Most people who have Tiktok or any form of social media remember “The Strawberry Dress” that took the internet by storm in 2020. It almost seems strange how such a fanciful dress became so sought after and coveted in a time where no one was going out and wearing beautiful clothes. Despite the hardships that quarantine brought, this fairly expensive dress became the best-selling item in Lirika Matoshi’s collection. Women who were software engineers, stay-at-home mothers, nurses, young teenage girls in high school all agreed that the dress was absolutely beautiful, bringing to mind the Tiktok concept “cottage-core,” more easily defined as rural bliss (which was how Vogue described it). “Most of my designs are inspired by my childhood. I feel like the things that make me feel better are the strawberries, the dress, the gowns, nature in general,” Matoshi said about the nostalgic feel the dress evoked. This dress was not practical by any means and there were very few places to which people could wear it in which the dress would make sense…but that didn’t stop the mass excitement over this gorgeous “princess” dress.
Lirika Matoshi, originally from Kosova, is only 26 years old. A self-taught designer without any formal fashion school training, she learned to make everything she has from her sister, designer Teuta Matoshi. She began with making accessories when she was only 20 and made the courageous leap of moving to New York. Since then, she has only expanded her line of accessories and clothes. In 2020, her business took off with the Strawberry Dress. Now, she outfits numerous influencers and celebrities and her label has a following of almost one million. With her significant platform and accomplishments, she has been added to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The emergence of social media has been able to push designers and artists to become huge names among influencers who have so much sway over young consumers. As a self-taught artist myself, I’m glad to see that the possibilities truly are endless and the algorithms of social media platforms may be the answer to success. Anyone can put themselves out there. All it takes is one post, one dress for something to take off.
Vogue article: https://www.vogue.com/article/strawberry-dress-lirika-matoshi-popular
Lirika Matoshi’s Strawberry Dress: https://lirikamatoshi.com/products/strawberry-midi-dress
Lirika Matoshi’s website: https://lirikamatoshi.com/
I remember this trend! I never knew who started it though, that is super cool. I appreciate how she didn’t seek to be world-famous, but through her hard work, she was rewarded with so many opportunities! It’s amazing the power of the web these days.
I think Matoshi shows how hardwork can create a big payoff. She might not have attended fashion school, but with learning, practice, and dedication, she was able to create a name for herself on social media. She now has a presence within younger generations and it is amazing to see how quickly she gained a following!
This is a really inspiring story, especially how she built up a business without any prior experience. My dad, as a business owner, always tells me that it’s much better to hire and TEACH someone with a good work ethic, strong morals, and ambition than it is to hire someone with skills but a bad attitude. Therefore, attitude, drive, and teachability is most important. Matoshi definitely illustrated this since she pushed through and taught herself things she wanted to learn.
I remember seeing this dress on TikTok! I think it’s so bold of her to move to New York to pursue her business, especially with such a lack of knowledge on how to do so. She did what most people are afraid to do, which is to take a leap of faith for something she was passionate about. She used platforms she knew how to navigate to attract an audience for her clothes, and did it in an amazing way. She truly is an inspiration to other self-taught designers.