Alicia Tulsee: A Scrubs Brand Dedicated to Fashion, Professionalism, and Respect

Hi friends, it’s Spiffy, back again on Planet Earth with an eye on entrepreneurs making the world a more equitable place! Today I’m excited to cruise around with Alicia Tulsee, founder and CEO of Moxie Apparel Inc., who is working hard to give back to the well-being of nurses. Are you ready to be inspired?

Spiffy: It’s great to have you on Spiffy’s Blog, Alicia, thanks for talking to me! Could you tell me about the challenge Moxie Apparel Inc. is addressing?

Alicia: I’m glad to be here, Spiffy! Moxie Apparel Inc’s mission is to enhance, inspire, and empower the moxie—the force of character, determination, and resourcefulness—in every nurse. More than a brand, this is a movement.

Spiffy: What motivated you to do it?

Alicia: I’ve been in awe of all of the amazing nurses who have cared for my loved ones and felt a calling to do something meaningful for the nursing profession. I founded the brand out of Harvard University’s Innovation Lab with the passion to create a brand dedicated to giving nurses the sense of fashion, professionalism, and respect that they want and deserve!

Spiffy: That’s super thoughtful! How are you working towards a more equitable world and what kind of impact are you making?

Alicia: We are building a community of nurses based on self-care and wellness. We have partnered with the American Nurses Association and are the scrub brand for nurses. This gives us access to over 1.5 million nurses to grow a community to take care of them.

Spiffy: Before we let you go, I’m curious to know whether you’ve faced any failure so far and what you learned from it.

Alicia: I started the business before the pandemic to give back to the nurse community, and then fell sick for three months with what appeared to be Covid-19 (with a negative test result, however). Our goods were then delayed for nearly eight months due to the pandemic shutting down the supply chain. But I stuck it through, raised money during this time, and learned that people will believe in and trust a founder more than the business itself.

Spiffy: Self-care and wellness for nurses is a very worthy endeavor, indeed, Alicia. I wish you all the best. Thanks for all of your time today, it’s been an honor!

Alicia Tulsee is a native New Yorker and Harvard alum, and the founder of the first direct-to-consumer medical apparel brand for nurses, Moxie Scrubs. (First published on the Ladderworks website on November 10, 2021)