As founders of the iconic fashion brand, Veronica Beard, sisters-in-law Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard prove that necessity is the mother of invention.
With eight children between the two of them, the Beards saw a need for a clothing line that featured polished, feminine clothes that working moms could wear to the office, at lunch with friends or when picking their children up from school.
The two women, who are married to brothers, became friends after meeting at a wedding in 2002. They quickly bonded over their shared love of fashion and how difficult it was to find upscale professional attire.
At the time Miele Beard worked in finance on Wall Street while Swanson Beard had a career in the fashion industry. In 2010, the women took a leap of faith and launched their own clothing line, Veronica Beard, a brand that believes in making it easy for busy women to leave their homes each morning looking and feeling their absolute best.
They began designing in Swanson Beard’s New York City apartment and found their backgrounds in finance and fashion complemented each other.
“Our goal is to design clothes for every woman out there — today’s multifaceted, multitasking woman who wants exceptional everyday wear she can count on,” says Swanson Beard. “Our collection is all about giving her the dream wardrobe, built for real life.”
The Veronica Beard brand offers customers a variety of wardrobe staples made from luxury fabrics including occasion dresses, tailored jeans, linen suits, pants, sandals, shirts, swimwear, accessories and jackets.
Their collections are a favorite of Hollywood stars and have been worn by actresses including Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow.
“Our greatest advantage is that we know what it’s like to be women whose lives — and days — are full,” says Miele Beard. “We walk in our customers’ shoes every day. We know what her day looks like from 7 a.m. to midnight. Every collection is designed with that in mind.”
Photo By Mike Vitelli/BFA.com
When the Veronica Beard collection launched thirteen years ago, their first piece was their signature Dickey Jacket. The two describe the classic jacket as “a well-tailored blazer fitted with an interior zipper to allow for a variety of inserts, ranging from denim to cashmere.”
“We call our Dickey Jacket the ‘Wonder Woman cape’ because a customer can put it on and feel ready to conquer her day,” says Miele Beard. “We knew there were other women out there like us, who wanted a chic answer to everyday dressing and layering without the bulk.”
She explains how the addition of a dickey makes the jacket more versatile, while also offering customers a figure-flattering alternative to the traditional blazer.
“You can mix and match different dickeys to show your personal style, update your look from day to night and make a statement without having to change your jacket,” Miele Beard says. “They’re ideal for dressing on the go!”
Swanson Beard says the concept of the Dickey Jacket is their brand’s answer to looking classic, chic and effortless.
“While we knew that this piece would be the cornerstone of the Veronica Beard look, we only hoped that it would become as iconic as it has become today,” she says.
Last year, their company was invited to partner with DC and Warner Bros. Consumer Products to create a new Wonder Woman 10-piece capsule of wardrobe staples, inspired by the Justice League superhero.
“We believe every woman is a superhero and we want to celebrate that through this collection,” the two said in a statement released during the collection’s launch. “We design for today’s multitasking woman, so that she can look good, feel good and do good and get on with being her superhero self.”
The Importance of Putting Family First
According to Miele Beard, the two women work well together because they see themselves as sisters-in-law and friends first and as business partners second.
“Our two perspectives are what make this brand so unique and genuine,” says Swanson Beard. “While we don’t always agree on every design detail, we’re always aligned on the big picture.”
As sisters-in-law, Swanson Beard says their business is family, and the home is family — and they couldn’t ask for anything more.
“When we’re home, we’re focused on our kids and husbands and when we’re in the office, we’re in meetings and completely focused on the brand,” she says. “We’ve learned how to compartmentalize over the years.”
Miele Beard, who never had a sister, says Swanson Beard is the sister she always wanted.
“With the two of us, we can cover for each other and while we always respect each other’s space, our business is essentially part of our family,” she says.
Both women are proud of their brand, which has evolved from a must-have jacket into a full collection of classic and chic clothes.
“She does it all and needs a uniform that allows her to accomplish everything she needs to do and to look good doing it,” says Miele Beard.
Palm Beach Store
Photo By Claudia Uribe Touri
The Power Of Women
Swanson Beard says their clothing brand believes in celebrating and supporting women and paying it forward. In 2015, they launched Veronica Beard Gives Back #vbgivesback, where they recognize women who make a difference in the world and help to bring awareness to their causes.
“We donate a portion of proceeds from every online order, volunteer as a company and host a quarterly in-store event where we donate 10% of total in-store sales for the day to the designated cause,” Swanson Beard says.
Bal Harbour store
Their charitable initiative, #vbgivesback has honored women and organizations including Maria Shriver, founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) at The Cleveland Clinic, Pritika Swarup, a longtime ambassador of Operation Smile, actress Leighton Meester who volunteers with Feeding America and actress Susan Lucci, National Ambassador to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Movement.
“We select our #vbgivesback partners based on causes that resonate with us and there are many,” Miele Beard says. “After six years, we’ve worked with hundreds of nonprofits and we’re just getting started.”
In addition to their online store, Veronica Beard is sold in Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. The clothing brand also has 26 stores in the U.S. (and is slated to have 30 plus by the end of the year) as well as one in London, UK. Veronica Beard is now expanding globally with two new stores opening this year in Toronto, Canada and Seoul, South Korea.
“It’s important for us to create spaces that felt like an extension of our homes,” says Swanson Beard. “Our stores are furnished with one-of-a-kind antiques we’ve sourced from all over the world and artwork from our favorite artists. We want our stores to be places our customers go to shop and hang out.”
Miele Beard says that having stores in Florida is very important to their brand. Veronica Beard has locations in Palm Beach and Bal Harbour and will be opening a Miami flagship store this summer, along with two additional Florida locations by the end of 2023.
The two women introduced their Spring 2023 collection with an event at Saks Fifth Avenue in Boca Raton this past March. While each of their collections is unique, they all promote inclusivity, designing for a range of sizes from 00-14, with select styles in sizes 16-24.
Their brand also attracts all ages, with the Beards noting their customers range in age from 20 to 70-plus.
“We believe that confidence and feeling good about yourself is something that should be afforded to every woman,” says Swanson Beard. “Our collections are always rooted in longevity, both by classic design and enduring quality.”
Looking ahead to the release of their pre-fall and fall collections, Miele Beard says customers can expect polished essentials designed for their customers’ busy lives.
“We think about what our customers are doing, and where they are going throughout these months,” she says. “Right now, women are looking for smart investments — pieces they can buy now, wear later and love forever.”
