Lauren Buchwald, a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas who has strived to continue the success of her business through COVID . Buchwald, who always had a love for fashion and entrepreneurship, founded the clothing brand Splattered Essentials. 

Splattered Essentials is a custom clothing business designed to fit the needs of the latest fashion trends. Her clothing is customized and inspired by many social media influencers. Some of her most popular designs range from tie-dye to customized pieces.

“I have always had a true love for fashion,” Buchwald said. “During the pandemic when I was quarantined at home, I wanted to pursue something I was passionate about.”

One of Buchwald’s initiatives was to spread fashion trends to teenagers around the world. Splattered Essentials started off as a small business but continued to grow as Buchwald continued to put forth effort into making her business thrive.

Buchwald deals with an autoimmune disease known as Type 1 diabetes. She was diagnosed at the age of 2 ½ and has continuously dealt with the struggles diabetes entail. The constant support she has been given from the Diabetes Research Institute has inspired her to give back a portion of the proceeds from her business.

Even in the process of maintaining her own business, Buchwald makes it a priority to get involved in new opportunities. Buchwald is a part of the Dormify teen program and has led numerous DECA meetings to inspire other teens to pursue something they are passionate about. 

Buchwald was featured on CBS News as a young entrepreneur, as well as being featured in Yahoo News, Miami Herald, and Sun-Sentinel.

“Although my business has been a huge success, there have still been some setbacks due to the limitations of COVID-19,” Buchwald said.

The pandemic has caused many businesses to struggle due to many people opting to stay home in order to comply with quarantine mandates and social distancing rules. The tie-dye trends have been a major hit this year. 

“The limited capacity of white clothing has definitely made my business that much more of a struggle, says Buchwald. “Due to the pandemic, it has been a constant battle to promote only through social media.” 

Although only starting her business in March, Splattered Essentials has gained a great deal of popularity, receiving almost 3,000 Instagram followers and over 1,500 TikTok followers. Through the use of social media, Buchwald promotes herself and updates her followers on new products and events. 

“I have learned so many valuable lessons through my business,” Buchwald said. “As a person and an entrepreneur, I have learned things about myself and the fashion industry through my many experiences. I hope to then pass these on to future generations of passionate teenagers.”

Although being only 14-years-old, Buchwald manages her business as well as her personal life. Despite the fact that owning a business is time consuming, she pushes herself to form a routine in order to ensure she gets orders shipped in a timely fashion. In the past ten months, Buchwald has shipped over 500 orders all around the world and is still continuing to grow her business to greater success. You can reach Lauren on her social media as @splattered.essentials.