Wear Naré
Meet Naré Vardanyan, the Young Designer Bringing Quality Back to Y2K Basics
Photo Credits: @fishburndem, @annakoblish, @frankie_marin
Most of the 2000s-inspired fashion flooding your feed right now gets the nostalgia angle right, but misses the quality behind why we loved those pieces in the first place. Naré Vardanyan noticed the gap between what these brands were selling and what she remembered loving about early 2000s style: heavyweight cotton instead of polyester, saturated color instead of neutrals, and low-rise that's really low-rise. Born in Armenia and raised in Seattle, Naré, 22, was studying business at the University of Washington when she decided to take a risk and create her own clothing line, instead of following the traditional finance career her degree was setting her up for.
The details of Wear Naré's cotton striped sets trace back to Naré’s childhood, specifically her older cousin's closet full of PINK, Hollister, and Abercrombie, the kind of effortlessly girly, quintessential mall clothes that made a teenager look like the coolest person alive to a younger girl.
Older Sister talked to Naré about turning her thrifting hobby into a clothing line, the moments of doubt that come with choosing a riskier career path, and what she wants our readers to remember about being a teenager right now.
When did you first get the idea to design these pieces?
I'd been toying with the idea of launching a clothing line for years while studying at the business school at the University of Washington, but it started to feel real once I began posting my thrifting endeavors on social media and connected with a community of girls who also missed the color, quality, and youthful energy of early 2000s clothing. Around the same time, I kept noticing brands that had been bought up by private equity roll out "throwback" lines, still made of plastic instead of real cotton, with low-rise that felt more like high-rise, and no transparency on how and where the pieces were being made. Noticing that gap in the market is what pushed me to create the first drop of Wear Naré in the summer of 2025, and the brand fully launched a year later this summer.
What design elements of 2000s clothing (fabric, silhouette, colorways, etc.) inspired you during the creative process?
So many things in our day to day — cars, furniture, clothes — went from being full of color to fading into a bland beige, and I didn't want that for Wear Naré. Silhouette-wise, I loved the idea of creating a low-rise fold-over waistband, it felt like a nod to some of my favorite clothes from childhood. This meant bringing back thick, heavyweight cotton instead of the polyester that so many brands have switched to while hoping you wouldn't notice. It also meant saturated color, bold stripes, and unapologetic color combinations, but it also taps into the premise of dressing for yourself before you decided what was socially acceptable to wear.
How has the production and launch process been so far?
Launch has been the most fulfilling and amazing experience of my life. I'd had a photo pinned on my Pinterest for about a year that I kept referring back to when thinking about branding for Wear Naré. I ended up finding the exact photographer (shoutout Anna Koblish) who shot the photo, and nearly talked myself out of messaging her, assuming she'd never respond. A good reminder I keep coming back to: the worst that could happen is she says no. She turned out to be just as excited as I was, and shooting with her became one of the best days of the whole process. It was the epitome of everything I envisioned my grown-up life would look like when I was a kid, surrounded by inspiring girls who genuinely wanted to be part of the brand, doing a shoot I'd only ever dreamt about. The difficult days are usually all mental, filled with occasional doubts about whether I should've just stuck with my finance degree instead of taking the risk. But my incredibly supportive family, friends and even strangers constantly remind me that I’m on the right path.
What's next for Wear Naré? Any new designs you're brainstorming about / working on next?
I’m currently working on some fun pieces for the winter, along with collabs with cafes, boutiques, etc. Stay tuned and follow @wearnare and my personal account @narevardanyann on Instagram to stay updated :)
Any message you'd like to share with our readers?
I think being a teenager in this era can be incredibly confusing. You get advice from every direction and you end up feeling like you’re back at square one. It's always a good reminder that you're here to feel every moment, in pursuit of whatever your dreams may be, even if you don't know what they are yet. Don't forget that! See your friends when you're sad, talk to strangers when you're bored, go outside when something feels off, wear fun outfits that inspire you, and just have fun. Everything else will come as it should.
