Nica Yusay has always had a love for sourcing unique secondhand clothing items and accessories.
Since she was 16, Nica has sold her rare vintage finds on common resale sites like poshmark or depop.
It wasn’t until 2020 that Nica foundedFashionica, her own online store where she sells her rare, vintage designer handbags at an affordable price.
On her Instagram page,@xofashionica, she goes live every Wednesday prior to her 7 p.m. “bag drops” to show off all of the handbags that will be available.
This Instagram live is one of many interactions Nica has with her audience leading up to the weekly drop.
She gets her followers excited, tells stories about the bags’ origins, and sometimes even educates her audience on the history behind certain brands or fashion houses.
Come bag drop time, Fashionica has anywhere from 30 to 50 bags, and they all sell out within a matter of minutes.
These highly anticipated drops bring in an average profit of $55,000 weekly.
“People call it theHunger Gamesof bags, because people go crazy,” Nica says. “So, more often than not, my bags will sell out within two to three minutes.”
Nica didn’t always have such a large and dedicated audience.
She saw her social media following really take off after she began posting organically and authentically about the bags she was sourcing and selling.
“When I realized that the numbers [on Instagram] shouldn’t matter, just be your authentic self, just post what you want to post basically, I saw my following really start to grow,” she says. “It was also in line with when I started selling bags too, and I started talking in front of the camera, using my voice, and showing my personality.”
Nica’s bubbly character, coupled with her personable content, makes following her on social media a cheerful experience.
She gives her 275,000 followers a behind-the-scenes look at her business operations, and shares personal stories from her customers and supporters. Her magnetic personality and fascination with fashion keeps Nica’sInstagramandTikTokfilled with new followers and comments daily.
“I started showing my true personality online, and that’s really helped my business grow,” Nica says.
Nica’s true passion for fashion at an affordable cost is apparent throughout her entire business model.
“因为我是一个小生意,我投入大量的money upfront to purchase these bags, and if it doesn’t sell I kinda get stuck with it,” Nica explains.
If she isn’t head over heels in love with a bag herself, or doesn’t think it’s a good investment piece, she won’t offer it to her audience.
Tune in to the fullShopify Mastersepisode to learn how Nica Yusay leaned into her strengths and embraced her true self in order to build a vintage, designer handbag company that sells out in a matter of minutes.