Hi, we’re Jess and Stef Dadon, sisters and co-founders of How Two Live and TWOOBS. We started How Two Live in 2012 as a daily diary and have since grown it into a digital platform with a strong global following. In 2015, our first book #HowTwoLive was published in Australia, the US, and the UK.
In 2016 we launched our shoe label, TWOOBS. TWOOBS is a line of comfortable and animal-friendly statement sandals that made headlines when we launched with a guerrilla stunt at New York Fashion Week, and our collections are known to regularly sell out. Most recently we launched the How Two Live Store, a multi-brand pop-up retail concept that houses up-and-coming designers, alongside our in-house brand, TWOOBS.
In 2019, we’re excited to finally unveil howtwolive.com, a positive online destination for millennial women, as well as How Two Live: The Podcast, which is launching later this month, with our first episode featuring none other than Kristina Karlsson!
Why did you begin your fashion blog, How Two Live?
We started How Two Live in 2012 as a way to communicate when Stef was studying in Paris. We would share with each other what we were doing, eating, and wearing daily, and shortly after launching we realised we weren’t the only ones reading our little online diary. Our bold and playful personal styles seemed to really speak to people, and quite quickly we built up a readership and the blog became more than just a hobby.
What or who inspired you to take the leap to pursue your dreams of blogging?
At the time we didn’t know much about blogging, but had seen a few people like Susie Bubble and Elin Kling were getting to travel the world and go to fashion weeks, all because of their blogs. We both always had a goal to work in the fashion industry, and had a feeling that starting a blog would help us get a foot in the door. Having each other really helped for us to take the leap and start a blog, because doing it together made it feel far less intimidating.
Who is the most inspirational person you’ve met so far?
We’re lucky to have grown up surrounded by some pretty awesome and inspiring women. From our mum who passionately dedicates her time working in the not-for-profit space, to our paternal grandmother who worked around the clock as a dressmaker when our grandfather became ill, we’ve always had strong female role models in our lives, and were taught to believe that we could grow up to do and be anything we wanted.
What dreams are you currently pursuing with How Two Live and TWOOBS?
This year our dream is to create content that is positive and uplifting. There’s so much negativity on the internet and we want to counteract that, and the first step is launching our podcast where we chat candidly to mentors and get advice on life and work. We’re very passionate about female entrepreneurship and empowering women, which is why we allocate a portion of all shoe sales to our TWO GOOD grant. We’re about to announce our first grant recipient who will receive $5000 and a mentorship from us to support her business.
How do you practise self-care in an always-on, digital world?
We think self-care is so important and when you are constantly plugged in it’s so necessary to make time for yourself. Jess is a yoga fanatic and is actually pursuing her dream of completing her yoga teacher training this year, while Stef loves to meditate and spend time with her dog Panther to unwind. We both rescued animals in the last year and there’s nothing like an animal to reconnect you with the physical world and encourage you to get outdoors.
When did you begin practising dreaming?
We first learned about the practice of dreaming when we came along to a Dream Life Masterclass late last year. We totally fell in love with it and have had a couple of sessions on the rooftop at our office where we document dreams in our journals. But really if we think about it, we’ve always been big dreamers and in a way we’ve been practising our whole lives! We think it’s so important to have dreams, both for personal growth and to contribute positively to the world, and we love that Kristina is on a mission to inspire 101 million people to dream!
What advice would you give to someone else who is looking to pursue a dream through blogging or becoming an Influencer?
Our biggest advice would be to create something around your own passions and what drives you, and not something that you think people want to see from you. Authenticity is so important in 2019; it’s what really resonates with people, and it’s how you’re going to be able to create the biggest impact and feel great about what you’re doing!