Startup Spotlight #17:?Sense-ational You

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I got the chance to speak with Julia DeNey, founder and CEO of Sense-ational You, about what she’s working on at her startup, and any advice she has for emerging entrepreneurs.

During Julia DeNey’s time at Cornell, she connected with Racker, a local organization that supports people with disabilities through their lifespan. She volunteered with their pre-school program, where she learned how difficult finding clothing can be for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). This led to her working with educators and local families to develop prototypes of clothing designed to meet the needs of these children. What began as a passion project, grew into her new business. Sense-ational You is a clothing brand that focuses on meeting the functional, aesthetic, and expressive needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).

Startup Spotlight: Sense-ational You

Sense-ational You founder and CEO Julia DeNey.

Problem: Children with ASD and SPD can have great discomfort from the material of their clothes, the seams inside their garments, and the tags attached, which can lead to their unwillingness to wear clothing as well as their inability to learn and pay attention as the stimuli can be very overwhelming. Children often feel socially isolated because of the clothing they wear since there are very limited sensory-friendly options and the functional garments and tools they depend on are often very noticeable and un-fashionable.

Market: At least 1 in 59 people has ASD and at least 1 in 20 people has SPD, with numbers increasing each year. Our customers are the parents of these children as well as the children themselves, who want to be able to be fashionable and express themselves while having their needs met.

Solution: All the clothing made by Sense-ational You is made with soft materials, flat seams, no tags, and easy on-and-off systems, additionally clothing that goes beyond sensory-friendly to offer a selection of clothing that has increased functionality is offered, from hidden compression linings to sound-reducing hoods. We are creating fashionable options for these children so that they can express themselves through fashion, gain confidence, and increase their independence, while still having their needs met.

Team: Julia DeNey, the founder of Sense-ational You, graduated from Cornell University in May 2020. She graduated with distinction with a major in Fashion Design and minors in Business and Human Development.

Recent Success:

DeNey: I have been able to connect with a lot of autism parents and autistic adults who have been providing amazing feedback, insight, and encouragement as we move forward towards our launch. Everyone within the community is very responsive and truly wants to help. The positive feedback received has cemented the great need for our product. It is clear that the needs of this population have been ignored for a long time and I am excited to bring them into the spotlight with fashion. The autism community is so welcoming and uplifting; they are an incredibly inspiring group and it is an honor to be brought into the fold so that I listen to their experiences.

Recent Struggle:

DeNey: It has been challenging to know who the right vendors and manufacturers are to partner with to end up with the best quality product at the end of production. Knowing that I want this product to best serve the customers, the final product needs to be the best that it can be to serve its purpose. These are also unique products that have not been produced before and therefore not all factors will be able to produce these garments the way they need to be produced. Simultaneously with quality, I am being very conscious of price, which can be a large barrier for this community that has increased bills from therapies, and the conditions under which our clothing is created. We will only select vendors, materials, and production facilities that are socially and environmentally sustainable. The fashion industry overlooks these human elements of production way too often, but it is our responsibility to make sure our supply chains are ethical. This is overwhelming as a new founder who is just beginning, as I want to make sure I make all the right choices.

Founder Advice:

DeNey: Get connected with as many other founders and entrepreneurs as you can, especially in our related field. It is incredible how many like-minded founders are out there connected in many different Slack and Facebook groups who are all willing to help each other be successful. They are a great resource for advice and referrals. Starting can be very intimidating, but having a community that supports and lifts you makes the process of starting or growing your business a lot less stressful and a lot more fun.

Three Cool Founders You Should Know About:

DeNey: Here are three founders you should check out next!

• Shoshana Swell, Founder of This is My Spacesuit: This is My Spacesuit is a space-inspired fashion brand that educates and inspires anyone to blast off.
• Enrique Sanchez-Rivera, Founder of La Isla Fashion Group: La Isla is a private label and full package swimwear and athletic wear manufacturing company.
• Kyong Kim, Founder of Sea Salt Kids: Seasalt Kids is a kids swimwear company and produces girls swimwear using sustainable, eco-friendly fabrics regenerated from post-consumer recycled materials, including plastics and fishing nets.

Want news on the hottest startups delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to my mailing list, Founder to Founder (F2F): f2f.substack.com. Check out my latest F2F stories: 

• Startup Spotlight #86: Taonga
• Case Study: This Founder Doesn't Believe In Product-Market Fit. Yet His Startup Is Growing Rapidly.