How Arianna Davis Boosts Confidence And Community With Her Clothing Brand, STRIPT
Arianna “Ari” Davis launched the lifestyle clothing brand, STRIPT, on Black Friday in 2020 and has grown in popularity since for creating confidence boosting clothes and documenting her life as an entrepreneur and mother.
Years before launching, Ari noticed that the clothing market lacked the perfect bodysuit, so she decided to create one herself. She started the brand during her six-month break between graduating from Howard Law and starting her job as an attorney. She wore the hat of lawyer and CEO for three years before quitting her job at the law firm to run STRIPT full time in March of 2024.
In the last year, STRIPT gained over 10,065 new customers and 18K followers across Instagram and Tik Tok. This growth can be attributed to Ari’s efforts to foster an online STRIPT community through the STRIPT’S Tennis and Jump Club, college ambassador program, and her TikTok Day In The Life vlogs and Lives.
Her Agenda spoke with Ari to learn more about her transition from an attorney to a full time CEO, how she balances running her business with being a mom, and the importance of creating an inclusive clothing brand.
Her Agenda: You left your job and now you are with STRIPT full time, and this March will make a year since you have been full time. How has that transition been for you mentally?
Arianna Davis: It’s really one of those things [that] you don’t know until you know. I don’t question timing and I believe everything happens for a reason, but I was like, “Wow, you really should have done it way sooner.” To be able to not have to wake up with anxiety from emails and that feeling of like Sunday’s coming, [feels great]. It’s so crazy that I used to actually split time. [Freeing] up that capacity in my brain has really catapulted my business. I remember being on a panel once and I was saying how you can really do both at the beginning stages. You can have a job so you can fuel your business, just reinvest in your business so you’re not paying your bills with your business. A guy told me, “Yeah, you’re so right. But like, you are going to have to leave.” He was really right. To get your business to the next level, you can’t be a part time CEO.
HA: One thing we love about you is that you never shy away from being yourself online and you actively engage with your consumers through your social media. How do you feel like creating these personal connections with your followers helps with both branding and shaping the STRIPT community?
AD: I owe so much of my success to the fact that I have a real community and a real relationship with my followers, which is why my engagement is what it is. If you can build an engaged community, who’s really buying into you, you can really do something more special [with that] than just selling clothes.
HA: Where did the idea for the STRIPT Tennis Club come from?
AD: I started playing tennis when I was a little girl and I got back [to] playing after I had my daughter. I started selling tennis skirts, [I’d play] in my tennis skirts, [so] I’m like, we should have a tennis club. [A] piece of advice for people, if you’re going to do something, the consumer of it has to understand the connection easily. It has to make sense for them. So I’m doing things that are extensions of the things I really like. Do the things you like so you can showcase [them] so that people can connect the dots. So, the idea for it really just came from the fact that I really liked tennis, tennis skirts were so [trendy], and I felt like a lot of girls probably wanted the opportunity to play. My tennis coach had been telling me for so long to do a tennis team and sponsor tennis teams. And I’m like, I actually would like to do tennis clinics and it worked out. We had a lot of fun so we just kept it going.
HA: Balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood – how do you do that? Do you have help?
AD: I definitely have a lot of help, I’ve been really blessed. I have a grandma who actually likes to watch her kids. I live with my sister and my best friend. I can travel because [my daughter] has a very active dad. I’ve been blessed with a good village for sure. There [were] times where I definitely felt some guilt. Children above all, deserve attention [from their parents]. I have to be deliberate about [my] time for Chrome. You’re also your kid’s first role model. I do want my daughter to know, you [have] to work and [and] this is how I got where I’m at. I feel at least in that way, I’m doing my responsibility.
HA: You talk about your sister in Photobook Magazine [and you said she’s] part of the inspiration of making an inclusive shape wear brand. She’s plus size and she’s talked about not finding clothes that fit her the way she wants them to fit. What positive impact have you seen STRIPT have on your sister and your relationship with her?
AD: My sister literally blossomed into everyone’s favorite model. I can’t speak for her, but I think she really does love the experience [of being] able to model. She wants to actually be signed and I think that it’s funny because I can remember being younger and her not even liking taking pictures. Just being a product of our upbringing, she’s very vocal. She’s very around. She’s had input in a lot of things. She’s been some of the first people to work for me. She’s really seen STRIPT grow and she’s an advocate for plus size women. She’ll let me know [that] [plus sized] stuff doesn’t have to be way longer just because [they’re] bigger. People seeing her is really good too because she has a recognizable, but a relatable figure. I got lucky to have her as a sister because it has been so informative to my brand.
HA: Through all that you’ve done and still do and are going to do, it seems like you have been able to retain a very strong sense of self. How have you been able to retain that?
AD: Strong sense of self is something I’ve had since I was a kid, and I think it’s important that that’s how we’re raising our children. I was blessed to be from a very strong woman, my mom. I always felt like if I like it, it’s cool. I am who I am. I think that’s kind of just my nature, but I also think that [it’s] something you have to continue to feed. Anytime I have negative thoughts, I physically shake my head because I just don’t want them in there. I have a lot of pressure on me and I just don’t try to absorb it too much. I also try to stay healthy. Going to sleep early, waking up, working out, [and] eating [well] fuels me. That’s a part of being mentally healthy as well taking some time for yourself. Also, I’m blessed to have a great set of friends. I owe them so much. If I ever have doubts, they really shake them for me. If you don’t have that around you, it’s harder.
HA: What do you see for the future of STRIPT?
AD: For STRIPT, I really want it to be a one stop shop. I want it to be a reflection of how I like to dress and other people like to dress. I know that there are so many girls sitting on the sidelines admiring STRIPT, but maybe not feeling like those are the pieces for them. I want to get the girls who like to wear t-shirts, jeans, sweats and vintage tees. The goal is to expand this year. I really want to be a lifestyle brand where you can get all those things. Street wear has always been something so big in my life, I’ve always been a tomboy, [and] I want to be able to express that side of me. This year we’ll do t-shirts, merch, denim, [and] swim. We’ll be at full service by the end of 2025.
