Q&A with BobbePIN.com founder Dawn Wheeler

by Sara Koonars for SpyOnTrends.com



The Bay-Area based online shop BobbePIN.com has become the go-to boutique for quality and unique fashionable items. Providing a launch pad for independent designers and giving back to charity at the same time, founder Dawn Wheeler gives us the scoop on how BobbePIN.com came from a simple solution for the hard-to-find white blouse. Plus, she dishes on the must-have Spring 2011 trends!



SPY: How did you come up with the idea for the BobbePIN.com?



DAWN: We got a little fed up trying to find a good quality, great fitting and well priced white shirt outside of Banana Republic, when we only had an hour or so to shop. With our busy schedules we cannot donate a day to wandering in and out of stores like we could when we were teenagers. We decided to create an online store that was very functional and focused on white shirts for women. But, the more we met with designers the more we realized that to limit ourselves to white shirts would be an injustice to all the great designers out there trying to show case their product.





SPY: Do you feel there is a lack of support for emerging designers?



DAWN: I definitely think there is. Many local designers move to LA or New York when they graduate school, where there is a more centralized support system, but this appears to be changing with the efforts of SFFAMA and local bloggers who promote Bay Area designers and fashion events.



SPY: Why buy from independent labels rather than big box store labels?



DAWN: Most innovation, for example using sustainable and recycled materials start with indie lines and then trickle down to the big box labels. By supporting them we accelerate the innovation by enlarging their customer base, which in turn allows more dollars to be put into research and development.



SPY: What new designers do you think people should pay attention to?



DAWN: This is a hard question as most people follow designers that either reflect their style or push the envelope. I like Jarbo, Zoe Twitt and Darling (which is new to the US), for fun T shirts I like Blondes Have More Fun and for bags I was recently introduced to Chicks & Girlies.



SPY: You donate 5% of each sale to a charity. What were your reasons for starting this and do you think more retailers should do the same?



DAWN: Following the lead of innovative companies like Toms who donates a pair of shoes for every pair bought, giving back just seemed like the right thing to do. Many of us have unfortunately been affected by illness of family and/or friends for me it has been cancer and Alzheimer. It takes a huge amount of monies to find cures for these diseases so again donating 5% just seemed like a no brainer, especially during these tougher economic times when donations to charities have understandably dropped dramatically. If everyone who is in a position to give back did, just imagine the possibilities, the diseases we could cure, the people we could feed!



SPY: What are your style inspirations?



DAWN: Living in London I was a fan of Alexandra Bastedo who starred in The Champions. Calvin Klein, as I like simple clean designs that fit well and pieces that can be used in a variety of ways either dressed up or dressed down. Growing up in London I became a fan of creams, grays and black, kind of like the overcast skies. Now there is no one designer in particular, we can walk downtown San Francisco & see great looks that people of all ages and sizes have put together, I noticed the Ferry Building is a great place to see some great individual style.



SPY: What can we expect from BobbePIN.com in the future?



DAWN: Moving forward BobbePIN will be adding new designers and plus sizes. We will focus on enhancing the experience of our shopping community by adding guest bloggers and "pick our new designer" where our community picks which designers we showcase.



At the end of the day fashion should be fun, wear what you like, when you like and how you like. There’s room for everyone’s style!

www.bobbepin.com



About BobbePin:

Founded by two professional women disenchanted with the mall options for great fabulous fashion products, BobbePin offers cutting edge men’s and women’s fashions and accessories. Bobbepin’s mission is to provide great quality, great prices, and great service. BobbePin also likes to give back with a commitment to donating five percent of sales to charity. Visit www.bobbepin.com