How the Founders of Daily Drills Created a New Lifestyle Brand for Every Style Moment
Kennedy Crichlow and Mary Ralph Lawson aren't just best friends—they're also the co-founders of Daily Drills, a fabulous new lifestyle brand that blurs the line between athleisure and business wear.
Every piece in the line is designed to really make your wardrobe work for you, with items that are great for workouts or cozying up at home, but can also be dressed up for a night on the town. Their pieces are as sustainable as they are chic, and after first launching in November of 2020, it's clear the brand has already made quite a name for itself.
We got the opportunity to chat with the founders to find out even more about what makes Daily Drills unique—and to learn about the importance of saying "yes" and so much more.
Sweety High: How long have the two of you been best friends? At what point did you decide you just had to team up to create a fashion label of your own?
Daily Drills: Before we had actually ever met, we ran a social media account together with a few other friends. We'd share our outfits and things that inspired us. By 2015, we had both moved to L.A. for university and met IRL through mutual friends! We then started a bible study group and became fast friends, spending our time exploring the city, shopping, eating, beaching and circulating business venture ideas! In 2020, mid-pandemic, we decided it was time to finally start what we had always dreamed of: our own fashion line!
SH: What would you say is the mission statement behind the brand? How does that inform every product that you create?
DD: Daily Drills is a lifestyle destination for transitional pieces that effortlessly move you through every moment in style. With a people- and product-first approach, Daily Drills livens up getting dressed, paying attention to the details and blurring the lines between workout-, lounge- and business-wear (and everything in between).
SH: What are the must-haves when designing each of your pieces? What are the things you always avoid?
DD: We pride ourselves on innovation and exploration and try not to give too many constraints when developing new pieces! One must is that we must both personally fit the samples during the development process and love the final piece before it hits the market. We start by observing trends and looking to see what is missing in our own closets, and then begin brainstorming what feels aligned with our production plan. We also have our signature Daily Drills patch on each piece of clothing!
SH: What would you two say is the key to managing a successful business with your best friend, while keeping the friendship healthy?
DD: We make it a priority to put our friendship before the brand and make sure that we aren't always "talking business." Of course, we have to have serious conversations and make executive decisions, but we make sure to invest in our friendship after hours! Having an office helps leave the work where it should stay!
SH: Can you tell us a little bit about the sustainability angle behind Daily Drills? Why was that important to you both when you were creating the brand?
DD: Anytime we have the opportunity to manufacture our products in L.A., we do so! Of course, that isn't always an option, but it is important that when we can, we source locally. We also love that our pieces are designed to have multiple uses. So instead of having a piece that only functions for working out, we're spearheading a universe where your pilates outfit can also be dressed up with heels for post-workout happy hour.
SH: What are your favorite go-to pieces from the label?
DD: We both live in Daily Drills and are constantly rotating our pieces! We are most likely to be found wearing the unisex oversized crewneck, either styled casually with matching sweat shorts or (dressed up) with a pair of heels!
SH: Tell us a little bit about the motto, "Say yes often, but say no enough to make your yes's count." What does that mean to you, and what tips do you have for living that?
DD: We love to say yes! It's so easy to let fear be the driver of decision making and we consciously push back on that. It would've been so much easier to put off starting a brand for a variety of reasons, but we set fear aside, and jumped into something we both knew deep down was what we were supposed to do. We also know that if you say yes to everything, you can end up overwhelmed and unhappy. We are super intentional about reflecting on what and who we want to invest in, and then we don't let anything stand in our way!
If you love discovering how your favorite fashion pieces get made, click HERE to read our interview with Tezza Barton and Cole Hermann on their collab with NOIZE.