We’re in a moment where fashion trends seem to be endless, but the larger conversation seems to be about what fashion is missing. Where did the long-lasting staples go? What happened to the brands that catered to tweens? Dallas-based fashion brand She Said aims to address this gap, making a statement with a lifestyle brand that wants to bring back a unique tween look that encourages girls to express themselves.
Started by tween BFFs Charli and Collins and their moms, Christine and Kiley, She Said is playful, casual, and cool. We caught up with the brains behind She Said to find out what inspired the brand and how they’re planning to make She Said a girl-centered lifestyle community.
Showstopper Magazine Online: Charli and Collins, can you tell us a bit about your friendship? What makes you a great team?
Collins: Charli and I met about five years ago, and we live just a few houses down from each other, so we’ve become really close. We both love shopping and fashion, and we’re always doing dances and Cover Star together. Charli definitely has strong opinions about what she likes, which is actually really helpful when we’re making decisions! I’m a little older than Charli, and I think we balance each other out really well.
Charli: Collins and I are always together and have a lot of fun. I look up to her because she’s a little older than me. We both know what we like, but we definitely don’t always agree! I think that actually makes us a good team.
SMO: What inspired you to collaborate on a big project like She Said? Christine and Kiley, how did you all get involved?
Collins: We both loved clothes but were having a hard time finding things we actually wanted to wear. We would shop together and talk about what we wished we could find, and eventually we thought, why don’t we try making some of it ourselves?
Charli: Then we just kept coming up with ideas! We wanted things that were cute, comfortable and actually felt like something we and our friends would wear.
Christine & Kiley: As we talked more about the gap we were seeing for girls this age, the idea became bigger than clothes. We started riffing on the name She Said and what those words could mean: She said, I am enough. She said, I am confident. She said, I am kind. She said, I am worthy. That’s when it really clicked. We wanted to create clothes for this in-between age while also building something that encouraged girls to feel confident in who they are.
From there, we started figuring out how to make it real. We found a manufacturing company in California, and Christine had recently launched another business, so she already had some of the team and resources in place. Then we just started taking action.
There were plenty of starts and stops, and not every partnership worked out the way we hoped, but the girls have been involved every step of the way. About 18 months later, we officially launched.
It’s been a great lesson for all of us: starting a business is hard. Things don’t always happen as quickly or easily as you expect. You have to believe in the idea and keep going.
SMO: A big conversation right now is a decline in fashion for in-between ages, especially middle school-aged kids. How do you think She Said solves some of that problem?
Christine & Kiley: There’s a funny in-between stage where girls have outgrown a lot of children’s clothing but aren’t necessarily ready for what’s being designed for older teenagers. And at the same time, girls this age know exactly what they like.
With our first collection, we decided not to try to do everything at once. We started with the pieces Collins, Charli, and their friends actually live in—great tees, a cozy set, pajamas, and easy pieces they can wear to school, after school or hanging out with friends. We wanted everything to feel current and special without feeling too young or too grown-up.
As She Said grows, we’ll expand and get more creative, but we always want to stay close to what girls this age are actually wearing and asking for. We want to be trend-aware without chasing every trend and create clothes that feel made specifically for this stage of their lives.
SMO: Where do you each find fashion inspiration?
Collins: Dance is a big one for me. I get to see so many different styles through dance and traveling, and I’m always noticing what people are wearing. I also get ideas from social media and my friends, and then I like figuring out how I would wear something in my own way.
Charli: My friends, TikTok, and Pinterest. I also notice what girls are wearing at school. I like things that are cute but still really comfortable, and if I don’t like something, I usually know right away!
Christine: I’ve always loved fashion, so I find inspiration everywhere—travel, social media, and simply seeing what people are wearing. I love going to NorthPark in Dallas and walking the stores to see what’s new and what catches my eye. But with She Said, my biggest inspiration comes from Collins, Charli, and their friends. They have such a clear sense of what they like and what they don’t, and I’ve learned that what resonates with a tween isn’t always what I expect—or what I might choose myself. That’s why their perspective is such an important part of the brand.
Kiley: The girls are a huge source of inspiration for me too. I love seeing how they put things together and make something their own. We pay attention to fashion and social media, but Collins, Charli, and their friends are really our best filter for whether something feels right for She Said. We don’t want girls to feel like they have to copy exactly what someone else is wearing. We want them to take inspiration from what they see, put their own spin on it, and figure out what feels like them.
SMO: What has been your favorite part of the process of launching She Said?
Collins: Seeing something we talked about actually become a real piece of clothing is really cool. And sometimes a sample comes in, and it’s not at all what we imagined! Then we have to figure out what to change and try again. I’ve learned that it can take a few tries to get something right. I also loved our first photo shoot, and we’re getting ready to do our second one!
Charli: I loved the photo shoot! We thought it would be really fun to do our shoots in cool places, so I hope we get to do that more. I also love seeing people actually wear She Said. It’s so cool when I see one of my friends wearing something that we helped make.
Christine: For me, it’s watching the girls experience all sides of building a brand. They’ve seen the work and frustration that can go into developing a product, but they’ve also gotten to experience the really fun parts. Watching an idea they had become something other girls are actually wearing has been pretty special.
Kiley: Watching their excitement and confidence grow has been the best part. They’re learning firsthand how much work goes into bringing an idea to life, and now they get to enjoy sharing it with other girls.
SMO: What are your favorite items in She Said’s debut collection?
Collins: My favorite is the Bow Tee. We have it in pink and blue, and I love it because it’s preppy but still really easy to wear. I love both colors, but I think the blue one is my favorite!
Charli: Definitely the cozy set. It’s really soft and comfortable but still cute. I wear the whole set together, but I wear the pieces separately too.
Christine & Kiley: We love the pieces that have a special meaning behind them. The Luke 18:1 tee is one of our favorites. Our friends, Nicole and Daniel Stickane, created the Luke 18:1 Foundation in honor of their son Luke to raise awareness and funds for spinal muscular atrophy. Their message is “Always pray, never give up,” and we designed the tee as a nod to Luke, their family, and the incredible work they’re doing.
We also love the Star Tee because it features “Kind. Bold. Unstoppable.”—the message at the heart of She Said and what we want every girl to feel about herself.
SMO: It seems like you all are out to do more than have a successful clothing line. Can you tell us about She Said as a community for tweens?
Christine & Kiley: Absolutely. She Said has been rooted in female empowerment from the beginning. Our tagline is “Kind. Bold. Unstoppable.” Our goal is to help girls feel confident in who they are, find their own voice and worry a little less about what everyone else thinks.
We just launched the clothing line, but our vision for She Said has always been bigger than the clothes. As we grow, we want to use platforms like Instagram and TikTok to create a space where younger girls can hear from inspiring older girls who are just a few years ahead of them. We want them to share their stories and advice about confidence, friendships, pursuing a dream, overcoming challenges and simply being yourself. At this age, sometimes hearing it from a girl you look up to can mean more than hearing it from an adult.
We’re starting to bring that idea to life now, and we’re excited to see where the girls themselves take it.
We also include a small journal and friendship bracelet with every order. The journal gives girls a place for their thoughts, ideas and dreams, and the bracelet is a little reminder of friendship and girls supporting girls.
At the heart of She Said is a simple idea: you don’t have to be like everyone else to belong.
Collins: We want girls to feel comfortable being themselves and not worry so much about what everyone else thinks.
Charli: And you don’t have to like something just because all your friends like it. It’s okay to have your own style.
SMO: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about She Said?
Christine & Kiley: We’re really just getting started. It took us about 18 months to launch She Said, and we learned so much along the way. Now we’re excited to grow the collection, listen to the girls, and build the community around it. We’d love for girls and their moms to follow along, share their ideas, and be part of what She Said becomes next.
Collins: We already have so many ideas for what we want to make next, and we want to hear what other girls want too!
Charli: Tell us what you want us to make! We want girls to find something from She Said that feels like them.
Christine & Kiley: Shop the collection at shesaidtrends.com and follow along on Instagram at @shesaidtrends.
