In March 2020, when the world turned to binge-watching and Zooming with friends, cousins Hunter Lipp and Payton Riina turned to tie-dying. Months later, they are tie-dying into 2021 and still experimenting with new styles.
These cousins and neighbors now run a successful tie-dye business, @tiedyefor on Instagram, with an established and loyal customer base all across the country.
They started at the beginning of quarantine by locally selling 28 sweatshirts that they dyed in the backyard. "It was kind of a hot mess, but people loved it," said Lipp, who's a Penn State alum currently running Tiedyefor as her full-time job.
Riina, a current University of Florida student, explained how social media was a big part of expanding the business from just 28 sweatshirts to so much more: "We started on Instagram, just kind of posting to see who would buy, and then moms in our area would post us on FaceBook, and that helped get so many people to start following us."
As their business grew, their process also expanded and they were able to run a full tie-dye operation right from home. Lipp's brother helped transform the garage into a work station for the business in June, helping Tiedyefor become more organized.
And no matter how much bigger the business got, the family element remains an important part of what makes Tiedyefor so special: "Our parents are very involved in our business, going to the post office, folding for us, it's become a family business," Lipp said.
Riina added how creative influence from their family has led them to where they are today, "we've been creative people our entire lives, we've been around arts and crafts and color and creative things, so it's been with us." Lipp went even further to say, "it's ingrained in us."
Their creative lifestyles can definitely be seen through Tiedyefor's unique and intricate designs. Lipp and Riina go far beyond the classic rainbow swirl by putting out fresh designs like accordion style die, web style die, and with a variety of colors and patterns. They describe their designs as "very thought-out", finding inspiration in different aesthetics and color combinations. "We like to play with things and switch it around," Lipp said.
The cousin's personalities are each shown in their products, as Lipp brings her "loud" and vibrant personality into designs and Riina balances her out with her more refined, but still bright and vibrant personality. "You can definitely tell who thought out each piece," Lipp said.
Tiedyefor is still constantly growing on social media, gaining 8,729 followers since they started. Lipp has utilized features like Instagram live to connect with customers and gauge what's trending. "That's when people really get to see what we're putting out," she said, "that's how we show what's new". The Tiedyefor Instagram also features models in their collections, to show how the products look on.
Feed from @Tiedyefor Instagram
So what's next for Tiedyefor? "I'm always trying to reach higher and I'll never settle," said Lipp. This tie-dye empire has already accomplished so much, collaborating with other popular brands and dropping creative collections. But there's no stopping Tiedyefor, as they have new collections in store, and they're ready to bring color into your life.
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