BTB Episode 80: How Virginia Dare Dress Co. Began

“It’s almost like you’re not taking full advantage of your life if you are just being a girl. And I think there is so much strength in the strength that men and women have and I just saw a dress as a symbol as being up and being able to do anything, but in a dress. So I decided to focus on dresses and then it was the Virginia Dare Dress Company.”

Today’s guest is Rebekah Murray, founder of Virginia Dare Dress Co. I was really looking forward to this interview because I haven’t interviewed a dress designer on the podcast before. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

While we generally spend some time hearing about our guests’ entrepreneurial journey, we spend nearly the entire episode about how Virginia Dress Co. came to be. It was fascinating to hear Rebekah’s story and about all the different pieces that need to come together in clothing design.

I should also mention that there is some construction going on at our neighbor’s house, so I apologize if you hear a little of that in the background. But otherwise, I hope you enjoy Rebekah’s story just as much as I did.

Find it Quickly

• 2:48 – How Rebekah got started
• 12:00 – Transition to dress design
• 18:00 – How she came up with the idea
• 21:25 – How reconnection with grandfather impacted her story
• 24:50 – The beginning of her mentorship
• 28:40 – Who mentored her and how
• 32:42 – Virginia Dare Dress Co.: how she came up with the name
• 36:20 – Moving from New York to D.C.
• 42:53 – Switching manufacturing
• 46:40 – Most effective marketing channels and how she used her photography background to market

More about Rebekah

Hi there! I’m Rebekah. I founded a clothing company for high-quality, timeless, and ethically-made dresses, I’ve also been a wedding photographer for 13+ years, and mentor creatives to help them refine and grow their business. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. It was a love of getting to know people that helped me grow my photography business, and a love of adventure led me to shoot weddings all over the world. This led to my true passion and purpose, which was to start a clothing brand that brings together a like-minded community of women to help them live a more beautiful life. Whether that’s jaunting through the highlands of Scotland, encouraging them in their work, or just to find more beauty in their everyday life in style and comfort. A firm believer that life is more beautiful when we dress up for it.

I still work as a wedding photographer, but I’ve scaled back to run Virginia Dare Dress Co., designing collections, overseeing production, button sourcing, fabric tradeshows, and photoshoots of a different kind. I hope to combine a love of friendship and beauty through the work I do and am so grateful for the opportunity to bring these dreams to life.

Website | Instagram (Personal) | Instagram (Business)

Save it for later…