Meet Cherry On Top, the brand making bags sweeter than an ice cream sundae. I got the inside scoop on the ladies behind the bags. The fur bag brand was created by best friends Grace Burns and Jillie Gretz. Cherry On Top is bringing Y2K style back in a way that would make Paris Hilton say “That’s hot.”
Grace and Jillie are full-time advertising students at Michigan State University and Cherry On Top is a way to turn their studies into a passion. This passion project has no guidelines and the only grades are personal success. Grace designs and hand-crafts the bags while Jillie manages marketing and social media.
Jillie said their main motive is “to bring affordable and sustainable products to every age and demographic regardless of gender identity.”
It comes as no surprise that the ladies listed Michelle Obama and Patagonia as some of their biggest inspirations. As up-and-coming women in business, they recognize the need to put sustainability and inclusion at the forefront of their brand. Cherry On Top buys fabric from small Etsy shops and uses every scrap they can to lower their waste. This is refreshing to see as the fashion industry as a whole is known for creating extensive amounts of waste and pollution. Business Insider states that 85% of all textiles end up in landfills and the fashion industry makes up 10% of global carbon emissions. It is important for fashion companies, big and small, to be aware of their environmental impact.
Cherry On Top has grown a lot from where it started, when Jillie and Grace would accept Venmo payments for orders. Now they have their own website, around 4,000 Instagram followers and 10,000 TikTok followers. Their most popular TikTok video has over half a million views. Jillie and Grace solely advertise through these social media outlets, and it looks like it is working for them. Their Instagram content seems to be a mix of polished and edgy. Jillie says she is focused on creating customer engagement on socials to grow the brand.
Cherry On Top is now working on their winter collection that they say will be “completely new” for them. Their foray into apparel and jewelry might come sooner than expected as Jillie gave me a hint that their newest product will be “something you wear.”
To find out more about Cherry On Top you can check out their website at https://cherryontopp.com
