🤝 Meet Shirin Soltani. She’s the co-founder of Uncle Studios, a boutique fashion retailer in Toronto that sprung up in 2019 with the sole purpose of creating the perfect t-shirt. The retailer set up its first flagship location in Toronto in 2024 (home of the $1 drip coffee), and has since built a loyal following. We sat down with Shirin to talk about the world of fashion, photo booths, and how shoppers' tastes have changed.
How did Uncle Studios get off the ground?
We started in 2019 with the goal of creating the perfect t-shirt. We'd host events and pop-ups, kind of creating this experiential experience for our community and we harnessed and nurtured that over the years online. Then in 2024, we opened our first brick and mortar store on Ossington in Toronto.
What goes into making the perfect t-shirt?
I guess it is personal, but for us, we definitely went for the angle of, what does the production look like? What does the impact on the environment look like and what's the fabric? My co-founder and I both lived in a white T and it was something that we just felt really amazing in. So we're like, why are we buying this, crappy H&M one every couple of weeks? It can't be that hard to make a good one.
There's integrity in the fabric, it's all organic, cotton. It's a really good weight. So it can be washed and worn over and over again. Clean details and clean lines, so your collar isn't getting wrinkly. You don't need to iron it. It's just something that feels good and is easy. You throw it in your suitcase, you're taking it with you while you're travelling, you're wearing it on a date.
You can buy almost anything online these days. What is the experience you try to create to get people to shop in-store?
For us, it's always been more than clothes. We always say that. It is like a form of escapism. We've built this world around Uncle and the brand that's rooted in nostalgia and feel good moments that remind you of maybe simpler times. When we were doing pop-ups, they all had a theme. Like an old school convenience store where you'd go on a Friday night to pick up your favourite snacks and a VHS movie. That would be like the best night ever. So creating these moments that aren't flashy, but really hold something near and dear to your heart. That’s the experience we want to create.
I think what makes someone want to shop with us is the feeling they get from being associated with the world. There are so many little details in the store that are so true to the brand and us as founders that I think you instantly feel that personality when you walk into the space.
How do you build that brand connection that translates into selling more T-shirts?
It comes down to the brand values and the stories we like to tell. One of our bylines is “clothes you live in”. So we really design with that kind of POV where the jeans are something that you will bring travelling with you, but you'd also wear to date night or speaking on a panel and feel really good. There's no unnecessary fluff.
We always say our customer is a woman who has graduated from Aritzia and she wants to feel good in her clothes. She wants to feel comfortable about how the clothes are made without having to do her due diligence.
We do the leg work for you. We make sure that the fabrics are clean, they're produced in really good factories and the silhouettes are really well thought out to kind of work through all the different facets of your life and your day to day.
Why Ossington for your first store location?
We've always said that when we did open our first flagship story it would be here in Toronto. It was actually funny. My business partner had actually walked by these storefronts in 2021 and said “how cute are these stores?” And we just went on about how dreamy they were.
The opportunity eventually showed itself to move into that storefront, so we're like, why not? Our customer bops around here. I think it's a really great opportunity to meet new people and create amazing brand awareness. All the brands that are kind of on the strip are very aligned with what our customer likes to consume.
The feeling of the neighbourhood feels like what the brand we're building feels like: very fun, and young. I think it speaks to the kind of feeling you get when you walk down the street. There's still a few mom and pop shops and the storefronts have a bit more of a personality than Yorkdale.
Your store’s photo booth has built a cult following. What’s the story behind it?
I have to give credit to my business partner, Alegra. She is a massive fan of photo booths. Anywhere she would travel, she would hunt them out. There's something that speaks to the brand: slowing down, analogue, film. It was sort of always envisioned to have more experiences in the store. It felt really right and we've been really lucky, the community responded really well to it. It drives so much traffic into the store. On a Saturday, there's always a line at the store just for the photo booth.
It's always been more than just clothes for us. Having a coffee shop in the store, having the photo booth, and hosting events. It's part of this world that we're building.
What would you say is the biggest economic challenge of running a boutique store right now?
It comes with a lot of challenges. Our supply chain is scattered throughout the world. We opened the store without idea what to expect, but we had COVID and then we had tariffs and then the crazy logistics of our supply chain for shipping. I feel like we haven't had a single year where there hasn't been some sort of massive economic disruption. But we've been rolling with punches.
How have you seen shoppers’ habits change since starting Uncle?
I think the customers' shopping behaviours have changed a lot. We were kind of growing in the moment where like there was a light being shined on supply chains and sustainability. And there was an interest there, but then at the same time, interest skyrocketed in the Shiens and Temu’s. You're almost seeing these contradictions and how people say they want to shop versus how they are actually shopping.
It makes your product offering decisions harder. You have to be really mindful of price points, and what is the differentiator for your product that's going to appeal to your customer. There's 1000 options out there, so how are you going to stand out?
Do fast fashion retailers pose a challenge because of the cheaper price point?
I like to say that our core customer isn't as tempted with the kind of the speed of the trend cycle. But I mean, does she never shop from the fast fashion brand? I think it's really hard to find someone who doesn't. To say you're brand loyal and you only shop from X, Y, and Z, it's just not realistic. It’s important for us to be a feel-good purchase for the customer. When she is ready to graduate to that more sophisticated contemporary look, we're top of mind.
It’s like the saying “buy it nice or buy it twice.” I think people are getting really fed up by getting cheap ads and then making impulse purchases without thinking twice about it, and then they like to wash it once and it shrinks or it rips.
How much of curating your products is responding to trends vs. trying to create new ones?
I think the way we approach trends is very mindful. The fashion cycle is obviously getting faster, but for us, because we take so much inspiration from styles in the past, we don't get sucked up into trends too much. Our products are more timeless, classic silhouettes.
We try our best to stay away from trends in product design. We just honestly don't have the means. It takes about 12 to 18 months for us to produce something from idea to having it in our store. Trend cycles are like 30 days now, so it's almost actually more risky to try to keep up with the trends. By the time it's actually on our floor, it would be long gone.
What goes into making a brand feel cool online?
I think we've been really true to our personal POVs. The brand is as successful as it is because my business partner has curated an audience of over a decade online and she has a very specific point of view. So kind of having her be reflected in the clothes is humongous.
It comes down to brand affinity — what does the brand stand for? And when your customer is wearing a t-shirt or hoodie with Uncle on it, making sure they feel really proud to be walking around with your logo on.
Do you have any career advice for someone young trying to get into the fashion retail space?
I think it's important to connect and learn as much as you can, especially when you're young. Put yourself in as many different rooms as possible. Allegra and I did this very naively, but like if I could go back in time, I feel like I would really try my best to find a mentor who had done it.
Ask questions. You can learn something from anyone. It doesn't have to be someone in that specific role you're looking for. Go learn something from a product developer even if you want to go into marketing. Go learn something about design from someone in operations, like there's just so much to learn from everyone.
