Square Spotlight: Yolanda White

Square Spotlight: Yolanda White

By: Madalyn Dudley

In the world of fashion, there are few individuals who have had as much experience and success as Yolanda White, founder and CEO of Dayo. After spending decades dominating the marketing field, White decided to step out on her own and begin a clothing line tailored to an untapped audience: the modern woman. After a conversation with a close friend, White realized that although women were continuing to progress in society, the fashion industry was not evolving with them. Women were taking on large roles at work, but were no longer feeling beautiful and valued in their home. She wanted to create a brand that modern women could be proud of, and that helped them not only look good, but feel good too. During our interview, White enlightened me on who exactly is this new “modern woman” that she is creating for. 

To describe the modern woman, White said,  “As women are joining the workforce, taking on more societal roles, we are seeing a continued elevation of what she looks like. She lacks a desire to compromise. [She is] a woman who wants to do something on her own time and refuses to switch on her mindset.” White claims that as women continue to progress in their professional lives, their needs are constantly shifting, and the modern woman is one who expects to be recognized by society as men have been for centuries.

This notion has transformed the way women engage with brands and how they shop for what they want. White says that women now expect more for themselves from fashion, work, and life, and they are not going to settle for less. The “modern woman” wants it all, and does not find it necessary to wait for a brand to give it to her. Instead, she is going to seek brands that understand her and ship their items right to her front door. As technology changes, so does the power of the woman, and thus they are demanding more of a genuine approach from their favorite brands, and expect to feel their most genuine self in their clothing. 

White continued, “Our generation is at the forefront of what this evolution looks like.” She believes that the fashion choices and expectations our generation holds for fashion brands is what will shape American fashion going forward. From her research, she has concluded that women today are seeking more sexual freedom, body positivity, and professional growth, and brands have to discover how to meet each of those needs. 

White takes the responsibility of honoring the needs of her clients very seriously. She provides all of the visual direction for her brand, Dayo, and takes a lot of pride in trying to understand her consumers’ desires and how their bodies are showing up in this day and time. She wishes to honor the desires of women by making them feel beautiful in their own home so they can take that confidence out into the world.

As a powerful business woman herself, working for massive corporations all over the nation, White has direct experience as a powerful working woman in America, and she wishes to use her experience and knowledge of the market to highlight other women by hearing their struggles, meeting their needs, and helping them feel seen. To White, her business is not about profit, but instead about highlighting true female desires, something she hopes to see from many companies moving forward. 

The idea of womanhood will continue to evolve because the opportunities for women are now endless. It is the job of the fashion industry to continue to understand the modern woman and her desires, because if your brand does not fit into her lifestyle, she will not be willing to compromise. Even as a CEO who depends on the profit of her company, Yolanda White does not see this as a scary thing in the industry, but instead as an opportunity for women everywhere to get what they want, and if they do not like what they see, then use their power to create something they would be proud for fellow women to showcase in every walk of life. 

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Photos belong to their respective owners.