In today’s digital age, perhaps the most important accessory of all is the one that covers our most prized possession: our phone.

The Carlson sisters were among the first to recognize the great opportunity this presented – to create fashion-forward cases for the younger generation that was spending more time online. Since launching their business Wildflower Cases in 2012, the young entrepreneurs have conquered the internet with their line of playful designs.

Like many companies, the brand was born out of need. When they were just teenagers, Devon and Sydney worked with their crafty mother Michelle to create the perfect phone accessory – which caught the eye of everyone around them. The project turned into a business when Miley Cyrus, at a chance encounter at a restaurant in Los Angeles, noticed their designs and encouraged the family to start a collection – and showed her support on social media. Now, everyone from social media stars phenoms like Emma Chamberlain and models including Bella Hadid are showing off the designs in mirror selfies.

With their support, the brand has experienced year-on-year double digit growth. Even during COVID-19, the company has managed to remain financially stable due to minimal overhead and lean overall costs, largely thanks to the roughly 85 percent direct-to-consumer business and a marketing strategy that is driven by social media. We caught up with Devon and Sydney to hear more about their start.

You have managed to build a huge digital presence for the brand – and yourselves. How has this contributed to the success of the business? Was this strategic or did it happen organically? 

Wildflower’s growth has all been completely organic since day one. The marketing of the brand all came naturally since “selfies” became so popular and every selfie would have a phone case and we were always taking selfies.

What have been some of the most difficult parts about building the business? 

Initially, it was the funding, but we maxed out all our credit cards to do that (lol). Being young and having so many new responsibilities of how to build a brand and not fully knowing what to do so we had to reprioritize our lives as young girls. Our social life at that age was impacted since we were working more vs going out with friends, etc.

As sisters, how do you two approach running the business together? Is it entirely collaborative, or do you divide responsibilities? 

We collaborate on the design side, creating new phone case designs and creating new content, etc. Then we divide specific responsibilities that are more task oriented/day to day type of tasks.

You have championed working with young, digital influencers on new platforms before anyone else – you even did a recent collaboration with Youtuber Emma Chamberlain. What caught your attention about these young stars, and when did you realize their value? How has their help contributed to the success of the business? 

We’ve been doing collaborations with influencers since 2015 and we’ve always followed the same rule; a) if the influencer has been supporting us for a while (months/years) and b) they’re friends of ours. We love that we have an opportunity to give back to those who’ve been so supportive of our little business. We love the process also because it gives our influencer a chance to go through the product development process from beginning to end. Again, this consistent process we’ve started has organically helped grow our brand and business.

How does fashion play into your work and your designs?

We started Wildflower 8 years ago because there were no cute cases at that time and since then we’ve always looked to the fashion industry for inspiration. From vintage pieces to something we see on the runway. We’re constantly thinking “What case would look cute with that outfit?”

What’re your plans for the future of the company? 

To keep growing the company and creating new collaborations all while becoming everyone’s favorite iPhone case brand.

Do you have any tips for young, female entrepreneurs today? 

If you want to start a business, first really make sure it’s something you’re passionate about. Then make sure your product is unique, special or different. Also making a product that is a staple in someone’s wardrobe or in their daily life vs a one time purchase type of product. But you must LOVE what you do for work.