Costume design veteran Jessica Wenger McPhaul spent 20 years crafting characters' stories through clothing before launching her own brand, Naked Rebellion.

"The nude bra is an essential fashion staple in a woman's closet," says Jessica. She considers it "the foundation of any outfit and the fundamental building block of every wardrobe." Naked Rebellion aims to help women feel acknowledged, comfortable, and confident. At the same time, they are building a highly supportive and inclusive community of badass, rebellious women.

Inclusivity and community form the bedrock of Naked Rebellion's approach to luxury lingerie. Jessica's design experience runs deep - she's worked on major productions, including "House of Cards" and "Dancing with the Stars." Creating costumes for these shows taught her that clothing has to work for every unique body.

A Chance Beginning in Fashion

“Bobb and Carol Cooper [owners of Valley Youth Theatre] gave me the opportunity to work in the costume shop and volunteer my hours while I was there rehearsing," she says. That unexpected opportunity sparked a passion - at 18, she left for fashion school in Los Angeles, beginning a journey that would lead to Emmy nominations and work on major television productions.

A Defining Moment in Fashion

While working as a costume designer about 15 years ago, Jessica experienced a moment that would change her career path. "I was assisting a big deal costume designer," she relates. "We were making these beautiful costumes and she asked me to go buy new bras for all of the talent."

She bought what seemed like the right items and returned to work. "I had all the right bras in the right sizes, and in walks this dance troupe from Africa," Jessica remembers. "Every bra in my hand was beige. It was not their skin color, so it was not nude. I couldn’t believe the product didn’t exist and that women were so misrepresented in the industry. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to change things."

"I didn't have the ability at the time," says Jessica. "But I knew that I could be an ally and be a catalyst for change."

Finding the Solution in Unexpected Places

A few years later, while working on "Dancing with the Stars," Jessica discovered how to turn her vision into reality. "Those outfits have to be danceable. You can’t have a nip slip or anything bad happen to your costume because it’s live on national television," she explains.

The solution came from an unexpected source - the power mesh fabric they used for dance costumes. "I realized I had this fabric that can fit anybody, and it can fit any skin tone. It's super comfortable. That [mesh fabric] is the main component of our bra," she says. Comparing traditional underwire bras to "trying to force a square peg into a round hole," Jessica knew she had found a better way.

"Launching an inclusive company is not cost effective. Launching with everything is hard. You can't be inclusive without this," Jessica explains. "It's our super power - we launched with everything. We had nine different skin tones and we have three bra styles and underwear styles."

Building the Brand from the Ground Up

Jessica and her husband Jay McPhaul returned to Arizona, where a fashion incubator in Tempe helped jumpstart their vision. "We were the lucky recipients of the 'Designer in Residence' Scholarship program that is offered through the Arizona Apparel Foundation. With the tools and mentorship, they provided us we were able to fast track our development and grow this company from nothing to a full runway show in a short 6 months," Jessica explains.

"We started the process with no name, no anything in January 2019… We did every single thing—sample making, conceptualizing, branding, business development—in six months. We had a runway show in July 2019, launching with 9 models, one for each shade."

From Samples to Success

The development process came with unique challenges. "Designing undergarments in multiple shades of nude provided a variety of challenges when we were developing our designs. There are no elastic, hooks, snaps, closures, etc. in any variety of shades. The fashion industry only makes these garment construction items in beige- so we had to re-develop the bras to not need any of those 'traditional' manufacturing items."

She laughs at the memory, "We had no product, though. Just the samples the models were wearing. We decided we needed something for people to buy. We had some sample fabric left, so we made some scrunchies. They all sold out in one day. We essentially started a wholesale accessories company to bankroll us until we could get our production run going."

For Jessica, entrepreneurship meant embracing both risks and rewards. "An Entrepreneur, by definition, is someone that organizes and operates a business, while bearing most of the risks but also enjoying most of the rewards. That is everything that Naked Rebellion embodies for me," she explains. 

Growing the Business

Their local launch strategy quickly evolved into a broader digital presence. "We leveraged Instagram and social media tools. We posted frequently with imagery people hadn't seen before," Jessica says. But building an online presence for an intimates brand came with its own challenges. "It's been an uphill battle - 'naked' is a banned word, #bra and #underwear are banned on social channels," she shares. 

Starting with nine nude shades and sizes from S to 3X, they've continued to grow. "We have bootstrapped this far, and have hit huge industry disrupting milestones on our way… We have just secured Macys.com, Express.com and Wantable.com on our last trip to New York. These disruptive milestones that we have been able to accomplish as a business keeps us going when times get tough."

Breaking New Ground

From the start, Jessica saw Naked Rebellion as more than just a lingerie brand - she envisioned a movement. Her philosophy is simple: "A rising tide lifts all ships. We all get further faster when we support each other. That is why you'll see us always supporting other female-founded local small businesses."

Jessica had the foresight to launch Naked Rebellion before major players like SKIMS and Fenti jumped into the market. "Once the big guys came along, people see now, 'Oh yes, of course I need this,'" Jessica notes. Naked Rebellion was already a trailblazer in inclusive lingerie by that point.

Naked Rebellion's momentum kept building. After appearing on the Today Show in 2023, sales jumped 2,000% within 48 hours. Major retailers called to help Jessica realize her vision of bringing inclusive lingerie to more women. 

Yet scaling a business brought its own challenges. That's when Jessica found crucial support through Entreprenista's community of women founders. "Sometimes you feel alone in it," she explains. 

"Hearing other brands had a tough Q3 and it's not retail specific—you need to hear that." This network of women entrepreneurs became a space to celebrate wins and share challenges openly with others who understood the journey, providing both emotional support and strategic opportunities as Naked Rebellion continued to grow.

Redefining Lingerie for Every Woman

Today, Naked Rebellion continues to grow through its online store and pop-up shop at Biltmore Fashion Park. "We strive to be defined as the most rebellious, inclusive, and comfortable brand," Jessica says. "Once our product was created we realized just how much this community of women was craving connection. We have been able to become a platform in the community where every woman can see themselves represented."

The brand has grown beyond its original vision, becoming a community in itself. "As women, we are absolutely incredible. If we band together, we can achieve anything," Jessica says. "This tiny little brand that started as a dream came to fruition because of all the incredible women in my life who have supported me. I want people to see this brand and know they are part of a community."