The concept of this was born during Covid as Marilyn Pham Tasdighi’s and her then-finance were challenged with canceling their original plans of a destination wedding. Completely crushed, she needed something to bring back all the excitement as they planned for a smaller-scale wedding. Her very own jacket started off as just a little pick-me-up for herself and, once she put it on, she got the wedding feels again
Marilyn Pham Tasdighi created Gemini Fusion with the intention in mind to restore the wedding excitement in brides through personalized denim jackets that can be worn in the meantime & be rocked on the big day. The name was inspired by her zodiac sign, Gemini. Geminis can be gentle and curious yet impulsive. The designs have a touch of elegance whether it be in the font or rhinestones but also have the impulsive trends, being fringe or the denim jacket style, incorporated.
How has Gemini Fusion evolved during the pandemic? What did you do about this?
Gemini Fusion was actually born during the pandemic as I was challenged with being furloughed & having to cancel my original wedding plans. It all started out of desperation & seeing how we have all the tools are our fingertips to do ANYTHING. I had a lot of time so I watched videos on TikTok & did tons of research online on what I can do to make some money. It all started with one Etsy listing. It quickly became an obsession & my mind started running with all these new idea designs. I strived to have one best seller, then two, then three! I couldn’t stop my mind from running with all new ideas.
How did you start with Gemini Fusion? And what investment was needed?
The beauty about Etsy is that you don’t really need an investment to start. It only cost $0.20 to put a listing up & that’s exactly what I did. I wanted to test the market to see how I would place amongst the other sellers selling similar bride jackets. When I felt comfortable & had funds, then that’s when I felt comfortable purchasing more inventory. I started off really slow so I wouldn’t be caught with excess inventory- bought 1 of each style, then 5 as I saw sales growing, then 10, etc.
Can you share 3 Etsy tips? And What were your mistakes on Etsy?
My 3 Etsy tips:
1. Analyze your competitors but DO NOT COPY their descriptions. I see this all the time & I have been copied from by competitors. It is crucial to find your own style.
2. Utilize the analytics tools Etsy provides to assess your trends to see how you can do better and better every day.
3. The second you launch your Etsy shop, it’s a BUSINESS. Make sure your brand is cohesive & upload the shop bio, banner, shop icon, professional product photos, etc. It helps look more legit.
Mistakes:
I still have trouble with this to this day- keeping accurate inventory so there isn’t misinformation provided to customers. The worst thing is selling an item & then realizing you actually don’t have it in stock!
What else should we know about you? What sets Gemini Fusion apart from the competition?
I am a covid bride myself. I feel for the brides who are still dealing with planning their weddings 1+ years later. Planning a wedding is already a huge task and having to postpone/replan is so heart wrenching. When you have to replan your wedding, you want to make every detail even more intentional. Our business solely focuses on bride jackets. We continually develop ideas on how to make these jackets one of a kind and extremely meaningful for brides. These will be keepsakes forever!
What has been the biggest challenge/ hurdle you have faced so far?
I have been in business for 1 year and 3 months. The biggest challenged I’ve faced so far is obtaining proper inventory & maintaining inventory levels that are just right. We order our jackets overseas and our factory closes for a full month every February. With our first year in business, I was afraid of not having inventory for my customers so I just purchased an absorbant amount of inventory to “feel safe.” Don’t ever do that! Look at your data trends and order off of that. Almost 7 months later, I still find have boxes of jackets in specific sizes that I haven’t touched!
How do you keep yourself updated? What are some of the websites or magazines or apps that you subscribe to or read regularly?
To keep myself updated on the business side of things, I ALWAYS listen to podcasts. There are so many little helpful nuggets that I get from other business owners. As for latest trends, Instagram & wedding websites are very telling of what new wedding trends are emerging.
Do you have any special advice for other ‘Bridal diva’s’ out there?
Make sure you give yourself lots of time to get everything you need! Don’t add stress to your planning by rush ordering everything. And also, at the end of the day, if things don’t go your way, the wedding day is about you & your husband <3.
How did you get your first clients and how did you grow this bigger? Any tips to share?
I thank my first customers for trusting me to make their bride jackets. I started off with literally 0 sales and someone still had faith in me! Go above and beyond in customer service when you’re starting out. I hand wrote all my thank you cards & made them very personal. Get to know your customers! It’ makes a huge difference and I found a lot of them coming back to order jackets for their besties.
What is your ultimate dream for the business?
My ultimate dream is to have a brick and mortar shop. My vision is to make it a thing to have brides take their bridal party to my shop to design jackets for the entire bride tribe!
What are you future goals?
Right now I work a full time corporate job and do my business on the side. My goal is to run my business full time so that I have the freedom to create my own schedule and be home to raise my son.
Would you say you have to have specific potential needs in order to start as an entrepreneur? If so, what are the specific potential needs?
In order to be an entrepreneur, you need to have the right mindset. You need to be open to learning, failing, and wearing all hats. It sets you up for success and once you’re ready to scale, you’ll understand and know all facets of the business.
Find out more on:
– Etsy: www.geminifusion.etsy.com– Website: www.geminifusion.co– IG: https://instagram.com/gemini.fusion
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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