Dee-Ateiler Growth Strategy.

A six-month plan to help a small fashion brand thrive, built with strategy, heart, and a whole lot of customer insight. Dee-Ateiler, a women’s fashion brand, was struggling to grow. I developed a realistic, two-phase growth strategy that helped clarify the brand’s goals, reach new customers, and increase revenue, all while setting the stage for expansion. This project involved stakeholder interviews, user research, and hands-on strategy work across social media, partnerships, and retention systems.

Problem Statement

Dee-Ateiler had something special: custom and ready-to-wear clothes for young women, with a unique personal touch. But with no store, limited reach, and inconsistent sales, the business felt stuck. The founder was doing everything herself, struggling to grow beyond a few loyal customers.

She needed structure. She needed strategy. And she needed it fast.

Discovery: Talking to the People That Matter

I kicked things off by chatting with Daisy, the founder. We talked goals, challenges, and dreams. She had big plans: attract higher-paying clients, buy new equipment, and maybe even open a store one day. But before that? She needed more orders. More trust. More visibility.

Next, I went straight to the customers, both current and potential. Through screener surveys and one-on-one conversations, I learned a lot:

They loved custom tailoring, especially for events and holidays.
Many had horror stories with tailors: missed deadlines, poor quality, outright scams.
Word-of-mouth and visible proof (reviews, testimonials, real photos) were everything.

This was our insight goldmine. And it would guide everything we did next.

My Role

This was a solo project. I led everything from stakeholder interviews to user research, strategy creation to rollout planning.

Interviewed the founder and aligned on goals.
Designed and conducted surveys + interviews with real customers.
Created personas to capture user goals, habits, and trust factors.
Built a strategy that matched what the business wanted with what the audience actually needed.
Defined success metrics for accountability and improvement.

Project Goal: Increase revenue & expand the business in 6 months

The brand had regular customers and occasional new ones popping up here and there, but the business was stagnant with little to no noticeable growth. The cash flow wasn’t exactly flowing. Despite having a ton of cool business ideas, the lack of funds for expansion meant the brand needed a simple, clear plan to turn things around within months.

I took 4 steps to achieve this:

Phase 1: Fix the Foundation

The first three months focused on building visibility, trust, and referrals. Here’s what that looked like:

1. Show Up Online, Loud and Proud

We created a social media content calendar filled with real client stories, behind-the-scenes posts, and “what I ordered vs what I got” transformations. The goal? Make people see that Dee-Ateiler delivers.

2. Turn Festive Seasons into Sales Seasons

We planned 10–15% seasonal discounts to tap into the festive hype especially since most customers shop during holidays.

3. Start a Referral Chain

We launched a simple referral system: existing customers get a discount when they refer someone who places an order. Low cost, high impact.

Phase 2: Attract High-End Clients

With trust building and visibility improving, it was time to reach deeper pockets:

1. Launch a Luxury Line

We designed a small premium collection with top-tier materials, styled and photographed like it was runway-ready.

2. Step Into the Spotlight

We targeted exhibitions like “Kaduna Buy & Sell” to showcase the new line in person where serious shoppers browse.

3. Partner with Boutiques

We mapped out boutiques in high-income neighborhoods and proposed display deals, a win-win for exposure and sales

What Success Looks Like

We set clear, trackable goals so the founder could measure progress and adjust:

📦 20–30 orders in 6 months
💬 2–3 new testimonials/month across social platforms
🎁 5 new customers/month via referrals
🎉 20% increase in festive season sales
🛍 2 boutique partnerships with 3+ items sold/month
🧵 Luxury collection launched + showcased at 1+ event

Reflection

I came into this expecting to open Figma and design a website. Instead, I built something even more impactful, a path to growth for a business that didn’t need fancy tools or a website yet, just clear direction.

This case showed me that UX strategy isn’t limited to pixels and screens. It’s about solving real problems even if that means helping a tailor reach more clients, earn more money, and finally take a break on Sundays.

I hope to update this case with results from Dee-Ateiler soon. Until then, I’ll be cheering from the sidelines (in something custom-made, of course).