In Conversation With Twelve AM Founder Areial Lomack
Areial Lomack, who hails from Oakland in California, is the creative force behind Twelve AM, a line of women’s shoes that marry style with comfort and affordability. With a background in public health, Lomack initially embarked on a path focused on community service and youth empowerment, before choosing to pursue a creative endeavor in the fashion industry.
Lomack started out as a buyer in Los Angeles, purchasing shoes on behalf of other vendors. Hearing complaints from women about issues such as fit and sizing, she identified a gap in the market for comfortable size-inclusive footwear and set out to address it with Twelve AM. As she began developing her own shoe designs, Lomack incorporated the feedback she had gathered over the years, particularly regarding the challenges women faced with fitting certain boot sizes due to variations in calf and thigh sizes.
At Twelve AM, Lomack offers a range of shoes that combine statement-making style with exceptional craftsmanship. From thigh-high boots and metallic mules to cozy house slippers, Twelve AM designs are known for their exaggerated shapes, animal-print patterns and textured finishes. Ensuring that the brand stands out for its impeccable quality and distinct aesthetic, Lomack has steadily established Twelve AM as a go-to destination for women seeking stylish yet affordable shoes.
As she navigates the world of entrepreneurship, Lomack has also honed her skills in content creation, leveraging social media as a powerful platform to foster a sense of community and spread the message of body positivity. She actively engages with customers on platforms like Instagram, initiating conversations, answering inquiries, and soliciting feedback.
As Twelve AM has grown, its commitment to storytelling and promoting body positivity has resonated deeply with its expanding customer base. Through continuous interaction with its community, Twelve AM ensures that it remains attuned to the needs and preferences of its audience.
The Folklore Edit spoke to Areial Lomack about identifying the need for size-inclusive footwear, body positivity, and using social media to build a community
How would you describe yourself and what you do?
I am the owner and founder of Twelve AM, a shoe brand for women. We started out buying vendor shoes in Los Angeles and now we’ve transitioned into production of our own shoes. We manufacture and design all of our own shoes, and we cater to women all across the world.
How did you identify the need for size inclusive footwear and launch Twelve AM to fill that gap?
I started out in 2015 buying vendor shoes. During that period of buying shoes, I heard every complaint from women about their shoes when they were delivered: how they fit? Were the ankles too skinny? Were the calves too big?
By 2020, which was when I started developing my own designs, I had heard every complaint out there. So as I was creating my collection, I was taking the feedback I’d heard over the years into consideration and I knew that the biggest issues were women not being able to fit in certain boot sizes because of their calves or thighs being too thick.
How does Twelve AM use social media to foster community and spread a message of body positivity?
Starting out on Instagram, you naturally have to build a community, so I am always talking to my customers, I’m asking questions, I’m answering DMs, I’m answering emails. I am constantly communicating with my customers. When my team and I are strategically planning, we’re always looking for what’s next, and the feedback from customers and our community really helps with that.
How does storytelling and content creation play a role in Twelve AM’s brand identity?
Since the start of the company and me really getting into content creation and product shoots, I’ve always loved the storytelling part of social media. Early on, it wasn’t really appreciated: we were still new and didn’t have a lot of followers. But I’ve always been into telling the story and the beauty of the brand, and as we continue to grow our customer base as well as our followers, it’s something that people now really appreciate. That’s the way we’ve been able to build, because we’ve stuck with that story.
How do you communicate your brand story and the narratives behind your collections to your audience?
By being consistent. Even now, as we develop our shoes, and send out a message about body positivity, people are being super receptive to shoes that fit women of all sizes. Sometimes, when I feel like I’ve repeated the same thing too many times, I realize that there are new people seeing the content, and new people following that don’t necessarily know the story already. But really, you have to tell your story over and over again in different ways. I think we’ve done a great job so far but there’s always more work to be done in telling our story and sending our message across the board, and across all platforms.
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