How a Teen Model Left Sweden & Built a $100M Fashion Empire From Her Garage (ft. Anine Bing)

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Anina Bing Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Model and Blogger and building one of the fastest growing contemporary fashion labels, Anina has redefined what it means to be a creative entrepreneur.

We launched a brand with 10 styles, we built a cheap website on Shopify, we packed the orders, I did customer service and I never thought the business would get as big as we are today. We have 40 retail stores around the world. What you learn early on, if you do it really from scratch, looking like we did, you really learn every aspect of the business. To me it's really important that we stay true to who we are as a brand and you really have to believe in yourself and not listen to all the naysayers. It's just about staying focused on your journey and then fuck the rust. That's the long lasting way of building a great fashion brand. I'm Anina Bing and this is the Burnouts.

I'd love it if you could take us Back to you're 14 years old, you decide to move to Milan by yourself to model. That that's like your entrance into this world. What were you thinking at that time? What did that look like?

I wonder what my parents were thinking sending a 14 year old away to Milan. But you know, I was a young girl, woman with big dreams and I just wanted to get out in the world. I lived in a little village in Sweden and I'm Danish but I grew up in Sweden and I just wanted to discover the world and make some money. So I went on my summer break to Milan and then I barely finished high school because I was traveling so much between Milan, London, South Africa, like different places for modeling.

And when you were starting out and doing modeling, you also started blogging Right. When did that fit in?

You know, so I. That just came naturally. That was before Instagram and influences was a thing. Right. I just started a blog to kind of report back to my family and friends what I was doing, what I was eating, what I was wearing. And it kind of just slowly built from there. And I built a small community. People wanted to, yeah, they were very interesting in, in what I was doing and wearing.

And when you had that community around, how many people did you have before you started your. Your business maybe?

God, it was small. It was only in Scandinavia, so I don't know exactly the numbers, but this was 20 year. Well, 20 years ago I started the blog, right? I don't know. Not, not. Not very big. I think when Instagram launched, whenever that was 14 years ago, I think had 2,000 followers, right when I. And when I launched a brand. So it was very small on the blog. I probably had a 50,000 or something. I don't know, nothing big.

Wow. And so when was the decision when you realized, okay, I have this existing community. We were reading that you first started by selling your secondhand clothing and that was your initial foray. Why did you decide to do that? We're, of course, in the secondhand space. We really are excited to better learn.

You know, I was home with my daughter Bianca, and I had my blog back then and I think I was just a little bit bored that day and cycling, had a little closet clean out. And I think I put hundred pieces up on my blog and I just needed something to do. And after one hour, everything was sold out. And then my husband came home later that day and I was sitting on the floor packing up all these orders. And this was before PayPal, I believe. So they all just transferred money directly to my account. And there was an instant kind of trust. They trusted me like I was their sister or something, right? They bought my clothes, they transferred the money, and so that was like where the idea started. If, if they can buy my used clothes that I'm only selling in one size, what could we do if we actually had a bigger offering?

Do you think you've always had this like, kind of edgy, rock and roll but business attire style? Or do you feel like your taste has evolved over time? Like, as you look back at those nine first pieces you sold, are you like, ugh, I can't believe that was my style? Or are you like, wow, this has always been my taste in a thorough line.

Of course my style is evolving and I'm fine tuning as we go, but I Always had my style. It was always rock and roll with yeah. And now, I guess as I'm getting older, I also love the blazers, and it's a little more sophisticated now, but it always had that rock and roll, effortless vibe.

And you started the business, you were working out of your garage. What did those early, like, hustle days look like?

Wow. So back then, I had a toddler and I was pregnant with my son Benjamin. It was a lot of work. We did everything ourself. We didn't hire anybody. Right. So we launched a brand with 10 styles. We built a cheap website on Shopify, and we packed the orders. I did customer service. We did everything. It was a lot of work. And you kind of need to put on all different hats and get to know every aspect of the business because there's nobody else there to do it for you. Right. So it was such an important, I think, part in the journey and what really shaped me as an entrepreneur.

Are you still, like, modeling at this time or is your husband still doing another job or. When did you guys decide to go all in on this?

We decided to go all in pretty much right away. I guess I still had my blog back then and made some money on that.

Yeah, no, but we went all in and just did it. We went for it.

What do you think foundationally you learned during those early days? Are there any decisions that you made early on that. That you're like, wow, this was really foundational to how, you know, you've continued the business over time?

I think what you learn early on, if you do it really from scratch like we did, you really learn every aspect of the business. So today, when I have 200 plus employees, I have a better understanding, oh, what is this team doing? Because I've been there myself doing it on a smaller scale. Right. So I think it's. It's just, you know, that you're not too good to do anything. Right. You just get your hands dirty and really work your way up.

And as you guys are building this, how do you think about the first hire that you're making? What did that look like? How did you go and find this person?

The first hire? I think the most important when you hire the first person is somebody that can do a little bit of everything. You don't go out and hire a CFO on day one. You hire somebody that can do a little bit of everything and just have that hustler mentality and that's ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

One of the biggest things I Tip my hat off to. Because I can't imagine running a business that involves marketing plus logistics, you know, plus thinking about what in store retail looks like for someone who's just starting out. Can you walk us back to, like, finding your first supplier? What did that look like?

My business partner, Nico, he. He's incredible. So he knew everything about manufacturing, about retail stores. He knew about the business side, and I knew so much about the creativity and all. So we were such a good team. So I guess my advice, when you start a business with somebody, if you want to team up with somebody, find somebody that complements you and your strength.

Or weaknesses, then I'd love to understand. So when it first starts out, you first start to launch these products. What do the next few years look like? Like, walk us through the initial growth. Yeah.

So the beginning, it was so fun. We launched with 10 products and I was just wearing everything myself because I loved every single piece. Right. So we didn't plan to make this a big business. It was just a little garage brand. We started out of our garage with a website. But then, you know, I wore the product and I walked into the different boutiques around in LA and the buyers and they were like, what is that? What are those boots? It was our Charlie boots. And so they started buying in the products. So all of a sudden we had wholesale. A wholesale business. Right. And two years later, we opened our first store. Cause the customers wanted to come and feel the product. So they came to the showroom in downtown first. And we realized, well, wow, we could maybe have a retail store. So the growth of the brand came very organically.

Yeah. One little step at a time. It's not like we had a whole business plan and had it all figured out. We started very small, and then we just grew from there. And I think that was good because I would have been overwhelmed, I think of the thought of how big the brand would get one day.

I must say, like, for people who are listening, Anita walks in here with her bag and literally with the logo on her coffee mug. This is a great marketing lesson. I'm honestly learning from you from the second that you walked in that everything is like a marketing opportunity. And it's interesting to hear you say that. From the beginning, you had that where you were walking into stores and you had this unique style where people would take notice and you would learn. I'm curious for you. You know, this podcast is called the Burnouts, which is. Is kind of a joke because we feel like, you know, in our 20s, we're asked to do everything, whether that's, you know, relationships, business, figuring out how to actually be an adult and manage everything. Early on, were there moments where you said to yourself, like, hey, I don't know if this is going to work and what is your, you know, way that you deal with insecurity or when you doubt yourself, like, what is your routine for managing burnout or kind of the self, you know, advice that you give?

So I guess so many examples. I think in the beginning when I was pregnant also, that's really hard on the body and your mind, right? You're carrying a child and building a life.

You're building a life and a business.

So that was really hard. Like I was tired. But then there was all the insecurities, of course, people doubting what I was doing. So you really have to believe in yourself and not listen to all the naysayers because there's a lot of them out there. I think it's just about staying focused on your journey and believing in yourself. And then fuck the rust.

I love that so much. And was there ever a moment for you where you were like, wow, this is doing so well. This is going to take off. Did you see the business that it is today?

I never thought the business would get as big as we are today. We have an office in Paris, New York, Louisiana and we have 40 retail stores around the world. That's no, never. But I'm really grateful for where we are and I'm grateful it took the time to get like, so we could all slowly adjust and build the amazing team that's behind this brand. Together with me, what would you say.

Are the biggest things that have stayed the same for the business and what are the biggest things that have changed?

The creativity has stayed the same. It's really like brand first.

Brand over revenue, we always says. And to me it's really important that we stay true to who we are as a brand and, and not do something just for quick money. I think that's the long lasting way of doing building a great fashion brand. Probably just the structure of the team, it's becoming more and more corporate. Right. We started in a little garage in Silver Lake and today we have very professional employees and offices and everything. Right. So it's just, that's very different.

And for you, obviously you're so stylish, so creative. I want to better understand what does your creative process look like when you're coming up with these designs.

So I have a design team and a design director. So before they start on a new season, I Send them a playlist of the music that I am listening to right now. I send them a mood board of what I'm inspired by. So always constantly collect little pictures and then when it's time to send it off. So mood board playlist. And then I write a story, who the Anine Bing woman is that season. And then from there they go back to the drawing board, start sketching and finding, diving deeper into that research.

Can you walk us through that? What is like, you know, the woman from last season, who was she versus like other seasons that you've done?

So right now we're working on fall 26 and that woman is in her power. She's super independent.

She.

She live her life for herself and what makes her happy and satisfied in life and she's international. She goes between la, New York, Paris and she lives a really fulfilling life and she's just in her own power.

One thing that's really unique about your brand is the retail presence. You guys have had that since the beginning, opening stores and, you know, maintaining that. You now have 30 plus locations across the world. Can you walk us through, like what was the process of opening your first store like?

It was amazing. Opening the first. Our first store was San LA and my business partner Nico, he's incredible with retail. He can spot like the right locations and he's such a doer, so he'll make it happen. And he's a hustler, so he just find the space and then he make it happen. Right. So we have in la, New York, Paris, we have five stores in China. Now we have Paris. I said that already. Everywhere. It's crazy and it's fun. I think it's important to have the retail presence. I think it's important for women to walk into a store and experience the brand and try on the product, feel the product. I'm all about great qualities and the fit of the product. So I think retail is really important.

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Once you start to expand, like what is the inner teams on a fashion business look like? I imagine you have like a merchandising team, a marketing team. How does it kind of break down?

You know, so we have our amazing CEO Julie, and she is. And then amazing executive team. Right. And then underneath that we have the retail team, the wholesale team, the marketing team, finance. Yeah, all these different departments, Right. And we all just try to work really closely together but also focus on each area. And I kind of float in between everything, mainly on the creative. But I, I make sure to touch base with all of them.

Are you still doing some customer service today?

No, but I sometimes if I get, you know, some feedback on Instagram, I will forward it to the team, you know, because it's important to me that we take really good care of our customers. So if there's any negative feedback or positive, I send it their way.

I'm curious. For other young women, it obviously can be really daunting when you're Starting out, when you're going into an industry where other people might be older than you or more experienced, what would you say for people that could help to develop that level of confidence to, to step into these positions of power?

I think confidence, it comes the more you practice something. Right. But you also need to believe in yourself. I think I had a confidence within myself since I was a kid, just wanting to get out in the world. Right. And that confidence keep growing into different areas of my life. But just believe in yourself and, and observe from and learn from the best. Right. And don't be afraid to hire people that are smarter than you and know, like, I want to learn and continue. Be curious and I want to grow.

That's a really good piece of advice. I think one thing my mom always told me, she's like, do not be afraid to be the dumbest in the room and ask as many questions as you can. If you were to go back to yourself, just starting out the business and you could talk to, you know, the woman you were then, what advice would you give yourself?

Don't be so hard on yourself. I would say everything is going to be okay because I tend to worry a lot, and I did when I was younger, even more so just everything is going to be okay. And work hard, stay focused.

That's amazing. I was listening to another podcast and you talked about raising your two kids while building this, this brand, raising VC funding. How did you manage raising your children and doing this?

You know, I love being a mom. It's the best thing in life. So that was since I was a little girl. I wanted kids. So for me to be able to have done both is everything. But that's all I had. Right. I was a present mom and I was really good at my job too, but I didn't have time for social life. I didn't have time to go on girls trips, sit and eat lunch in the middle of the week. Right. It was really super focused. Kids work. And that was my life for, for a very long time because I wanted to be there with the kids.

Yeah. Work life balance has become such a hot topic. What, what do you, what do you say on that?

You know, there is no such thing, I think, but what I'm. I'm also trying to teach my kids to work hard. I came from nothing and really have built the life that we have created today for them. And it's important for me to teach the children what hard work is. And if you want to achieve something in life, you got to work hard. Right. So they see both their parents work really hard, but we also prioritize them and really just love being parents.

And for you, if you look at your kids right now, what do you think are the biggest things that you would hope to see for them, the biggest lessons that they learn?

I just want my children to continue being kind of kind. They're super kind and great kids and they're creative in their own ways and super smart. But I'm not that kind of parent. You have to go to this school, you have to do this. I just want them to be well rounded, do what they love and whatever that is. Right. If they want to be a lawyer, go for it. If you want to be a stay at home mom, great. I think it's important just to nurture your children to and let them be what they are.

And do you and your daughter agree on style, taste? Because I'm thinking back like, oh man, like me in high school, the things I wore, like my sister used to call home from college and was, was like, she's get help. Like someone who is letting her out of the house with these things on. And I can't imagine having a mom who's like, well, my mom is very stylish, but I can't imagine having a mom who's like active within the fashion world. Does she ever, you know, get on your tail about, oh, I don't like that jacket or you should do this?

No. She's so sweet. Becca, she called me this morning. She has her first day of school tomorrow. She's going to high school. And she's like, mom, what should I wear tomorrow? And we had a FaceTime this morning and she picked out her outfit. One of my opinions. So she has to her own style and a great style. And yeah. And I think she's proud of me too. We, we really, we're a good little team.

That's beautiful. That's so special. And when you think about just generally this idea of style and finding your own personal sense of style, especially for people who are young, I feel like we're all experimenting and trying different things out. Do you have any like general style or fashion advice?

I think number one, dress for yourself, not for others. Right. So for me, I feel my best with when I wear a pair of denim, a T shirt and a blazer. That's my uniform.

Right.

But each woman should find out what is her uniform, what makes her feel confident. Is it putting on heels or sneakers? Is it. And then less is more. So organize your closet with the pieces you love and get rid of the rest. And then it's so easy to get dressed in the morning because you have just the essentials.

And I know you mentioned, I was listening to a lot of interviews you done in preparation for this. You mentioned that you moved to New York first and then you moved to la. And one of the questions I was asked of you is like, hey, have you, you know, was it hard? Did you have naysayers when you were first starting out? You said there's a word in Scandinavia for people who are like naysayers or who don't believe in you.

What was that word? Lagom. That every.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Everything in Scandinavia. And you know, I love Scandinavia, but it, it is a little bit. You cannot dream too big or.

So.

Yeah, I had a lot of naysayers always when I was modeling people like, no, you, you shouldn't do that. When I started my blog, people had opinions when I started singing in my bed, you know, and when I started my brand, there will always be naysayers. So that's why you really got to build your inner strength and, and kind of build a shield around you.

I love that.

And a good blazer does help.

Yeah, 100%. And if you were starting all over today, what do you think would be some of the first things that you would do?

I don't know if I would have done much different. Only thing I would may done a little different is I would have taken better, a little more self care. I didn't. There was no time for myself. So I do recommend like for young women starting out, it's also important that you take care of yourself, eat healthy, work out, do all the things because I was just going, going, going for so many years and I did burn out a few years ago where kind of had to take a, a break for a good six months. So I don't recommend that. So trying to find somehow balance. Even though it's super hard work starting.

A business, you do so much from, you know, music. You just dropped, you know, your album and you talk about, you know, focusing on the creative aspect of the business. You completely laid there and you talked about, you know, going through the different segments of the business, whether that's marketing, merchandising, how do you balance your time? Do you have any hacks or things that you do for productivity? Do you time block, you know, creative.

Work versus other work?

No, it's kind of just a flow. At some days I am exhausted and I just want to ask, then I stay in bed all day, do my Emails from bed all day, other days.

Okay.

I feel inspired to write music. Then I go into the studio and do that. And of course, I have my office hours also. Right. So it's not just a flow and everything, but it all brings me so much joy. And I think the music, for instance, that that's really my therapy. It's how I get it out of the system. So it's. I get different things from the different things. But I think I love all the things that I do. And I think that's the key in life, for a happy life or fulfilled life, that at least for me, that you can do many things. You don't have to just do one thing.

Are there certain things right now that you're finding inspiration in?

God, I feel I find inspiration when I travel. Just sitting here with you guys. You look amazing.

We're in your clothes. That's why I look amazing.

I love to see how you style it. Right. Every woman have their own style, right. And bring things to life. I love music, movies, books.

I just moved back to la. I haven't been here for a few years and moved back here and I found inspiration just renovating my house. There's so much inspiration. Nature.

As you think about the fall collection, are there certain, like, objects or things that you're inspired by when you're designing fall?

The fall collection is my favorite thing to design. I love fall. And I think when I can go a little more rock and roll with the collections, I love blazers, leather jackets, boots. So when it comes to fall, I always go into the music scene and go back to the 70s and like, see what were all these cool rock stars wearing?

What about trends today? Are there any trends that you've seen where you don't really like them?

You know, I don't really follow trends, neither in my brand or in the way I dress or things, how I do things in life. I am more of a time. I have a timeless approach, I think, in my work, but even just in general. So of course, as trends can be crazy or they can be good. Right. And I try to stay away from trends because it's not as timeless.

I think that makes sense and also definitely reflects in the types of people who have worn your clothing. If you were to look back over the last few years or just generally, was there ever a time where you were incredibly excited, like someone wore one of your designs?

Oh, so many times? I remember this was still in the garage days and Rosie Huntington Whiteley came in and Kate Bosworth and they were the. It Girls back then. Right. And I got so excited when I saw them wearing our leather jackets, the leather pants and all the paparazzi photos. And then throughout the years, you know, Kate Moss wearing the products. And we have also shot in our campaign so many amazing women. But I get equally excited if I drop off my kids at school and see another mom like wearing one of the products or just walking down the street in New York and spotting one of my products. I love any woman that wears the brand.

Have you ever gone up to someone and complimented them?

Sometimes I'm like, nice sweatshirt. And my kids get so excited when, when they see somebody, they're like, mom, you should say something.

Oh really? Yeah. Oh, sweet. That's so beautiful. Yeah. Because I'm curious also, as we've seen marketing just evolve so much over the last few years, what is your guys's approach to stuff like influencer marketing or just generally campaigns?

We do a little bit of both. Right. I think it's important to do it all for me. I love a beautiful campaign shot by an amazing photographer and like really bringing out that creativity of the brand. But I equally also love just seeding products to cool women that I love and admire. So I think a combination of it all is important.

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And what would you say are the biggest things that you've learned? Also kind of balancing your own personal brand with building a business. That's definitely something that's been a huge lesson and learning for me and Phoebe, of course, is that we've really leaned into this concept of founder led marketing. But it can kind of be a tricky slope to balance. So what does that look like for you? Of course, with a brand that's named.

After you, my number one focus is the brand and the brand Anina Bing and then my personal brand. I don't think too much about that. Like I just try to be myself. I do my music, I do things that makes me happy. If you know, I have partnered up with some beauty brands or whatever too. But I just do things that feels authentic to me. But the brand and in a bing is my number one priority always.

I totally agree. That's definitely really good advice because I was curious. I wanted to learn more about where does music fit into your life Right.

Now I'm working on an album right now. I'm gonna name it Chapter two. Very personal album. And it's whenever I have time, I will go into a studio and I write. I have my journal with me everywhere. And I just write whenever I have something I need to write down and then it turns into music. And I also love bringing in the music to the brand. Music is a very important element. Not only my own music, but music in general for the brand. So we use my music in the campaigns and just try to bring it all the creativity together.

That's so fun. I feel like that's how we feel with the podcast where it's, it's this nice creative outlet and release for us, but then being able to mix it with the company and being able to do cross collaboration campaigns has been really, really interesting. What are some of the biggest things you've learned from doing that?

Kid Moss was the face of our brand and I wrote the music for those campaigns and that was a really cool moment. Right. This icon, Kid Moss, that I've been looking up to in fashion, right, since I was a young teenager and now she's wearing my products and I write the music for the, the campaign video. That was a cool moment.

That's incredible. That's not a cool moment. That's insane. And you famously decided to bring on, you know, venture capital funding. Can you walk us through that journey of deciding to do that? And then what did the process look like and what advice would you give for someone who's raising VC funding?

So when we took in funding, they came to us and wanted to invest in us. We were not out there trying to find it. They came to us and we are so incredibly lucky to work with three amazing partners on this. And they have been with us for many, many years. Eight years, I think, or something. And they're just great. They help us when we need the help and then they let us do our thing also, which I think is really important.

And what did that infusion of capital mean for the business? How have you seen it grow since then?

That meant that we could open more stores, we could buy more inventory, we could hire. It was important for us to be a profitable company before taking in money, so we never spend more than we had on the bank account. And I think that's an important lesson that you don't overspend.

And for those who are less familiar with the brand, what does it look like today, like in terms of locations, how much products you guys are selling? All of that?

Well, our office location, we have our team in Paris, our CEO, she's French. And my whole product team is sitting in Paris. So design, manufacturing. So I have 50 people, I think in Paris around that. And then we have an office in LA, NY and Shanghai. And then we have around, I think 40, yeah, 40 retail stores and they're spread out all over the world.

As you think about your retail stores in different regions, like, do you notice different trends about like, what sells super well in different places?

Yes, but also it's a very, it's very like essentials that thank God they work in Shanghai, they work in Sydney, Australia. It Works in Paris and it works in New York. Right. It's. It's a very international style. It works for women all over the world, which is maybe also why we are successful and have made it happen.

And how much of the product are you selling online versus how much is selling in person?

I think we're really lucky because it's a very even split between retail, wholesale, and E comm. And I remember when Covid hit right, and we had to close all the stores. Then thank God we had the online business. Right. And then when online is struggling, thank God we have wholesale and retail. It's a really good ecosystem between the three of them, and I'm really lucky that they're all working. And in different times, something does a little better than the other, but it's a good split between them three.

What would you call if you had to name one? Would you say you have a hero product? Would it be the blazer, the jeans, the boots?

Hero product? I think we have a couple. Denim. Our denim category is up skyrocketed this year, and I love denim. That's the reason I started and bring my obsession for denim. Denim is doing amazing for us. T shirts and sweatshirts, of course. That is our bread and butter. Blazers. Women come to us for blazers. Cashmere. We sell a lot of cashmere and then boots. Yeah. So that was a couple.

It's kind of funny because I think of your brand, it's like you guys do both, like, quiet luxury, and then you do stuff with, like, big logos. I do have both. How do you think about, like, with those different trends? Like, have you noticed that one is selling better than the other? What does that look like?

I think it's both.

Both.

Some of them wants it all. And me personally, sometimes on a Sunday, I want to wear a sweatshirt with a big logo. Then I do that. Right. Today, I wanted to wear a white T shirt with a blazer. So I think our customers, she can go both ways. And then maybe the younger girls, they really want the logo, Right? And then we. We have the working woman that maybe come to us for the cashmere and blazer. So it's. It's a mix.

I'm curious for, you know, brands like yourselves who are managing, you know, logistics, merchandising, and marketing. Have you guys ever had a viral moment that took off for you? And then, okay, whoa. We got to figure out now how do we deal with the logistics side of this and maintaining, like, the supply chain?

Just one moment that comes to mind. When Kendall Jenna wore our lace bralette to Coachella as a top. Nothing else. Right. That I woke up the next morning and her photos was all over the Internet. Right. And that really kick started our lingerie business. So that's just one example. Right. The example of right now with denim. It has grown over 100% this year, our denim category. So we need to keep it up. So there's always something which is super exciting and you just gotta move quick on it and. And make it happen.

Yeah. Because I was really curious what your guys approach is to. How do you decide when to enter a new category? Because you guys have expanded and done such exciting things. When do you decide? Okay, this is time to move into a new vein.

I think it's when I get really excited about something. I get come to the team and I want to make a perfume. I want to do this. So it's very organically how it. And of course, now as we're growing, maybe they will also come and present things. But it has really been organic that I am really excited about something. I want jewelries. I want this and that. And then we add it on.

Where do you get those sources of inspiration?

Oh, everywhere. I love going vintage shopping, go to flea markets. We have a lot of good flea markets here in LA and in Paris. Maybe I just see something in a book. It can be anywhere. And then I bring it and. Yeah. And ask my team if we can add that on.

Is there anything you've done recently that has been particularly exciting for you or something where you're really proud of it?

I'm just really proud of where we are today. You know, that we create these timeless pieces that empower women and that we're part of the uniform in so many women's closet around the world.

I feel very empowered in my God, you look amazing.

Amazing.

And what's. What's coming up for you guys? What are. What are you looking forward to that's next for the brand?

So, God, there's so much to look forward to. We opening some cool concept stores. So the first out is in New York where we're gonna incorporate the music and a little bit more lifestyle into the store. So that's happening soon, which is really exciting. I'm excited about spending more time in Paris with my team there and really. Yeah. Work on their collections. I'm excited about handbags. So this is the anina bag.

Cute.

And it's coming out soon. And I. I love. I'm obsessed with handbags. And this one reminds me of something my grandmother would have worn back then. And it's so. It just makes any outfit look better. And so I'm excited about handbags and growing that category, because that's something I feel very passionate about.

And this is personal, and you don't need to ask. I'm just genuinely curious. What do your tattoos mean? They're so beautiful.

We can talk about my tattoos. Okay. So all my tattoos that I have, I don't even know how many, but they're very personal and, like, they mean something. So I have one that says, be true. Be you. And that's just a reminder for myself to stay true to who I am and every. In business and personal life and everything I do, you know, when you know. And that's really about the gut feeling, and that is something I lead with in business and in life. Just listen to the gut feeling.

I have a star.

That was my first tattoo. Me and my four siblings all have the same. I have one that says, I see you. I love you. And I recently went to something called Hoffman. Hoffman process. To the Hoffman process. I don't know if you guys have heard of it.

Yeah. What is that?

It's. It's incredible. You go away for one week, and you do a lot of inner work, and that was a really important journey for me to kind of reconnect with myself. And I did these tattoos to remind myself to see myself and. And to love myself.

I love that. Yeah, No, I saw your arms. I was like, they're so beautiful. So I was really curious. This story. And did you get them over time?

Yeah. So when something meaningful happens in my life, I'll add a little something. I know this one with my best friends in Sweden.

And what's the heart for?

That was me and Nico that did this one together when we just met.

Oh, that's so beautiful. And I also wanted to ask, just generally, is there anything you feel like you haven't talked about that much publicly that you wish more people knew about either you or the brand?

I just wish people know me and the brand just for being. I want to empower women. I want to make women feel good in anything I do. And also in my music. I want to. I just want to empower anybody around me and. And I hope I can give other women, young women or whoever needs it, confidence, you know, to believe in themselves and. And when you do just that, they can make anything is possible in life.

I want to ask about the logo. How did the logo come to be? How was it first designed?

You know, when we started the brand, I didn't want to call it my name because of all the naysayers and what we talked about earlier. I thought, oh, we need to call it something else. So. But then it ended up. We couldn't come up with a good name. We just made it.

Oh, my gosh. We were. That's literally what happened together.

And we were like, we can't think of anything else.

That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, so I just called Anina, and then the logo, the monogram, came later. A couple years into it, we had a designer. She's amazing, that. And Natalie, she came and she was working. Yeah. With me. And. And she kind of just drew out the. The monogram on a little piece of paper, and that's how we. How it came to life.

That's incredible. It's so iconic and classy. I. I love it. And I also was curious for you. Do you feel like there's been any points where you feel like there was any failure or something that went wrong and you really learned from it?

Oh, all the time.

Yeah.

But the important thing is you learn from them and get better and. And don't give up, because it's easy to give up when. When hits the fan.

Was there ever a time you thought about giving up?

Maybe not giving up? I just remember, like, little things. We had just launched a brand, put all our money into it, and the first production come to our little garage in Silver Lake. And all the denim is. Is labeled wrong. So, like, two sizes off. So we have, like 500 pairs of denim, and it's all wrong. So I have to sit and cut out every little label and. Yeah, so it's little. That was a big deal back then.

Right.

But it's little moments like that and then bigger moments. There's so many moments. So you just gotta. Then you learn. Learn as you go.

I love that you rolled up your sleeves and you were like, I'm just.

Gonna floor, like, like cutting out labels.

It doesn't get more rock and roll than that. Well, Anina, thank you so much for coming on the Burnouts. We can't thank you enough for your time and everything you've shared.

Thank you. You guys are amazing, and good luck with your business. It's incredible.

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