As part of our ongoing By Women series—which spotlights the best women-owned products and companies—we’re talking to Daryl-Ann Denner, an influencer and founder of three-year-old wardrobe basics brans nuuds. With this series, we’re committed to giving female founders who own 51% or more of their business a platform. This not only allows them to introduce their brilliant products to a wide and potentially new audience, but it also helps you—the discerning shopper—discover the best stuff out there.
While the rest of us were buying into the manic swirl of microtrends that defined fashion in a post-Covid world—remember Barbiecore?—Daryl-Ann Denner was quietly building an empire by doing the opposite: perfecting the basics. With its easy tees, slinky ribbed tanks, and the kind of high-waisted leggings that make you question other pairs you own, nuuds has quietly become a destination for people who understand the benefits of building a solid foundational wardrobe.
Like other fashion brands that are built around the idea of “essentials,” nuuds has expanded its offering to include more than just hero tees and tanks—shoppers can also pick up loungewear, pajamas, swimsuits, and lightweight knits. But unlike many brands that share its similar DNA, nuuds isn’t flashy or reliant on selling sex. It doesn’t have buzzy campaign stars or controversial drops. It’s just very good, which in 2025, should be enough, right?
Founded in 2022, the idea for nuuds was born the way so many successful brands are—with the desire to fill a personal void. Denner, a high school chemistry teacher turned influencer who opted daily for a uniform of jeans and tees, spent years looking for the perfect basics and struggled to find pieces that fit and flattered her body post-pregnancy. And her engaged social media followers—around 2 million—agreed, sharing their own experiences with attempting to source quality essentials that fit a variety of bodies.
So, Denner leveraged the feedback and set out to create a one-stop-shop for accessible, high-quality staples. After 18 months of development, she launched nuuds in October 2022. (If she was looking for validation, she found it when the brand’s six hero styles sold out within the first seven minutes.)
What makes the brand particularly unique is its community-first approach—Denner used her position as an aspirational but highly relatable influencer to build her company based on input from her loyal following, and every product and launch is still shaped by their feedback and insights. A strategy that’s paid off, given the company says 75% of sales are driven by returning customers.
Below, Denner talks about the challenges of starting her business, her morning routine, her productivity POV, and more.
Glamour: You launched nuuds in 2022. Why did you feel like it was a good time to launch a company when you did?
Daryl-Ann Denner: I’d been creating content and engaging with my followers for years, and always thought that getting dressed every day should be simple. I’m constantly looking for the best products and because I’m always listening to feedback from my community, I knew firsthand how hard it was to find great basics that make people of all body types feel their most confident and comfortable. My family and I kept saying, “Why hasn’t someone made a T-shirt that fits all of us? One that’s actually flattering and high quality?” nuuds was born as the answer to that question. After 18 months in development, I launched in October 2022, alongside my husband and co-founder, Daniel. Every piece is thoughtfully designed with the feedback and support of the incredible, highly-engaged community that’s been with me from the start.
Was it scary? What was one particular challenge you still think about?
Of course! It was terrifying. But I was willing to bet on myself. One challenge was that on the day of our launch, ten minutes before the website was supposed to go live, it stopped working. The web developers told us it was going to take three hours to get it back up and running. We told them they had ten minutes. We had a PR statement drafted, and we were so nervous, but they made it happen and we launched on time.
nuuds Slinky Rib Racer Tank
Do you think consumers care about who actually owns the businesses they spend on? If not, should they?
I think so. Or, I think they’re starting to. But it’s all connected—because of who our team is, our product is the way it is. And once people try it, they’re obsessed. Our brand is built by real people, for real people. And while customers will choose to try the brands of people they believe in, I also firmly believe that the product speaks for itself, and the product is the reason that our customers keep coming back.
