Carrie Colbert’s business of fashion
Carrie Colbert didn’t consider herself much of a fashion plate growing up in Perryton.
She was a nerdy competitive golfer who excelled at math and science. She wore golf clothes most of the time.
“I clearly knew nothing about fashion,” says Colbert, founder and owner of Wear + Where + Well, a fashion and lifestyle website. “We were very into sports, which are a big part of small-town life. We were two hours from nearest airport or mall, and I joke that the nearest Walmart was in Kansas City, so we really were isolated. ”
The thiry-something Colbert is the oldest of four sisters; her father, Dan Colbert, is a cattle rancher, and her mother, Mindy, is a retired kindergarten teacher. Her grandmother, Rita Colbert, who now lives in Dallas, was the stylish one. She didn’t have a college degree, but she worked her way up at the local bank. She became a vice president — and she stylishly dressed that part.
“My grandmother always dressed professionally and wore business suits,” Colbert said. “My first job interviews, she loaned me some business suits. She was the one I looked to for fashion.”
Cobert graduated valedictorian from high school and earned a full ride to study petroleum engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated at the top of her class. She went to work as an engineer at several Houston oil companies and later earned an MBA from UT in 2009.
At work, her go-to look was something unconventional: a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. Colbert wanted to add “personality” in her style.
She began to study fashion websites, including Net-APorter.com and ModaOperandi.com, in her off time. In 2014, Colbert launched her site, wearwherewell.com, as a way to channel her growing interest in fashion and create a business outside the engineering world.
“It’s always been a business idea. I know there are a lot of fashion blogs for hobbies, but I treat it like a business,” she said.
Her goal is to have a premier luxury fashion and travel website, which also offers users vital, well-curated information.
“It’s been fun to see how my business background gives me a different perspective on how I approach fashion and the site,” she said. “Engineering teaches you how to think and process data, and that helps me tremendously looking at the business of fashion.”
Earlier this year, Colbert resigned from her engineering job to work on her site full time. Her long-time partner, Bob Hogan, a partner in a private equity firm, is a sounding board for her business strategies and development.
“It’s grown really fast. When I started, I had about 3,000 Instagram followers, and now I have 55,000, and the level of deals and partnerships has been tremendous.”
Colbert’s Instagram and website are filled with pretty photos of her in chic looks, but she said posing for the camera is her least favorite thing to do.
“I’m not on social media for the sake of social media. The photos are all vehicles to drive traffic to my site. It’s something you have to do,” she said. “I’m a bit older and have had a long career, so I think my approach (to fashion blogging and sites) is different. It was never my intent to be a fan and get free stuff. I want a sustainable business that continues to grow.”
Colbert now wears golf clothes only when she’s playing golf in some faraway travel destination. Her wardrobe is filled with designers like Sachin + Babi and Valentino. She even calls Italian shoe designer Giuseppe Zanotti a friend.
“I’m working harder than ever did, but it’s growing.”