March 13, 2024
Provided Image/Made by Taylor Nicole
Taylor Zubkousky has been selling Philly sports-themed apparel through her Made by Taylor Nicole company for four years. She has now added bridal-themed clothing to her business.
Like many people during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor Zubkousky picked up a distracting creative hobby. The Temple University alum began tie-dying clothes for herself before doing it for her friends and eventually her social media followers.
What started as a diversion evolved into a career. Four years later, Zubkousky now runs a successful Philly sports-themed apparel company, Made by Taylor Nicole — which has reeled in more than 10,000 followers on Instagram thanks to unique and trendy game-day clothing. And last week, she launched a second, bridal-themed clothing brand, Bridal by MBTN, which sells customizable clothes for brides, bridesmaids and bachelorette trips.
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"Bridal has always been something that I dreamed of working in some aspect. I would say growing up, my dream job was being a wedding planner," said Zubkousky, who has also been an NHL cheerleader for the Philadelphia Flyers for the past six years.
"So in the back of my mind, I always wanted to try to dive into that industry, it was just a matter of when. So I think last year, I really saw a growth in my business ... and I really gained a good following and customer base. So I took that opportunity now to expand into something that was a little bit more my passion, which was bridal, and I know that there's always going to be a market for bridal."
If social media is any indicator, the bridal market does in fact seem to be booming at the moment, with brides and their bridesmaids planning elaborate, Insta-worthy destination bachelorette parties outfitted in matching shirts and jam-packed with boozy activities planned down to the minute.
Currently, Zubkousky's bridal line includes crewnecks with marriage-related words like "forever," "fiancé," "bride" and "wifey." She also offers customizable T-shirts and crewnecks for bachelorette trips and bridal parties. Zubkousky works with a graphic designer, and all her items are customizable. She said she'll also offer rotating themes based on bachelorette trends she finds on TikTok to ensure that bridesmaids can find gear that matches their trip's theme. So far, the themes include "bikinis and martinis," "the perfect match" and "she's tying the knot."
The Made by Taylor Nicole bridal line includes customizable bachelorette trip T-shirts.
"I'm 26," Zubkousky said. "I see all of my friends getting engaged and wedding planning. It's hard to find trendy pieces that are affordable and customized to what you want. I feel like (Etsy is) where everyone will go and you just never know what you're gonna get with that. Being a local seller is something that kind of makes me stand out. ...
"A lot of people know my Philly sports stuff, so they can trust that they're gonna get their pieces or can have a conversation with me to come up with something that they want."
Expanding Made by Taylor Nicole to include bridal attire was made possible by the success of Zubkousky's Philly sports-themed apparel.
After about a year of selling custom-order tie-dye pieces early in the pandemic — as she struggled to find a job in the corporate world — Zubkousky saw the potential to fully lean into her marketing degree and creativity. She pivoted her small tie-dye business to appeal to a larger audience — passionate Philadelphia sports fans, a clientele she knew all too well as a cheerleader for the Flyers. Working with the Flyers also gave Zubkousky a front-row seat to what was missing in sports fan apparel.
"I knew just from seeing people at Flyers games, the lack of apparel focusing in on trends and women's fashion," Zubkousky said. "Everything's pretty much unisex and while that's great, I feel like some people do just want to stand out a little bit more and have something that's a little different from everyone else."
She now offers sweatshirts, hats, sweaters, T-shirts and more that are organized into categories: Philadelphia football, baseball, basketball and hockey. She said that her football merch has been the most popular, especially in the wake of the Eagles' run to the Super Bowl last year. She's currently preparing to launch a new line of baseball-themed clothing on March 22, in honor of the start of the Phillies' season.
Zubkousky plans to continue running and expanding both her sports offerings and her bridal line.
"I feel like for me, with Philly sports, there's always that slow in-between period," she said. "Like right now, we're kind of just waiting for baseball to start. So I saw that avenue to weave into when I'm not as busy doing Philly sports stuff. So I hope to grow both of (the brands) simultaneously."
Customers can browse and purchase Made by Taylor Nicole products online.
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