DAYO luxury loungewear has announced that Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of TLC come onboard as the face of their collection. Founded by Yolanda White, DAYO prides itself on designing comfortable and affordable loungewear that comes in sizes small to large.
White and Chilli know each other from meeting on a Dasani campaign. When Chilli found out about White’s idea to start a loungewear company, she was impressed and eager to jump on board when asked to be the face.
White expressed that she chose Chilli to be the face of DAYO because she “represents brands authentically.” It also doesn’t hurt that both of these women are business owners and mother’s who understand the struggle of balancing everything at once.
“When you do get caught up in life, working and you get home, you’re tired, but you can’t turn that switch off because you have kids and you gotta do all these things,” Chilli said. “You do forget about yourself, and you’re quick to throw on some sweatpants and a weird looking t-shirt, but when you put on pretty things you feel different.”
According to White, DAYO’s name comes from the sense of joy that the company provides.
“DAYO is an African name that means happiness has come, it has the word day in it, and it also has the first two initials of my first name, Yolanda,” White said. “I knew then that this was the name.”
White founded DAYO after talking to a friend who was going through a rocky moment in her marriage.
During a conversation with a friend, White asked, “What do you wear at home?”
Her friend responded with the usual pajama pants and t-shirt. From that point on, White wanted to create luxury loungewear that combines athleisure; designed for workouts but can be worn in other settings such as school or at home.
White pushed the idea of athleisure because according to the CEO, that’s where fashion is headed.
“I feel really good about playing in the category because it’s one that’s growing,” White said.
DAYO’s fabric is soft, but not thin. There are extra layers of material that keeps the woman warm, but fashionable at the same time. The goal is to bring a spark back into dwindling marriages and makes the everyday mom with a career feel good.
The entire collection was put together by a team of women designers. According to one of DAYO’s designers Jenni, everything was wear tested.
“It was carefully selected,” she said. “The long drapey look and feel is our evening gown inspired, but the soft material is all athleisure inspired.”
Chili adds that the line is great for moms who are breastfeeding because the gown is easy to pull down.
“It has built-in breast support. You lift and breastfeed, and it can do some wonderful things,” Chilli said.
White says she plans to add more to the collection in the future.
“We want to add jackets, and we’re redefining robes,” she said.
White would love to see DAYO everywhere in significant department stores; especially Neiman Marcus. She’d also like to add another face to the brand. White and Chilli both agree that actress Jessica Alba would be perfect for the job.
