It took a pandemic for Daniella Kallmeyer to put more of her own voice in the self-named fashion brand she started in 2012.

"I'm being more vocal about my personal experience and my political views," Kallmeyer said on the Glossy Podcast. "I've given some really raw interviews over the past couple of months, and I certainly have had people reach out to me and tell me how much they appreciate that."

Taking a stand on social issues is a big part of what companies are expected to do now, she said. And for those that don't? "You could become irrelevant."

Kallmeyer had projected "major growth" for the calendar year -- "January was our best month in business, to date," she said -- but then the pandemic hit. Since March, she has temporarily closed and reopened the company's newly opened physical store, and has launched a range of digital services for Kallmeyer customers.