Adriana Berguer and Adrianna Bojrab

After Adriana Berguer and Adrianna Bojrab were furloughed from their jobs, the lifelong best friends were able to combine their dream to work together, join professional experiences and passion for fashion into the launch of their e-commerce women’s apparel business, Ines, in May 2021.

“We were each other’s first non-related friend. From ballet at Miss Barbara’s to being on the same tennis and swim teams, we became best friends,” said Bloomfield Hills native Bojrab. “We eventually ended up living and working in New York and sharing an apartment.”

Berguer, who grew up in West Bloomfield, was the first of the pair to move to New York in 2013 after graduating from Michigan State University and working as an accountant. She left the accounting field to pursue her fashion buyer aspirations in New York City, landing in the buying office at the iconic retailer Barneys New York until the luxury department store brand declared bankruptcy in 2019.

In the meantime, Bojrab graduated from University of Michigan and DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, specializing in Intellectual Property Law with the intent to work in the business side of the fashion industry. She moved to New York City in 2016, and most recently spent over three years working for Ralph Lauren before she was laid off in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“It was serendipitous that we were both furloughed at the same time. The stars aligned. We were able to spend time not just dreaming but on putting together actual mood boards and creating our own little studio,” said Bojrab.

Berguer added, “The first thing we talked about were the pieces missing from our closets – such as the perfect cropped cardigan with just the right length and weight. We wanted to make high quality pieces in simple silhouettes we couldn’t find anywhere that are neutral, seasonless, wear-forever pieces and not too young or too old.”

According to Bojrab, Ines’ initial offering is limited and includes flexible and travel-friendly dresses and tops meant to be paired with jeans or leather pants. One of the signature items that has received a lot of favorable local buzz is the Lover Caftan.

The collection’s neutral color palette was influenced by a road trip they took last summer. “We went out west and were inspired to incorporate browns, beiges, oranges into our collection. Our black Baby Cardigan has an orange lettuce hem and orange buttons,” Berguer explained,

According to Bojrab, manufacturing in the United States and sustainability are a big focus with the Ines brand. “We feel very strongly about eliminating our carbon footprint and being direct to consumer helps…We use deadstock fabric, which is leftover and in limited quantities bought from family-owned businesses in the New York garment district, so our collection is limited and cannot be reproduced.”

While Berguer and Bojrab currently live in New York City and work other jobs to supplement their dream, they continue to be inspired by their roots. They were able to spend time during the pandemic at home in Michigan working on their collection. In addition to naming their company after the 1920s Art Deco building, Inez, in Highland Park, they were also able to produce garments in the Detroit area.

As for the future, Berguer said, “It’s been a really fun ride learning with our first line. Ultimately, our dream is to have a building in Detroit with our name on it where we can produce fashion – and to have a fashion industry in the Detroit area.”

Check out the first Ines collection at Inesattire.com, www.instagram.com/ines_attire.

Story: Tracy Donohue

Photo: Loren O'Neill