Veronica Beard’s founders: ‘Our stores are our greatest labs’

Fourteen years ago, sisters-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard set the foundation of a successful fashion business by launching a layered-look blazer dubbed the Dickey Jacket.  “We ultimately wanted to create a [women’s] uniform,” Swanson Beard said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “We started with the jacket by making a run of them that we sampled using remnant fabric from Mood Fabrics. We didn't know what we didn't know, and it was great.”  Influenced by the stock market crash the year before the brand’s launch, Swanson Beard and Miele Beard opted to focus on a contemporary price point, yet maintain designer-level fabrics and quality, Miele said.  Today, the company has 300 employees, is profitable and is projected to do $250 million in sales this year. And it’s decidedly in growth mode.  After recently launching footwear, Swanson Beard and Miele Beard said they’re now eying categories including accessories, menswear and kidswear. Plus, they want to further expand globally. Veronica Beard recently opened a store in Canada, and it opened a location in London last year.  “We like success, but we want to do it right,” Swanson Beard said.