Nayella — a start-up worth watching

Whether it be OneSpout, Zappos or VC-backed Beyond The Rack, Canadians have proven themselves to be quite comfortable as consumers via the internet. Two local female entrepreneurs have decided to do the hard thing, and start their own site; what’s hard about it is that their new business is not a “me too” story, and they started from scratch.

The problem they set out to solve? That there is little exclusivity left in fashion today. The Financial Times of London has already noticed one of the start-ups’ product offerings and featured it on the FT’s wonderfully-named How To Spend It site. Not bad buzz for week one.

Nayella focuses on quality, assuming that what savvy consumers don’t want is more of the same. Nayella was launched “to empower shoppers with a new luxury experience, offering individual connections with exceptional, authentic and hard-to-find fashion and accessories – for you and your home.”

In essence, with Nayella, you won’t run the risk of seeing your recent purchase show up at Marshall’s a few months after you paid full price for it.

Have a spin through some of their offerings. This is the first week, and the list of global artisans featured has already reached double digits. More are expected to join each week, which also serves to drive return traffic.

Nayella’s founders are looking around the world for items that might suffice as art in many homes, something my Mother would have loved:

We carefully curate our collections and offer confident editorial content, built on a belief that from quality, craftsmanship and an artisanal approach to design, true beauty emerges. Nayella offers customers personal expression through creativity and distinct style. Unique, often handcrafted, pieces are celebrated, as are the independent and emerging designers who create them.

In Nayella’s world, designers and artisans are focused on crafting their pieces in intricate ways, combining traditional techniques and timeless appeal with a new design conscious. Inspiring collections of exceptional work celebrate the stories of the people behind them. Their work is a reflection of their histories and personalities. Their creative dedication to artisanal values leads to products of exceptional beauty and enduring quality. We connect with them locally or even halfway around the world.

Best of luck to their team and seed investors.

MRM