Exclusive: When It Comes to Dairy Boy, Paige Lorenze is Playing the Long Game

Paige Lorenze is smart. When she first created those iconic Dairy Boy hats in 2021, nobody could have predicted that it would turn into what we know the brand to be today in all of its multi-drop, Instagram-famous, sell-out-in-minutes fame. But that was never the final vision for Paige. I sat down with the longtime creator to talk about the process of ushering the brand into its new, full-fledged fashion era, and one thing was clear: Her next goal is that Dairy Boy takes on a life of its own. “If someone buys something from us and has no idea who I am, that’s awesome,” she tells me. “I want to be recognized as the girl who owns Dairy Boy, not just Paige. That’s way cooler to me.”

Ironically I am, in fact, allergic to dairy, but Dairy Boy isn’t just for the horseback riders and ranch dwellers (and milk drinkers) of the world. This new collection, the first non-drop Dairy Boy launch, is a step towards Paige’s bigger vision for the brand—it’s as much for her long-time supporters as it is for the casual shopper who didn’t know to set their alarm for a minute before the drop hits the site. It’s a collection that’ll be available to purchase anytime someone searches “Dairy Boy” out of curiosity. It’s something more permanent, pieces you’ll return to again and again, infused with the same Western cowgirl meets New England equestrian charm.

If you’re itching for a peek before the collection officially launches on September 4 at 11 A.M., keep scrolling for a behind-the-scenes look at her upcoming AW25 collection, along with exclusive details on Paige’s go-to vintage inspiration, her thoughts on taking Dairy Boy international, and whether she’d ever do a bridal collection.

First of all, the collection is so good. I love that you’re moving from just doing drops to having something more permanent. What makes this collection different to you, beyond the fact that it’s more evergreen?

I always knew what I wanted this collection to be, that this is where the brand was going. I was envisioning these pieces when I originally started the brand. But it’s a big undertaking, which requires a good team. It’s a lot of outerwear, fleeces, jackets, and flannels. Sporty but also vintage-inspired and a little preppy. It’s inspired by who I am as a person, my background and upbringing and the things I love. It’s amazing that people were following Dairy Boy even when we didn’t have that product to offer because the drops kept selling out, and now I finally will have product that mirrors the imagery on our socials and mirrors that feeling of nostalgia and sport and movement. It’s exciting to see it finally come together!

How long did the design process take from ideation to having pieces in your hand?

Probably eight months from sketch to the final product. I had a mood board of exactly what I wanted and I brought in an amazing new designer, Maddie Pesavento, who has tons of experience. I gave all the designers that I interviewed a little project, and it was so clear to me that Maddie understood what I was trying to do. The whole process takes a long time but these are pieces that I want to live in. I’ve worn them a lot to make sure they lasted, because I wasn’t willing to sacrifice the type of materials we were using, but I needed it to be in a certain price point. And I am a very active person, so if I couldn’t go horseback riding or skiing or hiking in this stuff and have it hold up, then it wasn’t gonna make the collection. The wear test was a big part of the collection.

Have you secretly teased any of it on social yet? Have you soft-launched any of the pieces on Instagram?

Definitely. That’s just authentic! Like, I’m wearing this stuff. I’m constantly teasing all of my products and it’s unintentionally become part of the rollout, which is exciting. Plus, anyone who’s subscribed on YouTube gets to see the behind the scenes process, which makes things inherently more personal. It’s not just a piece of clothing that they love, it’s also a piece that they got to see brought to life. There’s a cool emotional connection. I think people want to buy from people, you know?

Absolutely. Do you have any pieces from the collection that you’re particularly fond of?

The buffalo check fleece is probably my favorite. It’s so good. I love the fact that it’s pink, and then it has this vintage patch, and it doesn’t cinch at the waist like a lot of fleeces do but it has a more menswear fit. So it’s this fine line between looking like something you’d steal from your dad, but in a fun shade of pink.

I love that little tag detail. The retro label really sets it apart.

The whole collection is really detail-oriented. I talk to my team a lot about how typically, if you want something really special that has unique little details, it feels like you have to spend over $400 now. And that, to me, is a shame. What we’re trying to do is create an experience where, when you order from Dairy Boy, you’re so pleasantly surprised by how detail-oriented and thoughtful everything is.

It seems like lot of the inspo you pull for those details are from vintage moments. Do you have any specific style icons or eras that you referenced while creating this collection?

I love old Oakley and Patagonia. A lot of the old hiking brands like Filson and vintage Wrangler. Obviously Ralph Lauren. Princess Diana is always on the mood board. But also, the woman that inspired this collection most were the women that I grew up with. I went to school in Vermont, and the moms of my friends were always wearing cool outdoorsy shoes, no makeup, always gardening or hiking. They were just so confident and I’d always see them in these in-between moments, going from dropping off their kids to heading to the garden. They’re getting their hands dirty. These older women in my life inspired this collection a lot. They’re active and they’re confident and they got their hands dirty. They inspired me the most.

I saw TikTok recently where the girl was talking about how utility is a necessary function of fashion, like Kate Moss wearing her muddy Hunter boots at Glastonbury. The chicness came from the fact that it was utilitarian. I feel like this is exactly what you’re talking about.

There’s such an aura around women using great clothing to do the thing it’s designed for. It’s something I try to be careful about. Like, I own horses, but I don’t want to do a shoot at my barn if I’m wearing a bunch of stuff I would never ride in. That Kate Moss photo had that aura for the same reason. And consumers these days are incredibly smart and can tell when something doesn’t feel authentic, so we try to be very thoughtful about making sure that the storytelling is accurate. If we are doing a horse shoot, I’m actually wearing my riding stuff and I’m actually going for a ride after. You can’t be slick with people on the internet. I think the brands that are trying to do that will have a hard time growing with their audience.

I’ve definitely seen brands get flamed for faking things during shoots and people just don’t accept that anymore.

It’s brutal out here. It’s not like that’s an easy part of the job, but I’m listening to my customer. If you’re not having a constant conversation with your customer, what’s the point? They always say the brand is what the customer says it is, not what you say it is.

What’s your customer saying the brand is?

I think the customer that keeps coming back really loves the marketing, at least at first. The visuals are what drew them to the brand in the first place, but then they’re pleasantly surprised by the quality for the price. I hope they feel like they’re part of something bigger than just the clothes, that there’s an emotional connection. I think you could wear one of our fleeces and feel like in a way, you’re becoming the woman I described that we look up to. That you feel empowered in it. I think lifestyle brands should do that. I want to make clothes that are powerful like that.

The visuals almost convey this idea that the clothing can allow you to step into becoming the type of person that inspired this collection. Our moms that were always on the go, all the people that we look up to, this collection is meant to embody their spirit. And in wearing it, you’re participating in that spirit.

A hundred percent. You articulated that perfectly. These clothes are all really easy and really comfortable, and those are the best clothes to me. I love wearing something really snatched every once in awhile, maybe when I’m in the city, but wearing something that feels good and looks good while running your daily errands is the best.

Do you have any thoughts on how you’re planning on maintaining that sense of excitement and desirability that usually comes with a limited-edition drop for this bigger collection that’s going to live on the site for longer?

This is going to be our core, but we’re still going to continue to do drops that are more limited. We’re designing a really exciting Christmas collection with some very cool jackets, like puffy jackets with horses on them. We’ll have a really fun summer drop that’s more limited, but maintaining that evergreen collection. Because to me, a real shame of the past few years is that anyone who was curious about the brand in passing has not been able to experience the brand. Being like, “Oh, what’s Dairy Boy?” and not being able to find items that they can experience because they didn’t log on at 11. I’ve missed out on all those customers and I think that that’s a really important customer. We’ll maintain the excitement with more of these capsule drops that might be more fun and risky. And once we get this really dialed in, I’m excited to expand internationally, too.

I know that you’re timing the launch of this collection to the US Open, which is obviously a very important thing for you and your relationship. Tell me a little bit about why this timing was important to you.

First and foremost, honestly, I just want Tommy [Paul] to be able to come [to my NYC pop-up in Soho]. Tennis players don’t have an off season so I wanted to schedule it at a time where like he could be there and we could celebrate such a big moment for my brand together. But also, we’ve been together for three years and I’ve just had so much fun creating around tennis as an ex-athlete, as someone whose mom played tennis, and as someone who now is a huge fan of the sport. There is just such a cool aura to these tournaments. I’ve drawn so much inspiration from tennis, so timing it around the US Open felt like I could make some product that was tennis-inspired and it would like have some nice synergy. We’re going to have a few US Open pieces at the pop-up this year.

Love! Are any of them going to be similar to that amazing white dress with the tennis rackets embroidered around the bottom that you wore to Wimbledon?

Yes! We made a dress in the same pattern. It’s obviously more country and more casual because it’s plaid instead of silk, but it’s the same body as the one I wore for Wimbledon. And then we have three tennis sweatshirts that are vintage-inspired. We’ve had so much success with those. It’s been incredible. I did not expect people to love the tennis stuff as much as they have. But it also makes sense because there’s an authentic tie to it, we’re not just slapping a random sport on a sweatshirt.

Congrats on your engagement, by the way! Would you ever do something bridal? Like a Dairy Bride collection?!

We’re in the process of designing for Spring/Summer next year, and we are definitely doing a bridal-inspired collection. I don’t want to cut the non-brides out of it, but think of a collection that’s just really beautiful with white pieces that you can wear all summer. When I got engaged, everyone was commenting, “I need a bridal collection!” so I took it to my design team. I’m really excited about it, even if you are not getting married, white’s a great summer color.

I feel like that’s going to land really well. I see so many brides on TikTok who want an all-white sweatsuit to wear to the airport, an all-white yoga set to wear on their bachelorette. And honestly, it’s pretty slim pickings out there for cute, all-white lounge clothes.

Totally. We’re also thinking about doing some slip dresses and some lace and some underwear and bras and pajamas and robes. So I agree. I feel like it will land well. I’m really excited about it. I’ll keep you posted!

You’re sort of the queen of activations—you have the Dairy Boy ice cream truck, you own a farm stand now, you’re doing the Soho pop-up. Where are you like pulling inspo for all these different creative concepts?

It’s all the things that I love. I’ve always wanted to do an ice cream truck. It just makes so much sense. One time I did a pop-up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and so many girls thanked me for doing a pop-up there because brands often bypass the suburbs. The girls felt like we really cared about them, and I think that’s really sweet. And Dairy Boy is about the country coming to the city, so I wanted to put my money where my mouth is and have a way for girls who can’t come to the pop-up to experience the brand. All the ice cream is free, and we’re driving the truck from my hometown all the way down to the city and making stops along the way.

That’ll be really cool. What do you think that younger Paige would think if she could see you now, doing all of this?

I think she’d be so excited for me. I’ve always felt like I had a calling to do something like this, something creative and community-oriented. I think she would be proud that I stuck through the trials that come with owning a brand and being in the public eye. I was a creator way before TikTok, so I didn’t really fall into it accidentally. I chased what I wanted pretty fiercely, and I feel like I’m in my calling, which is really cool.

Being a creator is such an odd job. I don’t think it’s natural to share your whole life online. I don’t think it’s natural to get that much feedback good and bad, or get your life picked apart or go through relationships online. But I still feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m proud of myself for sticking through that and coming out the other side and creating something like this.

Do you feel like you’re finally doing what you want to be doing? Like, do you feel like everything is falling into place for you right now, or are there other dreams that you’re in the process of pursuing, too?

I feel like everything is falling into place, but I’m really excited for a year from now where I’ve had a core collection for a year. I’m excited for when it’s no longer like, oh, Paige and this influencer brand Dairy Boy. I want it to be this cool, authentic brand with good quality clothes that’s way bigger than me. And I know that I can do that because of how good Dairy Boy is and how good my team is. I’m excited for the brand to grow without me, without necessarily having me attached to it. I have a collection that I’m really proud of that’s not just a drop model, and it’s just beginning now. If someone buys something from us and has no idea who I am, that’s awesome. I want to be recognized as the girl who owns Dairy Boy, not just Paige. That’s way cooler to me.

The Dairy Boy AW25 collection will be available to purchase on September 4 at 11 A.M. EST. The collection will range from $25 to $185 and will be available in sizes XS-XXL.