Meet Jordan Edwards of Mixology Clothing Company

While it wasn’t the initial plan, Jordan Edwards became a successful clothier and CEO of the Mixology Clothing Company group of stores. Edwards, whose family were original cofounders and investors in Mixology, has expanded the business to 16 stores. He now runs the company with his sister, Gabrielle Edwards Schwadron.

Edwards and his father, Glenn, are longtime business partners through Chart Organization. This diversified family firm oversees ventures across the United States and Canada, with commercial real estate as one of its core areas. “Chart has grown into a diverse holding company with interests in multiple industries,” Edwards says. Mixology Clothing Company was one of their early projects. “It was one of our seed investments,” he adds, “and has since grown into a mighty oak tree.”

Mixology was founded to address a gap in the fashion market: the need for a space that offers a mix of accessible, trend-driven styles and quality pieces in a welcoming, community-oriented environment. Edwards and his family invested in an opportunity to create a community brand that goes beyond the disposable nature of fast fashion by offering curated selections that resonate with customers on a personal and local level.

Mixology Clothing Company now has 16 stores, with number 17 under construction and number 18 in the planning stage. They have stores in Westhampton Beach, Westchester, Nassau County, New Jersey, New York City and Boca Raton, Florida.

Edwards has no formal training in fashion, so he sticks to the operational part of the business and leaves fashion strategy to his sister.

“She and I are very lucky to have each other,” Edwards says. With his traditional business background, Edwards is mindful that running a successful fashion company requires balancing art and science. The siblings often approach challenges from different angles — Schwadron bringing a deep fashion perspective and Edwards a business focus — which helps them reach the best solutions.

“Our partnership thrives because we respect each other’s perspectives; I stay mindful of her creative insight, and she shows grace toward my business approach,” Edwards says.

Their store strategy focuses on offering a curated mix of contemporary and trend-driven pieces at various price points. More importantly, they strive to make customers feel as if they’re in their own closet with a good friend who has a keen eye for fashion, helping them mix and match styles that suit them perfectly.

“Social media moves faster than trends can often hit the sales floor, so staying relevant means making smart decisions and sometimes forecasting six months out. It’s one of the biggest challenges, especially for my sister, who works to keep us ahead in an ever-evolving market,” Edwards says.

Their true success lies in their relationships with female customers, who range from high schoolers to grandmothers.

“At Mixology, we focus on hiring from the communities we serve, so our staff reflects the lives and interests of our customers,” Edwards explains. “Our customers aren’t just coming in for special occasions; they’re here for all kinds of everyday experiences, and we want our team to be a part of that.”

One of the ways Mixology strengthens this community connection is through a unique group of employees known as “Mix Moms.” “We call them Mix Moms because they’re often like mothers to both our customers and our staff,” Edwards says. “They bring warmth, familiarity and care into our stores, creating an experience that feels personal and authentic.” This approach is core to Mixology’s hiring philosophy, ensuring that each store feels like an extension of the community it serves.

Even more important, visiting a Mixology store is designed to be like visiting a friend with excellent taste.

“Mixology is about day-in and day-out experiences in our customers’ lives,” says Edwards, who recently published Business Jiu Jitsu, which provides principles to make better businesspeople. “For example, I explain to our managers that the goal is to treat customers the way they want to be treated. That may mean that they don’t buy something every time they come. It is not about the big sale but about them enjoying the experience and coming back again and again. We’re about building community. Every interaction isn’t about winning or losing, making a sale or not making a sale.”

Edwards credits his long-time training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for his principled approach toward business.

“In martial arts, your strengths and weaknesses are tied together; your biggest weakness can often become your superpower,” Edwards explains. “In business, it is the same way.” This is how Edwards feels about his lack of formal fashion experience. Because of jiu-jitsu, Edwards learned how to rely on his sister and team to fill his fashion gaps.

In his latest book, he shares wisdom about being an entrepreneur and especially what it was like to be an entrepreneur during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Business Jiu Jitsu, he writes: “For over a decade, jiu-jitsu was my secret identity. My business and my passion never crossed. I couldn’t find a place for them to intersect — until I did. In 2019 I created the ‘Business Jiu Jitsu’ podcast, where I began to explore the connection between the principles of business and jiu-jitsu by interviewing experts in both. I was able to bring my two worlds together and have one life.”

“The idea of ‘Business jiu-jitsu’ came from conversations with my teammates,” Edwards writes. “After training, my teammates would often come up to me with a business idea. ‘I want to leave law enforcement and start a fashion business,’ or ‘I want to open a gym,’ or ‘I want to flip a house.’ We would begin to talk about how to launch and run a business, but I would use jiu-jitsu metaphors because the language of business was foreign to them.”

Both his book and his podcast are part of his goal to help others avoid the business mistakes he made and to help them find their own path to success.

“My goal is to help people succeed with the resources they have — not the resources they wish for,” Edwards says.

If Mixology Clothing Company is any testimonial, he has not only learned to master his strengths and weaknesses but to combine them into a winning formula.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.