Meet Rachel Norton | Founder of Clothing Brand: Zenith Nadir

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Norton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Since adolescence, I’ve always had a weirdly strong desire to be an entrepreneur. I didn’t know what that term meant back then but I remember watching travel shows with my grandfather and seeing these elaborate resorts and theme parks and saying “I want to own something like that some day”. I remember constantly writing about the different features like restaurants and shops that I wanted to have on my resort. I’d give them all names, write out menus for the restaurants and even create retail product lists for the stores. I went the whole nine! But as I grew older, I began to think it was too far fetched. It wasn’t until my father made me go to college that I was able to reignite that dream. Initially, I didn’t know what I was doing in college but thankfully my dad suggested just going for business so no matter what I wanted to do when I graduated, I’d have the framework knowledge on how to create a business for whatever my dreams became. Fast forward to now and I’ve been blessed to obtain both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business. Now I’m reminded of my childhood fantasies constantly and I see starting this brand as being the first major stepping stone to one day making the dreams I had as a kid become reality.

What should our readers know about your business?
The story behind Zenith Nadir is one that is continuously developing. What started out as a creative outlet to bring my sister and I together has grown into an empowering brand that aligns not only with community building but also aligns with mental health awareness. It’s ironic to see where we’ve come from with Zenith Nadir. From the very beginning of developing the concept of the brand to watching it grow into what it is today, it’s been amazing to see it develop into something with a much larger meaning than ever imagined.

I first had the idea to create Zenith Nadir after graduating with my MBA in 2020. The world was a scary place filled with uncertainties and chaos and I needed a way to cope. Despite all of the madness, I decided to take a leap of faith and start a business to keep myself occupied. I landed on creating a clothing line which was inspired by my sister who had just started college majoring in fashion merchandising. Considering our age gap of 8 years, it had been hard for us to stay close as we were living in two completely different phases of life. I wanted something that we could both do that would bring us together. So, together we somewhat created a concept but still needed a name. After doing a lot of research, we landed on Zenith Nadir, a name chosen by my sister. There was a lot of meaning to the name within itself with the definition of ‘zenith’ being “the highest of highs” and ‘nadir’ meaning “the lowest of lows” but we didn’t fully know what it meant to us yet.

The logo, originally created as a simple digital representation of a photo of two women, has developed a deeper meaning as well. It’s become a representation of us. Of the beauty of our spirits, protecting one another with the message “We stand together because our strength knows no bounds. Through our darkest days of struggle, we’ve persevered.” written in between. That image is a perfect depiction of who we are and our ability to live above it all.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta has so much to offer so exploring the city with friends and discovering all of its hidden gems is something special to experience. Typically I’m a home body but if I have a friend in town, we’re definitely going on a few adventures and my favorite types are anything involving food, vintage finds and local markets. So, it’s no surprise that Ponce City Market is a must stop every time. With their food hall featuring some of the most amazing food finds in the city, their many eclectic small shops plus the weekend vendor markets, its always my first stop. Ponce magically houses all of my favorite finds under one roof so it’s perfect! For exploration outside of Ponce City Market, I’m still going for the same vibes but taking it to the streets of Little Five Points where everything is bohemian chic with vintage stores and delicious restaurants lining the streets. Our favorite type of vibe.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate it to my sister for helping me come up with the concept and name for business and working alongside me to see it come to fruition.

Website: www.thezenithnadir.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezenithnadir/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-norton-zenithnadir/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheZenithNadir

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thezenithnadir