March 20th, 2020

How #TeamNaked
Works From Home

Candy and Cashmere with
Maria Sharapova

April 19th, 2020

Happy Birthday Maria Sharapova! Maria shares her morning routine with a cup of coffee and her favorite cashmere Campbell and Aubrina set. This past weekend, NAKEDCASHMERE’s CEO Leslie Gifford sat down for an exclusive interview with Tennis superstar and premium candy entrepreneur, Maria Sharapova, for a very special Candy & Cashmere IG live series.

Maria is wearing the Campbell Sweater and Aubrina Bottoms in Charcoal

The two discussed Maria’s early career which began at age 4 when she first picked up a tennis racket and by age 7, her parents realized what an incredible talent Maria had and made the difficult decision to move to the United States to support Maria’s tennis career. It was at an early age that Maria learned the difficult sacrifices her parents had made to support their daughters tennis dreams. Maria moved to the United States at age 7 with just her father while her mother was dealing with visa issues.

"...it’s the most incredibly unique and very humbling experience”

Maria discussed what winning Wimbledon at the young age of 17 years old was like and how that moment changed her not only her tennis career but helped to shape her outlook on business to become the successful entrepreneur she is today. When asked what it felt like to win a grand slam, Maria explained, “The feeling is magical and happened so fast. When you become a champion, you’re all over the place with interviews and meetings. You hold so much tension and when you let go, you’re so tired. You just want to wake up in the morning and feel inspired and realize what she accomplished. It’s the most incredibly unique and very humbling experience”.  

Leslie and Maria discussed one of the most important aspects about success-- failure.
Leslie shared, “Failure is the condiment that gives success flavor. Don’t use the word failure, use the word practice”. Maria agreed and added, “The challenges and the way we handle them ultimately set us up for later challenges in our life”. Maria explained that even in today’s circumstances, though we may feel helpless, it’s a time we should use to focus inward on ourselves. These challenges prepare each of us on how we face future challenges later in our lives.

Maria shared that in her early career when she began getting endorsements, she did not have the financial security so she was just grateful to be making money. As she continued in her career and earned more financial security, she began getting more and more involved in the details of her endorsements. She realized that she only had a small part and that she didn’t have any real decision making power. This inspired Maria to get more focused on starting her own business and focusing on becoming an investor in businesses such as Supergoop where she was able to learn from other female entrepreneurs. Maria was inspired by her passion for sweets to start her hugely successful candy business, Sugarpova in 2012.

Maria was inspired by her passion for sweets to start her hugely successful candy business, Sugarpova in 2012.


Maria explained that she wanted to be the “female version of Willy Wonka”. Maria took her knowledge about sports and the importance of team work and applied that knowledge and experience toward building a candy empire. Maria explained, I took my training and years in sports and realized I had to adapt in business the way I learned to adapt on the court”. For Maria, she always focused on the balance between discipline and indulgence. After every match, she would reward herself with a piece of candy. Maria explained further, “When we’re constantly saying no to ourselves, it puts a lot of stress on our mind. At the end of the day, consumers are very educated and understand that you can’t be 100% strict with yourself. It’s about finding balance in life.

When asked how Maria stays so positive and calm during these uncertain times, Maria explained the importance of peacefulness and the impact it has on all aspects of her life. Leslie asked, “What is the word you feel is getting you through these times and how you’re looking at it”? Maria said , “This element of peacefulness is what i would say my goal is. When I think of the element of staying calm and having this good perspective, clean vision and positive outlook, is all part of this group of peacefulness”. She continued, “By being more present, I’m giving more energy and at the end of the day, I’m trying to find ways to disconnect”. Maria explained that she doesn’t meditate very often but she took up Transcendental meditation (TM) in the last couple of years. She uses it when she needs to get back to a place of peacefulness and rest. Maria explained that what she likes most about TM is that it allows you to focus on a mantra and you repeat that mantra for 15-20 minutes once or twice a day”.

How do you think the world is going to change after all of this?

Maria thinks that people will make shifts in their habits and choices they make. Maria comes from a place of being grateful which she carries through all of her actions and decisions. She plans to be more mindful about how she spends her money and how she will help others. She worked with the UN on Chyernobl affected areas for many years since it was a personal story for her family since her mother was pregnant with her when Chernobyl exploded and forced her family to move to Siberia. Because of that experience, She has a deep connection to that tragedy. Because in some shape or form connected to what is happening in the world right now and affected by it, we will certainly make decisions on the future that will benefit us, even if it’s 30%, it’s still going to make an incredible difference. 

The New Normal & Silver Linings with Leslie Gifford

Story about a man & his dog, both in cashmere

During these uncertain times when we have little control, it is save to say that our pets have been our salvation. While we spend our days in quarantine in our homes, our pets have been on the receiving end of a little extra love from us, a few more snuggles and couple of extra treats. We appreciate them more then ever for being our buddy, our support system and most important family member while we practice social distancing from other humans.

Well this story is no different, it is about a man, Andrew Gifford our Chief Marketing Officer and his dog Chunk, Chief Bark Officer. We sit down with Andrew & Chunk to get their take on how they spend their days in quarantine, their favorite cashmere and what is the first thing they will do when this is all over.

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Please tell us who you are and what you do at NAKEDCASHMERE?

I’m Andrew. Aka @skullcashmere. I am the chief marketing officer at 360CASHMERE. I’m responsible for overseeing the planning, development and execution of an our marketing and advertising initiatives. I ensure our message and voice is distributed across multiple customer channels and to targeted audiences in order to meet our sales objectives.

Andrew Gifford, Chief Marketing Officer

What is your daily routine in quarantine with Chunk?

Chunk is an expert quarentiner. He was built for times like this.

8:30a We wake up. I spend about 20 minutes saying good morning to Chunk. It’s important he gets the appropriate amount of snuggles and love before we start the day.

The day officially starts when the food hits Chunks bowl. It’s like when the military plays the bugle. I make a pot of coffee and put on a one of my NAKEDCASHMERE outfits and prepare for our morning walk. Once chunk finishes his breakfast, I let him digest while I finish my coffee so he can have a good poop on our morning walk.

Chunk is a creature of habit. Same spot every day. He takes his peeps at the little gardens outside of the building and once he finishes kicks his feet and covers the sidewalk in gravel. Immediately after his pees, as long as its not raining, he scoots over to Varick (around the corner) and takes his poop. He likes a view and reading a newspaper, always faces the Holland tunnel so he can watch the cars go by as he does his business. After he is finished, we proceed back upstairs and I officially start my day.

I play some music and clean my house and make my bed. I then check my calendar and make sure I’m prepared for all of the calls and meetings I have for the day. I make a checklist of things I have to do for the day and my goals. Its important to stay motivated and not slack off. Its easy to get distracted and put on the tv and return to whatever tv show I’m watching. I set enough time throughout the day to be creative, whether its finding inspo on Pinterest for our next photoshoot or sketching pictures of chunk in different positions on the coach. It is important to me to keep my brain stimulated.

6:00p I end my day around and set aside an hour to work out. I have a peloton and an abs machine and I do 30 mins on each. I look to come out of quarantine in tip top shape. For dinner, I usually cook or order in. I try and stay on a low carb diet and find it extremely hard to do so when there are so many options for delivery. I watch the news and read my favorite blogs to keep up with current events. I then feed Chunk dinner, take him out for his evening pees and head back inside to get ready for bed. I turn on my favorite show, crank out a couple of episodes, facetime my family then go to bed

Andrew is wearing blank and blank, Image with Chunk

What type of music are you listening to?

I’m currently listening to a lot of indie and 90s rock. The low tempo keeps me motivated and keeps me from losing my sanity. Here is a link! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5WcaZvLiXD7nYhg2bBBNBd?si=nX11QdHuQb2kdkzUc6mHmQ

How are you keeping busy?

Spending a lot of time with chunk. I’m learning to cook but I am quickly realizing that I’m better at creating messes than actually cooking. I also am starting to read which isn’t something I haven’t done in quite some time. I’m currently reading Shoe dog- a memoir by Phil knight

What are the latest updates from the NAKEDCASHMERE store?

No update. Until we can see the light at the end of the tunnel we have to keep the stores closed for the safety and health of our customers and our employees.

Image of the store

March 20th, 2020

How #TeamNaked
Works From Home

Candy and Cashmere with Maria Sharapova

April 19th, 2020

Happy Birthday Maria Sharapova! Maria shares her morning routine with a cup of coffee and her
favorite cashmere Campbell and Aubrina set.
This past weekend, NAKEDCASHMERE’s CEO Leslie Gifford sat down for an exclusive interview with Tennis superstar and premium candy entrepreneur, Maria Sharapova, for a very special Candy & Cashmere IG live series.

Maria is wearing the Campbell Sweater and Aubrina Bottoms in Charcoal

The two discussed Maria’s early career which began at age 4 when she first picked up a tennis racket and by age 7, her parents realized what an incredible talent Maria had and made the difficult decision to move to the United States to support Maria’s tennis career. It was at an early age that Maria learned the difficult sacrifices her parents had made to support their daughters tennis dreams. Maria moved to the United States at age 7 with just her father while her mother was dealing with visa issues.

"...it’s the most incredibly unique and very humbling experience”

Maria discussed what winning Wimbledon at the young age of 17 years old was like and how that moment changed her not only her tennis career but helped to shape her outlook on business to become the successful entrepreneur she is today. When asked what it felt like to win a grand slam, Maria explained, “The feeling is magical and happened so fast. When you become a champion, you’re all over the place with interviews and meetings. You hold so much tension and when you let go, you’re so tired. You just want to wake up in the morning and feel inspired and realize what she accomplished. It’s the most incredibly unique and very humbling experience”.  

Leslie and Maria discussed one of the most important aspects about success-- failure.
Leslie shared, “Failure is the condiment that gives success flavor. Don’t use the word failure, use the word practice”. Maria agreed and added, “The challenges and the way we handle them ultimately set us up for later challenges in our life”. Maria explained that even in today’s circumstances, though we may feel helpless, it’s a time we should use to focus inward on ourselves. These challenges prepare each of us on how we face future challenges later in our lives.

Maria shared that in her early career when she began getting endorsements, she did not have the financial security so she was just grateful to be making money. As she continued in her career and earned more financial security, she began getting more and more involved in the details of her endorsements. She realized that she only had a small part and that she didn’t have any real decision making power. This inspired Maria to get more focused on starting her own business and focusing on becoming an investor in businesses such as Supergoop where she was able to learn from other female entrepreneurs. Maria was inspired by her passion for sweets to start her hugely successful candy business, Sugarpova in 2012.

Maria was inspired by her passion for sweets to start her hugely successful candy business, Sugarpova in 2012.


Maria explained that she wanted to be the “female version of Willy Wonka”. Maria took her knowledge about sports and the importance of team work and applied that knowledge and experience toward building a candy empire. Maria explained, I took my training and years in sports and realized I had to adapt in business the way I learned to adapt on the court”. For Maria, she always focused on the balance between discipline and indulgence. After every match, she would reward herself with a piece of candy. Maria explained further, “When we’re constantly saying no to ourselves, it puts a lot of stress on our mind. At the end of the day, consumers are very educated and understand that you can’t be 100% strict with yourself. It’s about finding balance in life.

When asked how Maria stays so positive and calm during these uncertain times, Maria explained the importance of peacefulness and the impact it has on all aspects of her life. Leslie asked, “What is the word you feel is getting you through these times and how you’re looking at it”? Maria said , “This element of peacefulness is what i would say my goal is. When I think of the element of staying calm and having this good perspective, clean vision and positive outlook, is all part of this group of peacefulness”. She continued, “By being more present, I’m giving more energy and at the end of the day, I’m trying to find ways to disconnect”. Maria explained that she doesn’t meditate very often but she took up Transcendental meditation (TM) in the last couple of years. She uses it when she needs to get back to a place of peacefulness and rest. Maria explained that what she likes most about TM is that it allows you to focus on a mantra and you repeat that mantra for 15-20 minutes once or twice a day”.

How do you think the world is going to change after all of this?

Maria thinks that people will make shifts in their habits and choices they make. Maria comes from a place of being grateful which she carries through all of her actions and decisions. She plans to be more mindful about how she spends her money and how she will help others. She worked with the UN on Chyernobl affected areas for many years since it was a personal story for her family since her mother was pregnant with her when Chernobyl exploded and forced her family to move to Siberia. Because of that experience, She has a deep connection to that tragedy. Because in some shape or form connected to what is happening in the world right now and affected by it, we will certainly make decisions on the future that will benefit us, even if it’s 30%, it’s still going to make an incredible difference.  

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