We had the good fortune of connecting with Niki Schwan and Jessica Penzari and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Niki Schwan and Jessica Penzari, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

It was unexpected and serendipitous. As best friends who have always collaborated on each other’s projects throughout the years, the pandemic presented an opportunity for us to create something together.

Niki Schwan: I have an extensive career in fashion. I’m a creative director, celebrity stylist, designer and I’ve worked with celebrities from Scarlett Johansson to Nicki Minaj.

Jessica Penzari: I’m a publicist who has represented some of the world’s most well known brands.

When the pandemic hit we found ourselves out of work for the first time, asking ourselves what was next. We knew we wanted to create something special that adds inherent value to your journey. We started exploring industries that we are passionate about and products that we knew really made a difference in your daily routine. Ultimately, we wanted to create something that would elevate your lifestyle, empower women and give back at the same time.

We’re both advocates for all things plant magic, and knew that cannabis was a very powerful ingredient when applied topically. We also wanted to do something different. We set out to create a unique approach to beauty essentials. We created retro luxe refillable packaging and focused on formulas with clean, potent flower infused ingredients that are highly effective.

It’s our mission to make sustainability sexy! We were bored with the crunchy branding we typically see with eco-friendly and CBD brands. Everything about our brand pops, from our neon color palette, to our cheeky provocative imagery, and of course our name. Nakie Coquette is a double entendre for our brand, Nakie (naked) referring to our pure ingredients and Coquette (flirt), referring to our cheeky approach.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

What really sets us apart is our keepsake and collectible approach to beauty. We wanted to capture a retro and luxury vibe that is reminiscent of vintage Avon. We set out to create containers that are just too beautiful to throw away, something you could refill and keep forever but that would also elevate your lifestyle and illuminate your vanity.

We also knew we wanted our branding to be provocative and cheeky, totally different from most CBD beauty and sustainable brands on the market. Sustainability is super important to us, we took painstaking care to source the most earth friendly materials possible. From compostable labels, glass bottles sealed with cork and wax, aluminum refill pans and protective packaging that is meant to be repurposed.

We have learned so much in such a short time since launching Nakie Coquette! One of the biggest challenges has been navigating the CBD space. We were frankly shocked to see the blatant censorship and ridiculous barriers for a topical CBD brand. From securing high risk credit card processors, to paying exorbitant fees, to insane restrictions in marketing like being censored on Instagram.

We are also committed to making a difference and giving back. We are grateful to our charitable partners including PERIOD, a student led organization that is striving to eradicate period poverty. We support a Menstruator in need for their entire monthly cycle with each Luxe Balm purchased. We also plant one tree for each Rosehip Roleplay Face Oil purchased with One Tree Planted.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Niki Schwan: As a native, there are so many places to explore, but first and foremost (of course) anyone that comes to LA needs to see the ocean-and we always love Malibu beaches, especially the coves like El Matador. I suggest packing a picnic and enjoying food (& wine) with your toes in the sand! Paradise Cove in Malibu is also a great spot for good drinks and yummy food. Pro tip: reserve a daybed there and hang beachside while you lounge and get served amazing food and drinks with a killer front view view of the ocean!

It’s always a fun time to pop into one of LA’s dispensaries and then head on over to Venice Beach to enjoy the boardwalk. Don’t forget to head North on over to Santa Monica Pier because there is nothing quite like a sunset view from the Santa Monica pier-it’s especially great to time a ride on the Ferris wheel right as the sun sets over the ocean!

LA has some great hiking trails! A lesser known gem is the trails at Griffith Park, or head east and explore the trails of Pasadena or Altadena. I like to avoid trendy Runyon canyon-but let’s be clear, if you’re hoping to really experience the “LA scene” and beautiful people, Runyon is your hike.

A day at The Getty is a must! The Getty Center is the ultimate modern museum to experience art from the middle ages to today, set among modern architecture and gardens overlooking the most spectacular view of Los Angeles. But shhh don‘t tell anyone, but I especially love Getty O.G.- the Getty Villa Museum, a Roman inspired country home set atop the Pacific Coast Highway. The Getty Villa literally takes you back in time- the dreamiest place possible to experience Greek & Roman art, ocean breezes and tranquil vintage inspired gardens.

Lastly, LA is always a fun spot to thrift shop! Some favorites include thrifting on Melrose, Ventura Blvd, Echo Park and Silverlake too-all great areas for cute cafes & local small businesses we like to support!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We are so grateful to the many people who have lent us their talents in the beginning stage of our brand journey! There are so many people that have really showed up for us, and we can’t thank them enough. Here are some of the highlights.

Our branding and poppy visuals with retro flair is everything to us! We have to shout out Andrea Valdespino, a pin up artist, mom and creative who is responsible for our fun and unique graphics. Our branding would be nowhere near where it is today without her!

Our launch campaign was a super exciting moment for us! It’s cheeky, retro, and completely different from any other sustainable clean beauty brand. The campaign was shot by Chris Paul Thompson an amazing LA based photographer who is known for his work with Fenty x Savage and more. Our campaign star Roxy Ferrari, the LA based DJ and all around bad ass babe really lit up the shoot. Rachel Schwartz of Black Rose Floral came through with the most beautiful arrangements to complement our flower infused (read: CBD beauty) products. Which was an important element for us because we wanted to visually represent our potent plant ingredients. She really leaned in to her resources to intentionally pull our actual floral ingredients including Rosehip, Jasmine and more. It was stunning all around.

We are also so grateful to Kacie Marie who conceptualized, shot, edited and starred in our Halloween campaign. We loved her vampy take on our limited release Emerald Rosehip Roleplay Face Oil. We also want to shout out Dapper Dahlia, a vintage girl after our own hearts who showcased our retro luxe product so beautifully throughout her content and site.

Niki’s long time friend and associate, wardrobe stylist Nonja McKenzie (featured in our imagery), is launching her own curated wardrobe rental showroom in DTLA called Curated, a luxe white glove wardrobe rental experience for stylists and costume designers. The collection features her own Nonja McKenzie designs, the Galle Collection by Kelis and Niki Schwan’s The Archive, a select group of product from Niki’s own styling and vintage archive.

Website: NakieCoquette.com

Instagram: @NakieCoquette

Other: @nakiecoquette on TikTok!

Image Credits
Chris Paul Thompson @TheDapperDahlia Niki Schwan

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