“We’d find a mini dress and add lace to it to make it knee length,” says Chaya. “It became a creative pursuit to be unique and different, but to be within fashion. Not just buying a denim skirt that’s knee length because it’s easy.”
But it wasn’t until they were in their 20s that Simi and Chaya took their passion to another level.
They were both newly married when they found themselves living in the US, working jobs they didn’t love. Chaya was in New York selling luxury watches, while Simi was in Cleveland earning $9.75 an hour in retail.
Chaya was on her lunch break one day, chatting on the phone with Simi when it happened.
“We were like, why are we doing these jobs? We can make something for ourselves,” she recalls.
“And I think we always dreamed that for ourselves. To make it big in some way.”
Simi and her husband moved to Crown Heights, and before long, she and Chaya began to be noticed for their unique style: modest, but modern, with an edge.
It had a “chilled” vibe – reminiscent of the Australian surf culture they grew up amongst. And they weren’t afraid to experiment with colours, bold accessories and layering pieces in interesting ways.
Simi also nudged the boundaries by wearing jeans – pants are traditionally a no-no in tzniyut – but she still wore a dress over the top. It literally started a trend.
From there they decided to start a pop-up consignment business of modest designer clothing. They raided thrift stores, and the closets of a handful of stylish Orthodox women they knew to curate a collection. The Frock NYC was born.
There was no such thing as Instagram promotion then. Instead, they cut up a Vogue magazine to create a collage flyer, made copies, and stuck them to lamp posts throughout Crown Heights.
“Our husbands were carrying the clothes in big garbage bags,” Simi says, reflecting on the first pop-up.
It was a major success. Over 200 women attended – “and we made thousands of dollars that night”.
