nuuds Founder Daryl-Ann Denner on Empowering EVERY Body With Great Basics
When Daryl-Ann Denner couldn't find the relaxed, lived-in T-shirt of her dreams, she decided to create it herself—and thus, nuuds was born.
Today, the brand has earned its reputation as a go-to for elevated basics, with pieces designed for anybody and everybody to feel confident and glorious in every garment they're wearing, right down to the basics. Daryl-Ann wants every wearer to be inspired by her pieces, which is why she makes sure all types of bodies are represented in the brand's imagery. The Real Bodies Campaign featured real customers whose lives had been impacted by nuuds as the brand's models, and the newest nuuds collection dropped just last week, featuring a everything from cropped tees and bodysuit T-shirts to seamless shirts, pajamas, muscle tees and more. We got the chance to chat with Daryl-Ann to share her story and find out more about what makes nuuds one of a kind.
Name: Daryl-Ann Denner
IG handle: @darylanndenner
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
Hometown: Moorpark, California
1. Daryl-Ann's obsession with style began at a young age.
"My mom always tells the story of how I'd wake her up at 6 a.m. every morning when I was 4 asking her to 'wear a pretty dress.' I guess you could say it's always been in me! But, the love for pretty dresses has definitely changed to comfortable and casual basics. But I think the bottom line is I've always been obsessed with feeling good about myself in what I wear, and as I've gotten older, that's really become my mission with others too: I want people to feel so dang beautiful in what they're wearing that confidence exudes from them."
-Daryl-Ann Denner
2. She's definitely a jeans and T-shirt kind of gal.
"My main goal when getting dressed every day is to be comfortable but still put together. I am a mom, wife and business owner, so as you can imagine my schedule stays busy. I love an effortless look that can be taken from school drop-off to date night. I think what you wear is more about how it makes you feel than what it looks like. I think you can see confidence all over someone, and that looks beautiful. I wear what I feel best in and what makes me feel most confident!"
-Daryl-Ann Denner
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3. Her brand, nuuds, was born when she couldn't find the perfect T-shirt and decided she'd have to make it herself.
"And we did! The Everyday T-Shirt is perfection. The way it drapes, the vintage fabric, the seams cut specifically so it doesn't hug your hips—perfection!
But nuuds as a whole was created out of the desire to make clothing to fit real women's (and men's!) bodies in a way that enhanced who they were, that made them feel comfortable and confident in what they put on. Our ideal customer is everybody. During our production process, we used real bodies as a reference for our sizing rather than relying on 'fit' models. This approach allows us to create clothes that complement and enhance your unique shape, becoming a staple in your everyday wardrobe. nuuds' intentional hems, buttery fabrics and thoughtful detail really sets us apart. We really care about what feels good and what doesn't when it comes to clothes and we wanted to create clothes that solve those issues and make people feel incredible."
-Daryl-Ann Denner
4. She firmly believes that everyone should feel confident and beautiful in their own skin, and that quality should never compromise that.
"We wanted to create items of quality that are still attainable for anyone. That's the heart behind nuuds: we want any and every body to experience our favorite staple items. When you look good, you feel good. We kept this in mind when designing our products, paying extra attention to the hems so that no problem area or place that you may feel insecure would be enhanced."
-Daryl-Ann Denner
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5. When she's in a rush, her go-to outfit is a nuuds Everyday T-Shirt, loose jeans and a simple pair of sneakers.
"The Everyday Tee was designed to be worn casual or dressed up, so this outfit easily transfers throughout the day to any occasion. If I feel like spicing things up, I love to throw on a leather jacket over!"
-Daryl-Ann Denner
6. The best piece of advice she ever got came from one of her most trusted mentors, Maureen Kelly, the founder and CEO of tarte cosmetics.
"We were having a conversation about a conference she was speaking at. There were going to be huge names speaking alongside her and I asked her, 'Don't you ever get nervous? Do you ever feel unqualified?' and she responded, 'I may get nervous for a second, before I get up there, but why not me? If it's going to be someone up there speaking, why shouldn't it be me?' That conversation just really opened my eyes that confidence is something we step into, and often times we disqualify ourselves in our own minds from things. Why not her? And when opportunities come my way, why not me? And better yet, why not you? If someone else can do it, you sure as heck can too."
-Daryl-Ann Denner
7. Besides her nuuds, her favorite pieces in her closet are her Citizens of Humanity Jeans and her Jane & Tash leather jacket.
8. At the moment, her favorite style trend is wide-leg jeans.
"I can't get enough! They look so cute with platform sneakers and a cropped tee. Zara is one of the biggest hidden gems for denim, in my opinion, and their wide-leg jeans right now are no exception."
-Daryl-Ann Denner
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9. It was important to Daryl-Ann to use real customers for nuuds' "real bodies. nuud." campaign.
"We really wanted to show the heart behind the brand. Our whole goal is to create clothing that fits real women, well. From the start, we have received testimonials from women explaining how much nuuds has impacted their lives and confidence, so we thought who better to represent our Drop Two collection. Proving that real bodies (and real customers with real testimonies) can look, feel and exude confidence in nuuds. It was so amazing to see and hear how great these ladies felt when they put on nuuds. For them, it was so much more than a cute top or bodysuit, they truly felt their very best in our clothes and it's impacted how they view themselves. It was really so special to see our vision come to life."
-Daryl-Ann Denner
10. With Daryl-Ann, what you see is what you get.
"You never have to question with me. I'm an open book. Trust me, I'll tell you all the things!"
-Daryl-Ann Denner
For more on the women and stories behind our favorite brands, click HERE to read our feature on Emma Pillemer of Emma Pills.