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Dolls Kill
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail, apparel, e-commerce
Founded2011
FounderShoddy Lynn
Bobby Farahi
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Bobby Farahi
  • (CEO & co-founder)
  • Shoddy Lynn
  • (CCO & co-founder)
ProductsClothing, accessories, decor
ServicesOnline retail
Websitewww.dollskill.com

Dolls Kill is a global online fashion brand. The company was named the "Fastest Growing Retailer" in 2014 by Inc. magazine, which also included Dolls Kill as one of the "top companies in San Francisco".[1][2] Dolls Kill operates a retail website that sells clothing, shoes and accessories and features six collections showcased by "Dolls", models that embody character personas for each collection's style.[3] Dolls Kill is known for featuring kawaii, punk, goth, streetwear and festival fashions.[4] Since 2018 it has also licensed and operated the 1990s brand Delia's as a sub-label.[5]

History

Dolls Kill was co-founded in 2011 by Shoddy Lynn, a former DJ who went by the stage name DJ Shoddy Lynn,[6] and her husband Bobby Farahi.[3] Previously, Farahi was the founder and CEO of Multivision Inc., a broadcast monitoring service that was sold to Bacons Information in 2005.[7][8] After Farahi sold his first company, the couple started Dolls Kill and it has reportedly been profitable since its launch.[9] Lynn originally entered the e-commerce business by selling clothing on eBay.[9][10] Later, Dolls Kill was launched as an online marketplace for eccentric accessories such as colorful fox tails before expanding its business to a full clothing and accessories online store.[11] The idea for the company stemmed from Lynn's experiences as a DJ while traveling to music festivals on tour.[9]

In 2014, Dolls Kill secured $5 million in a Series A round of funding from Maveron,[10] a Seattle-based venture capital firm who has also invested in companies such as Shutterfly, eBay, zulily and Pinkberry.[12] After the funding round, Betsy McLaughlin, former CEO of Hot Topic, joined the company's board of directors.[9] Dolls Kill was the fastest growing private company in the San Francisco Bay Area based on revenue percent growth in 2014.[13]

In the summer of 2017 Dolls Kill opened its first pop-up shop in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury.[14]

In 2018, the brand licensed and re-launched the Delia's brand with a 1990s-throwback theme.[5][15] In December of that year the brand raised $18 million in a funding round.[16]

Controversy

In 2020, Lynn shared a photo of a line of police officers in front of a Dolls Kill store in Los Angeles with the caption "Direct Action in its glory", along with the Black Lives Matter hashtag, on her Instagram page.[17] This prompted backlash from some internet users, including celebrities SZA and Rico Nasty, and calls for a boycott of Dolls Kill.[17][18] In a recorded video Lynn explained that the caption of her post “Direct Action” was meant to show solidarity for the movement. The company also pledged $1 million to purchase products from black-owned fashion brands and designers for their site.[17][18]

Dolls Kill has also been accused of stealing designs from small creators. In 2016, Dolls Kill listed an item that featured a design that was identical to one made by independent designer Nicole Orchard. [19]

Marketing methods

Dolls Kill is an e-commerce apparel website that uses social media marketing to promote its brand and clothing.[20] Similar to companies such as Hot Topic, Spencer Gifts, Nasty Gal, Wanelo, or ModCloth, Dolls Kill operates various accounts on social media platforms showcasing its products and collections.[21] The company also uses social media to turn customers into brand ambassadors. When users share images of themselves on platforms such as Instagram wearing the site's apparel, Dolls Kill will in turn feature the photo on the site with links to the product's purchase page.[22][23]

Dolls Kill offers clothing products, such as tops, bottoms, dresses, swimwear, outerwear, and lingerie. The company also provides accessories, including bags and belts, beauty, hats and jewelry. In addition, it offers shoes, tights, and socks.[24] Registration is not required to shop on the Dolls Kill website, but users can create accounts to save billing and shipping information. The site is shut down for six hours before Black Friday.[23]

Dolls Kill features six collections represented by characters known as "Dolls." Each Doll is a model that embodies the style of the collection's theme:[25][26]

  • Coco, the feminine and girly collection referred to as "frilly Kawaii"
  • Mercy, the dark, mysterious goth collection or haute Goth
  • Willow, the laid-back, vintage collection for festival fashion
  • Darby, the punk-rock, alternative collection[21]
  • Kandi, the Electronic Dance Music (EDM), raver collection that lives a lifestyle of PLUR.
  • Mia, the collection that stays on top of online clothing trends.

References

  1. ^ "The 2014 Inc. 5000". Inc. 2014. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Top Companies in the San Francisco Metro Area on the 2014 Inc. 5000". Inc. 2014. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b Cook, John (12 August 2014). "Maveron bankrolls edgy girls apparel retailer Dolls Kill, an online boutique for 'Misfits & Miss legits'". GeekWire. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  4. ^ Novellino, Teresa (13 February 2013). "With Olapic, your models—err, we mean customers—are money". Upstart Business Journal. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  5. ^ a b Brooke, Eliza (November 2, 2018). "Delia's, the iconic '90s fashion catalog, is back — sort of". Vox. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  6. ^ "Sourpuss Interviews Dolls Kill!". SourPuss. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  7. ^ Brown, Steven E.F. (30 January 2005). "Multivision: Big profits from the small screen". San Francisco Business Times. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Multivision sold to Chicago company". San Francisco Business Times. 1 November 2005. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d Del Rey, Jason (11 August 2014). "Flesh, Drugs and Instagram: How Dolls Kill Built a Breakout Online Fashion Brand". Recode. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  10. ^ a b Hagan Cain, Robyn (11 August 2014). "Fashion Math: eBay + Social Media = Retail Jackpot". Racked. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  11. ^ "One Teaspoon Clothing Now Available In The USA On Dolls Kill". QualityArticle. 20 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Dolls Kill Closes $5 Million in Series A Funding led by Maveron". FashInvest. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  13. ^ "The Bay Area's 100 largest fastest-growing private companies Ranked by Percent growth". American City Business Journals. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Dolls Kill, the Nasty Gal for People Too Cool for Nasty Gal, Goes Mainstream". Racked. 21 August 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  15. ^ Krentcil, Faran (November 2, 2018). "The Delia*s Catalog Is Back". Elle. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  16. ^ Loizos, Connie (December 24, 2018). "Dolls Kill is raising up to $15 million for its edgy fashion brand made for 'misfits'". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  17. ^ a b c Smith-Engelhardt, Joe (June 1, 2020). "People Are Calling for a Dolls Kill Boycott Over the Owner's Protest Comment". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Okon, Wongo (June 4, 2020). "SZA And Rico Nasty Condemn Dolls Kill For Calling The Police On Black Lives Matter Protestors". Uproxx. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  19. ^ SFGATE, Ariana Bindman (2021-02-18). "Designers accuse buzzy SF fashion startup of plagiarism". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  20. ^ "How Fashion Brands Lululemon, Free People and Dolls Kill are Increasing on Site Engagement & Sales". PR Couture. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  21. ^ a b Mishkin, Sarah; Paton, Elizabeth (30 April 2014). "The new style counsel start-ups". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  22. ^ Forte, Daniela (22 June 2015). "5 Tips to Turn Followers into Buyers". Access Intelligence, LLC. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  23. ^ a b Quittner, David (26 November 2015). "'Tis the Season to Sell, Sell, Sell: How Fast-growth Companies Manage Black Friday". Inc.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  24. ^ "Company Overview of Dolls Kill, Inc". Business Week. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on November 23, 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  25. ^ Witkowsky, Chris (12 August 2014). "Maveron leads $5 mln funding in Dolls Kill". Reuters, PE Hub. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  26. ^ "About Dolls Kill". Dolls Kill. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
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