“We Want To Help People To Embrace Their Entire Selves (Flaws And All)” With Shelcy & Christy Joseph

“We Want To Help People To Embrace Their Entire Selves (Flaws And All)” With Shelcy & Christy Joseph

“We want to reach more people, make connections offline and continue to spread our message of authenticity, community and collaboration. We want each piece of content and every event we produce to tell a story and to ultimately bring people together. Our goal is to move people visually and through our words, so that they embrace their entire selves (flaws and all), explore their full potential and really live the life they dream of.”

I had the pleasure to interview Shelcy & Christy Joseph, Founders of the storytelling platform NYCxClothes, and Mentors at MoxxieMade. Shelcy & Christy collaborated with the team of notable brands such as Tory Burch, Henri Bendel, Macy’s, Target, Madewell, Rent the Runway, and BHLDN. Their style has been highlighted on PopSugar, Style Caster, Essence and Women’s Wear Daily. They have also recently been honored with MoxxieMade’s “Made of Moxxie” Award for empowering women online and offline.

Thank you so much for joining us. What is your “backstory?”

Originally from Haiti, we moved to New York City in 2010 without our parents (we are sisters!) and it was like starting over: a new city to experience, new friends to be made, and talk about a culture shock! It was really hard to fit in at first. Everything moved at a fast pace and no one seemed to be very friendly. We definitely became closer through it all, and after a few years, we really started opening ourselves up to the world more. We grew to dress in a similar way, and found that we were both curious and adventurous souls looking to make the city their home. Launching the NYCxClothes platform was our way of putting ourselves out there. We didn’t know what would come out of it, but we figured we’d document our adventures and personal style because it was a creative escape and in some way, it served as a call for community.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you launched NYCxClothes?

One of our favorite things about our line of work is the opportunity it gives us to meet people from across the world (in real life) and also to connect them. Anytime that we see our platform serving as a place for networking and collaboration is a win for us.

For example, one of the photographers we’ve worked with recently traveled to Singapore. While she was there, she photographed a friend who’d gotten in touch with her through one of our photos. Another time, we met two people at an event who became friends from leaving comments on one of our photos.

It’s instances like these that make us realize how far content can travel and how strong of an impact it has.

What do you think makes NYCxClothes stand out? Please share a story.

The storytelling component of what we do is really what allows us to stand out. We take our content beyond simply showcasing clothes by sharing the emotions and experiences we have while wearing them. We infuse as much of our story and background into our brand, and it’s really resonated with people. We also share “real life” content and give our readers an intimate view of the non-glamorous aspects of creating content, or of living in NYC — and it’s organically led to this online community.

All in all, we’re redefining the way blogging is done by creating an inclusive space (both online and offline) for influencers to get together, share their knowledge and really help each other. The industry isn’t known as collaborative, and we’re determined to change that.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

We’re grateful for a lot of people: our two older sisters who have encouraged us since day one, our friends have who pushed us to buy our first camera and/or helped us to shoot content, and all of the wonderful people we’ve met along the way — whether they recommended us to brands and agents, left uplifting comments under our photos, or even just made it to one of our events. It’s been an amazing journey thus far and we’re so excited to keep growing in this positive environment.

Are you working on any exciting projects now?

We have a lot! We recently wrapped up a campaign with Macy’s and we’re currently working to build some new partnerships. We’re also creating and executing a number of new summer editorials. Plus, we’re planning to host a variety of events such as rooftop soirées, brunch chats, happy hour discussions — you name it!

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

NYCxClothes has allowed us to reach more people, make connections offline and continue to spread our message of authenticity, community and collaboration. We want each piece of content and every event we produce to tell a story and to ultimately bring people together. Our goal is to move people visually and through our words, so that they embrace their entire selves (flaws and all), explore their full potential and really live the life they dream of.

Do you have a favorite book that made a deep impact on your life? Can you share a story?

There have been a few: The Defining Decade for clearly laying out the importance of our 20s, The 4-Hour Workweek for teaching us how to be more efficient, and magazines like Kinfolk and Woven for inspiring with the most beautiful words and visuals. The list could go on and on.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started my company,” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

● 1.) Your biggest opportunities revolve around relationships. Authentic networking is key.

● 2.) You don’t have to charge market rate. You can ask for as much as a company can offer.

● 3.) Cold pitching can open doors that may have otherwise not opened at all.

● 4.) Learning to perfect your craft is an imperative, no matter how far you’ve come.

● 5.) Execution is what it all comes down to.

How did you get involved with MoxxieMade?

Their awesome team reached out to announce that we were handpicked for an award because of our community engagement work. We went to the celebratory dinner and it was inspiring to be in a room full of badass women who are making the world better in their own way.

Safe spaces like the physical community MoxxieMade has created are so needed, especially at a time of such political divides. MoxxieMade is really putting the action behind the concept of “community over competition” and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of it!

Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world who you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂

Just to name a few: Oprah Winfrey, Chimamanda Ngozi, Michelle and Barack Obama, and Toni Morrison. In business, Brian Chesky, Gary Vaynerchuk, James Altucher and Jeff Bezos.