Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Alumni
  • Login
  • Volunteer
  • Clubs
  • Reunions
  • Bulletin
  • Class Notes
  • Help
  • Give Now
  • Stories
  • Alumni Directory
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Careers
  • Programs & Events
  • Giving
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Alumni→
  • Stories→

Stories

Stories

21 Feb 2020

Style for Everyone

The cofounders of Dia & Co are catering to an underserved fashion market—plus-size women.
Re: Nadia Boujarwah (MBA 2013); Lydia Gilbert (MBA 2013)
Topics: Entrepreneurship-GeneralInnovation-Innovation StrategySales-eCommerceLifestyle-Fashion and BeautyDemographics-Women
ShareBar

Nadia Boujarwah and Lydia Gilbert (both MBA 2013) cofounded Dia & Co right out of HBS, producing fashion and online services for plus-size women. In this interview, they talk about the inspiration for the idea and the need it serves.

“Dia & Co derives from Dia, which is the second syllable of both of our first names––Nadia and Lydia––and Co really represents our community,” says Gilbert.

“In the US, about 70 percent of women wear plus-size apparel, and yet only about 17 percent of apparel dollars are sold in those sizes,” says Boujarwah. “We both have a ton of personal experience in this space, and just fundamentally believe that there must be something wrong on the supply side. It cannot possibly be that such an incredible community of women is any less interested in looking and feeling her best, and so we set out to build a company that would really bring her to parity.”

“Since Day One, we have taken an approach where we have to earn the trust of our customers continually,” adds Gilbert. “We got to know our first 500 customers by name. We knew the names of their children. We knew exactly what it was that they were looking for from Dia & Co. And I think through that, we were able to really internalize into the core DNA of the company our approach.

“The way that the service works today, through our flagship styling product, is she comes to our site and tells us a little bit about what she's looking for. Whether that's what she's looking for from a lifestyle perspective, her budget, what she's looking for around her shape, her style – and our stylist will actually listen to that and curate a box of garments for her.”

“Our mission is to spark radical self-love through style,” says Boujarwah, “and for us, that's because style really is a lot more than just the clothes you wear. Style is the way that you carry yourself. It's the way that you take on new challenges at work. It's the way that you invest in your relationships with your significant other, your children, your parents, whatever it may be. And being able to look and feel our best really does spill over into all the other parts of our lives, and style is this really powerful vehicle through which we can have that impact on our customers.”

Gilbert also noted, “I think that HBS has been fundamental to our business. It's not only given us the raw skills and given us the ideas and the momentum to build a company, but it also is where we met. We were section mates in section E, 2013. The best part of HBS is the people that you meet and the opportunities that that provides you.”

Support the next generation of leaders Make a gift now
ShareBar

Featured Alumni

Nadia Boujarwah
MBA 2013
Lydia Gilbert
MBA 2013

Post a Comment

Featured Alumni

Nadia Boujarwah
MBA 2013
Lydia Gilbert
MBA 2013

Related Stories

    • 23 Mar 2023
    • HBS Alumni News

    Winners Crowned in 2023 Alumni New Venture Competition

    Re: Ben Dupont (PLDA 20); Ilana Springer (MBA 2022); Eric Gruskin (MBA 2022); Mariah Wood (MBA 2022); Vanessa Royle (MBA 2022); Janvi Shah (MBA 2022); Sylvan Guo (MBA 2022); Nicole Clay (MBA 2022); Jodi Gernon (MBA 1991)
    • 01 Mar 2023
    • HBS Alumni Bulletin

    Elevator Pitch: Spread the Wealth

    Re: Sabine Tejerina (MBA 2009)
    • 01 Mar 2023
    • HBS Alumni Bulletin

    Step Change

    Re: Amal Enan (MBA 2014); By: Julia Hanna; photographed by Abdelrahman Gabr – Koree
    • 23 Feb 2023
    • HBS Alumni Bulletin

    In My Humble Opinion: Hometown Reboot

    Re: David Motley (MBA 1988); Rosabeth M. Kanter (Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration); By: April White

More Related Stories

 
 
 
 
  • Explore
  • Explore
  • Explore
  • Explore
  • Explore
  • Explore
  • Explore
  • Explore
  • Explore
ǁ
Campus Map
External Relations
Harvard Business School
Teele Hall
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
Phone: 1.617.495.6890
Email: alumni+hbs.edu
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College