Create & Cultivate 100: Fashion: Something Navy

THE RECORD BREAKER. 

There are bloggers, and then there's Arielle Noa Charnas of Something Navy.

With north of one million Instagram followers, Charnas’ exclusive clothing collection with retail giant Nordstrom is reported to have raked in more than $1 million in sales in just 24 hours, earning her the coveted title of "super influencer." If you're charmed by Charnas, you're not alone. The 30-year-old entrepreneur, wife, and mother has found success on her own terms, building big business out of the breakup blues. After starting Something Navy in 2008 in the aftermath of a split, her authenticity, effortlessness, and devotion to family have kept the likes rolling in—talk about living well being the best revenge.

Find out how Charnas stays inspired more than a decade later, and why it's all blue skies ahead for Something Navy (hint: it involves another baby!)

Name: Arielle Noa Charnas

Instagram: @SomethingNavy

You've created a life on your own terms. What does that mean to you?

I didn’t conform to the social standards or look at what other people were doing around me. When I started blogging, there was no thought of it being an aspirational career. I didn’t do it for anyone else, but for myself as an outlet to get over a break-up from a boyfriend. I feel like I’ve grown my audience by being authentic, sincere, and honest. I’m not trying to be someone I’m not—I’m a 30-year-old wife and mom to a toddler who prefers to be at home with her family in sweatpants, over a red carpet event.

"Yes, those jeans from last season are still very, very cool." That's a line from you that we love. Especially because it's really hard for young girls trying to keep up-- no one has an endless budget. If you had to start today on a limited budget, how would you do it?

I’ve been there and started blogging with a limited budget. Besides stealing designer pieces from my older sister and mom, I loved going to H&M and Zara—which I still do to this day! As long as you have staple key pieces in your wardrobe, you can easily mix in fun trendy shoes and other accessories from Aldo and Steve Madden.

I’ve been there and started blogging with a limited budget.

What do you think it was about you that brought the masses? And how do you continue to keep them engaged?

Instagram is what changed everything for me, bringing in a whole new audience that may not have stumbled across my blog before. Other than that, it allowed me to really showcase more of my personality and the person behind the staged/modeling blog photos. I was now able to share a closer look into my life that included my husband (boyfriend at the time), friends, and family. Once Snapchat and Instagram Stories came about, that allowed me to share an even more in-depth behind the scenes and I think my followers are captivated by it because they genuinely feel as though they know me.

Let's chat your collection with Nordstrom. It was an INSANE success. The numbers blew everyone's expectations out of the water. Was that a pinch-me moment?

My Nordstrom collection was an absolute dream — it was the pinnacle of my career to even have the opportunity to design and create my own clothing line with the best household name retailer. Then to see the incredible reaction and hear how successful it was...it was and still is surreal.

After you recovered from the excitement, what kind of business strategy went through your head?

What crossed my mind is how can I do this over and over again because I have so much more I want to do with them! And I want to keep riding this high forever.

"I want to keep riding this high forever."

Tweet this. 

What do you think is your secret weapon?

With everything I do, I deliver it with honesty— and with that, I’ve gained trust. Any sponsored jobs I speak to, I’ve tested it out and stand behind the product 100% before I sign onto the deal. 

When you hit a career bump in the road, what drives you forward?

Reminding myself my intentions for why I started doing what I’m doing and what led me to live out this dream job. At one point, the few followers and comments I would get on my blog posts motivated me and helped me feel content about myself and instill positivity. I read through each of my comments and DMS and they still continue to do so, but now I aspire to deliver back whatever that reason may be that people follow me: advice, fashion and beauty tips, or just pure entertainment to escape for a moment from their own life. 

What are you most excited about for 2018?

A fresh start and a new beginning. I have a better understanding of what my goals are and I just want to keep doing what I love doing. 

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