Industry Spotlight: Mia Triandafilou

By: Michelle Drabovsky

In light of the novel Coronavirus and the boredom that struck with it, clumped up in their homes, many students decided to start their own businesses. Ranging from making masks to baking cookies, most of these businesses didn’t stick until the end of quarantine. But Mia Triandafilou's business didn't just stick, it flourished.

At the age of 18, incoming Ohio State Undergraduate Mia Triandafilou started her own business selling clothes. After coming up with the idea of selling vintage hoodies and tie-dyeing clothes, it didn’t take too much longer until Everythinggroovy was born. What started out as a fun hobby to pass time turned into 5,000 sales in 25 minutes. Triandafilou now collaborates with Ellie Zieler and many other verified accounts and sends products to Pop Sugar and Soul Cycle. Triandafilou now manages her business from the heart of the Ohio State campus. With the help of her family, she is able to keep up with customers and continues to come up with new ideas each week.

MD: What inspired you to start Everythinggroovy? How did you come up with the idea?

MT: EG honestly started spontaneously during the quarantine. It was during the time where no one was leaving their houses and I definitely needed something to do. I definitely was thinking about it for a while until one day I suddenly decided to just order the stuff. My first sets - I have to admit looking back now - weren’t the best! But as they got better, my friends started loving them more. I made the name Everythinggroovy randomly with the idea that I could change it in the future. However, it stuck!

MD: What was the hardest part of starting your own business? Did you ever feel like giving up? What helped you stick with it?

MT: The process was definitely challenging. It wasn’t until my first big drop I realized, holy crap, I have all of this money from people who believe in me and like my products, I hope I can make them happy. I think the customer feedback was what made me stick with it though. I remember one girl DMing me to say her sweatshirt was delivered on the anniversary of her grandfather's death (she got the same school that he went to). Hearing messages like those helped me realize how much more EG was than just clothing.

MD: What effect did transitioning from living at home to living on campus have on your business?

MT: As much as I hate to admit it, transitioning to college definitely slowed down the process at first. Now requiring daily phone calls to my mother and sister who help me in more ways than I can list.

MD: How are you managing to continue Everythinggroovy while being at college?

MT: None of this would have been possible without the help of my family. I come up with the ideas and run the business side, however, my sister Lilly Triandafilou does a ton. She makes sure orders go out and gets everything to where it needs to be. I am so incredibly thankful for all of her help and couldn’t have done it without her.

MD: You’ve accomplished so much in just a couple of months. In general, what have you done to market your brand in order for it to grow so much?

MT: I think Everythinggroovy is so much more than just clothes. It’s a lifestyle and a brand I created in the hopes that people would want to share that dream with me. I created an environment that is free of judgment, inclusive to anyone. I hope that people love what I do just as much as I do. I remember waking up and looking forward to making new designs to show you guys. I think my giveaways also helped so much. Using my own money, I was able to auction off items. I remember the girl that won the Golden Gooses was someone who lives in Iowa and was so thankful. I have no way to explain the joy I felt that day shipping out those shoes to her.

MD: What would you say to a college student who is thinking of starting their own business in the fashion industry?

MT: Do it! It’s a lot of trial and error. Trust me it took lots of time and months to get to where my business is now (and I still have so much more growing to do). All I can say is that feeling of doing something you love and hearing positive feedback is worth more than anything in the world.

Connect with Mia @miatriandafilou on Instagram or check out her designs @everythinggroovyy. Support Everythinggroovy at https://everythinggroovymrt.com.