At Sheesh Magazine, we love showcasing and hyping up small businesses created by our fellow Gen Z community. We go crazy for young creatives, whether they are a design genius, music mastermind, painting prodigy, or any other trailblazing talent who isn’t just paving the way for other young people, but bringing them along for the journey.
And while we are pros at uniting you with your next Gen Z-owned obsession, we haven’t yet had the opportunity to give you an inside look into how these businesses are created. And, more importantly, the tips to keep in mind if you aspire to create one of your own.
Enter Carrousel Dreams, an online vintage clothing store with genius branding and website design we could drool over for days. Founded in March of 2021 by Jenny Assaf and Emiliano Bache-Rodriguez, Carrousel Dreams offers a stellar template for how to use Gen Z blood to our advantage when creating a business. From nailing their Instagram presence, to collaborating with other creatives, to finding a unique point of view (Alexa, play pov by Arianna Grande, please), Jenny and Emiliano have launched their business with incredible finesse. With an exploration of the genius behind Carrousel Dreams, a deep dive into Gen Z culture and how it affects entrepreneurship, as well as some killer insight from Jenny and Emiliano themselves, we can better understand not just how awesome these businesses are, but what makes them successful.
So, pull out your computer, open a new tab, and turn to “carrouseldreams.com” because class is in session.
The Intention
What’s clear from the get-go is that Carrousel Dreams was created with intention. With a specific concept, a motif, a purpose linked to their identity as a brand. It’s one thing to have a business idea — it’s another to have a clear objective based on values, whether it be sustainability, community, you name it. What is so successful about Carrousel Dreams is that they knew their messaging from the start.
Emiliano beautifully put it, “We’re thinking about how a carousel represents the cyclicality of the fashion industry. It’s a transient space where unique pieces and the memories they carry come and go.” The carousel as a symbol wasn’t just chosen at random. Instead, it perfectly represents the manner in which trends go in and out of style, but also remain on the carousel to be brought back soon.
Jenny added, “Another thing that we thought about too is that as carousels age, they become more beautiful, like the antique French carousels do. The more wear they get, the more beautiful they become.” Just like the vintage clothing gracing their site.
What we can take away from these sentiments is that the true magic in a business and brand isn’t just the beautiful clothes or the fun name that hooks you in, but the intention behind it.
The Website
I would die for this website. Which is one of the first things I told Emiliano when we hopped on a Zoom call, only to discover that he actually created the masterpiece himself, after teaching himself web design not long before. Safe to say, he’s my role model.
When opening carrouseldreams.com, you will be greeted by a gothic arch logo spanning over a vintage-seeming video, with moments of a red lip, a woman in dreamy lingerie, and a spinning carousel. Continue scrolling to find collaged images of their vintage pieces with bright, pop-art vibes that you have to see to believe. Instantly, we’re hooked. But the devil, or in this case, the brilliance, is in the details.
The Museum feature of the website is exactly that. It’s where they house the pieces that hold a special place in their hearts even after being sold, allowing people to still browse through the pieces like a living museum for their store and for the evolution of fashion. This sort of feature elevates Carrousel Dreams from a clothing store to a fashion resource.
Emiliano explained, “We want the Museum to be something that people who are studying fashion can go to and just browse through all these pieces that are basically being indexed. We want it to be a resource.”
Another key feature that elevates their brand and sets their website apart from other businesses? In each product photo that a model is featured in, you have the opportunity to view more information about that model, like their Instagram handle and current obsessions. Not only does this allow us to shoot them a follow and humanize the modeling industry, but it also has the potential to help this model book more opportunities. “We wanted to highlight that the models aren’t just these bodies that are being rented out, that they’re real people,” Emiliano said.
What it all boils down to is having a clear — and unique — identity as a brand. These details don’t just show that Carrousel Dreams is different, it shows why they’re different. They care about collaboration, about mission, about different forms of media (check out the videos they’ve created. You won’t regret it). When creating a website for your new business, remember that we are a part of a crazy creative generation who have never been good at conforming to society’s norm, so why would web design be the place to start trying?
Models: Hal & Brit.
The Instagram
There’s no doubt that social media has completely changed the way businesses market themselves. One viral TikTok and a company can take off. An aesthetic Instagram feed can make all the difference. And collaborating with the right influencers is of the utmost importance.
Social media has also opened the door for Gen Z to get in on the fun and create our own companies. As the masters of social media ourselves, we know how to play the game — how to nail the latest TikTok trend, how to rack in the Insta likes, and how to pick the rising influencers who will be huge by next week. So, when creating a business, play to your strengths and don’t neglect the power that social media holds.
“Social media never sleeps,” Jenny said. “We’re constantly having photoshoots, new features on the website, and it’s great because we can post all the time. We’re able to really show what we’re doing.” Jenny and Emiliano both agreed that when it comes to a social media presence, consistency, as well as variety, is key. Keeping a strict posting schedule and getting out as much content as possible, while also making sure to constantly evolve and elevate this content is their favorite posting formula.
A strong Insta game has also been key for Carrousel Dreams when networking and forming relationships with other creatives, micro-influencers, or just customers who love fashion. “It’s been so helpful because that’s where we’ve been able to meet people who we didn’t know otherwise,” Jenny explained. “And we’ve been able to create these relationships already, even though we’re so young.”
The Future
The best part of Carrousel Dreams? There’s always more to come. Their End of Summer drop brought masculine wear, a blog, as well as descriptions of each designer, so we can learn more about these creatives while we browse. And their future brings a new line focused on finding damaged pieces of clothing and transforming them into something new. After that? I truly can’t wait to find out.
“We see Carrousel Dreams as a platform that is going to grow and evolve,” Emiliano commented. Jenny agreed, “We’re constantly leveling up and adding more.”
And I think that might just be the key: to keep your audience on their toes. If you need me, I’ll be refreshing the Carrousel Dreams website, waiting to see what they do next.
Make sure to keep up with Carrousel Dreams on their Instagram, and visit their site to start exploring.
