bollini, and I am a senior at Perkins High School, located in Sandusky, Ohio. From a young age, I vividly remember understanding the importance of confidence and kindness thanks to my mom. I would do random things like raising money for shoe box Christmas presents and collecting canned foods to donate to homeless shelters. I had this passion for helping others, and my mom never gave me any idea that I couldn’t do whatever I wanted to. She always encouraged me to chase after my goals, and no dream ever felt unattainable when I had her supporting me. When I decided to start my own non – profit, with the goal to provide cute clothes to girls in need, I knew it was possible. I sat down with my mom and told her about my ideas. I wanted to combine my biggest passions in life; fashion and helping others. The name Clothes For Confidence comes from the idea that the clothes that we wear on our body have a direct impact on how confidently we carry ourselves, as well as how confident we feel about ourselves. Everyone can get clothes if they have a NEED for them, but I knew there was a flaw within the system, because to a girl, the clothes we put on our bodies MATTER. I knew I needed to find a way to get CUTE and STYLISH clothes to the girls that needed them most. My correlating slogan for Clothes For Confidence is “look good, feel good, do good”. I can attest from personal experience that when I put on a cute outfit in the morning, I know it’s going to be a great day. There are multiple levels to Clothes For Confidence. Not only did I want to provide girls in need with clothes that would make them feel confident, but I also wanted to give them the whole experience. That’s why I do “pop – ups”, where girls get to come in and “shop” for completely free. The only thing better than going out with your girls for a shopping day, is going out with your girls for a shopping day, for free! The pop – ups are always so fun and successful. The last aspect I had to consider when starting Clothes For Confidence was the “embarrassment” part of it. To some people, using other peoples “Hand me downs” feels shameful, or embarrassing. The truth is, it’s not at all. In fact it’s cool, it saves everyone money, and it’s good for the environment!!! I let ALL girls, in need or not, shop at the pop ups, that way no one feels singled out. There are enough clothes to go around for everyone, and at the end of the day, Clothes For Confidence was started with the idea in mind that EVERY girl deserve to feel confident in the clothes she wears, therefore everyone is welcome to shop 🙂
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I couldn’t be more thankful for how seamless it has been in the process of building Clothes For Confidence. I think I experienced all the normal trials and tribulations anyone else does when starting a business. The difference with me and Clothes For Confidence was how aligned the brand is with its mission. It’s almost like it was almost impossible to not work, because it just makes sense. I will admit, my biggest difficulty thus far has been trying to find a healthy balance between advertising the need for clothing donations, and advertising pop ups so that the right people can hear about us, and our mission. Ultimately the goal is to provide young women in need with cute, trendy clothes. We’re always going to need the clothes, and we’re always going to need the girls to know about the upcoming pop ups. There’s definitely a healthy balance between advertising for the clothes and advertising for our demographic but I’m learning more and more with each event!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started Clothes For Confidence when I was 16, with the idea in mind that every girl deserved to feel the same way that I did when I put on my favorite outfits and went shopping with my friends. I always knew the most valuable thing I had was my confidence. I also knew that some girls my age struggled with confidence and self worth. The truth is, no girl should ever doubt themselves or question their self worth. I felt compelled to help young woman that struggled with these issues, and so I took the steps to aid that in the best way that I knew; cute clothes, shopping with friends, and fashion! Clothes For Confidence boosts the confidence of every young woman that comes shopping with us (for free), because I strongly believe in our motto “look good, feel good, do good”. I host “pop – ups” every few months, that girls come in and shop around for completely free. The location I choose to host at is set up like a “boutique” and girls come in with friends and shop through the donated items that I carefully curate for completely free. We also have a “confidence closet” in my high school that girls are allowed to make shopping appointments to via QR code. I’m most proud of the success I’ve found with posting on social media. It’s expanded the brand a lot and has gotten our mission out to people in need of exactly what Clothes For Confidence has to offer! It’s also gotten us a lot of donations which is incredible because Clothes For Confidence relies on the kindness of others, and their ability to donate their pre loved clothes.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I started Clothes for Confidence when I was 16, and all I had was a $50 gift card to Ikea and a piece of paper with a plan. I would say the most important lesson I’ve learned so far in building Clothes For Confidence is building relationships with people. I wouldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for the help of so many people. Constantly reaching out to people about donating clothes, brands donating to the cause, venues I’ve used to host pop – ups, and all the times I asked my best friends and mom for help setting up and planning events; none of this would have ever been possible had it not been for the relationships I’ve built with all of these people, and I will always be incredibly thankful for all of them.
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