Coco & Breezy: They Came. The Saw. They Conquered.
In 2008, a pair of twins descended upon New York City in hopes of expressing themselves without feeling like they didn’t belong. These feelings of being outsiders disconnected them from their hometown in Minnesota. These same thoughts are what brought millions more to the same city. But conquering the Big Apple tends to be tumultuous and inevitably exhausting.
Ever had that thought – “if there were only two of me, then…”?
That’s exactly how these twin entrepreneurs, ‘Coco’ and ‘Breezy’ Dotson, manifested their dreams to become the brightest duo in sunglasses and New York City. Born in Indiana and formerly of Apple Valley, Minnesota, having never lived on their own, the duo founded their company in 2009. Lovers of problem-solving, they figured out how to balance living together and loving what they do in The City That Never Sleeps.
Coco & Breezy, eyewear designers, Cassell Inc.
If you’re comparing apples to oranges based on those last few sentences, then you missed out on the nuances of partnership and loyalty. Both Coco and Breezy were fortunate enough to experience life and all they have done as a pair. So much that it is their brand name and aesthetic - you need two eyes to have 20/20 vision.
These sisters had the vision and still do to this day. They are always traveling for the various activities that keep their business going, growing, and expanding into areas they never could have imagined.
When arriving in New York City, during a great recession, Coco and Breezy were making sunglasses with the resources they could find at the time. They make some of the most unique eyewear some have ever seen. They brought their personal touch to the city and fashion. They aren’t hard to miss in the streets as well, often seen DJing at parties and events in some cool fits that reflect their individuality.
An iconic study, they created the famed “third-eye” sunglasses for the late Prince (‘The Artist Formerly Known As’). They have now ascended to such heights that brands like Samsung lenses, Pandora, and Transitions lenses have taken notice and tapped them for their vision.
“Being a young individual without a lot of experience, especially growing up in the suburbs, we were ignorant about a lot of things. So we were also a little naive. And that was pretty challenging because we look at certain things that happen to us and we’re just like, ‘Oh My Gosh!’”
says Coco.
Coco & Breezy, eyewear designers, Cassell Inc.
Having a general second opinion is a clutch piece, amid the fog that is fashion and business. Building off of their unavoidable mistakes as young businesswomen, they are in tune with each playing their roles in business meetings. Coco often has a scope of the big picture and the scene in which things take place. Breezy is a straightforward character. This makes them an assertive and efficient team.
“People think they can change your dreams. You’re like, ‘oh my gosh I just met this person who’s gonna – change my whole career.’ It’s because you don’t know anything else. And what comes from that situation is learning. You learn from those situations in order to grow,”
states Coco.
Coco & Breezy, eyewear designers, Cassell Inc.
As efficient as they are now, they were at times pressed in situations that any young businessperson would be intimidated by. Offers of interest into their Coco & Breezy brand grew early and the sharks came swimming. Approached with deals that would buy out fifty percent of their namesake, and only pay a small amount in return, the twin sisters were patient instead and valued their crafts a great deal. Not quick to say who or what, but Breezy opens up about an experience.
“At that time, we were struggling and had no idea how that process worked. It sounded like a lot of money but it really wasn’t.”
Breezy continues,
“but we always knew our worth.” She adds, “we have a really good support system as well. Even to this day, as adults, there’s always going to be someone who tries to take advantage of the two of us.”
Moving forward without any investors to this day, the twins are expanding their vision for their eponymous brand. Coco explains,
“when you first start a business you get super excited about it. But when you’re scaling you can be a little nervous, like, ‘I have no idea what I’m doing’. Then I found out that no one knows what they’re doing in that process and that’s okay. You just have to ask questions.”
Breezy, eyewear designer, Cassell Inc.
Breezy adds,
“I think something that we did – that we mastered – with all the mistakes that we made, we never allowed them to bring us down. We always learned from our mistakes, as cliché as it may sound. Any challenge that came our way we were ready to conquer it. Our nerdy side loves problem-solving – so it could be a life challenge, or a business challenge, a family challenge, we always knew there was a solution.”
Finding a mentor in New York City served to be one of the most valuable things that those two could have done. It was a solution to a lot of their problems and a key investment in their business. Meeting Sharifa Murdock, founder of Liberty Fairs fashion trade show, helped Coco and Breezy early on. She was one of the first people they met when they arrived in the city. She was there to answer any questions they had whether it be for business or regarding their family. Murdock provided keen advice the ladies would later infuse into their shared lifestyle and business.
“She is literally the epitome of – she exudes the passion of [women] wanting to help women.”
Coco can’t help but acknowledge the importance of her counsel throughout their journey.
Coco, eyewear designer, Cassell Inc.
Lorca, an idea that was born from the mentorship of Murdock, is the result of “saving money, not buying designer clothes and instead, buying property” Coco boasts. Copped with two other partners, this compound, settled with four separate housing units on three acres of land, is intended to be a space for fostering creativity and positive energy.
Coco and Breezy take pride in their ownership of the property, renovating it, and sharing the space as a new premise on vacationing upstate not too far from New York City in the Catskill mountains. They are offering the spaces to Millennials and Generation Z as the new way to disconnect and release from the stress of the city.
They have already partnered with some direct to consumer brands to furnish the cabin homes, including bedding by BrookLinen, interior wall paint by Backdrop, kitchen utensils from Year&Day, and digital art from a company called Meural that specializes in modern frames for classic and modern art pieces.
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