Siblings Darrel and Dominique Schreiner know what it’s like to work in fields typically dominated by men and poised for change. Along with pursuing their master’s in computer science through the Align program, they’re co-founders of Cake Denim, a denim company. With an 18-month age gap, Dominique is the younger sister. Dominique received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Darrel holds a bachelor’s in biochemistry, and they both have minors in Spanish. Reflecting on sharing a close sisterhood, Dominique says, “It’s really nice having someone going through the same challenges of life with you and it makes it less daunting.”

Cake Denim was founded in October 2016. “We were inspired to start Cake Denim because it was a personal problem, a consumer problem,” said Darrel. Explaining the consumer purchasing experience, Darrel added, “Buying jeans has never been the best experience for me, so I thought we could make things a little better, not just for myself but for other women. From there we noticed there were all these other small things that we really wanted to change about the fashion industry.”

To start, the sisters found that the research and development focused on one type of consumer and emphasized the cost-effective method of narrowing down to a certain fit and style. They vowed to change that. Furthermore, they decided early to be a sustainability-focused and locally produced brand. Said Dominique, “We’re really proud to be made in the USA, and we’re in the Los Angeles factory all the time to know exactly what’s going on behind the scenes.” The fabrics used to make Cake Denim jeans are environmentally friendly, and the Schreiners work with ethically-certified companies.

Naming their jeans company “Cake Denim” was a straightforward process. Darrel said, “When I initially came up with the idea for a denim brand, I wanted jeans that weren’t so restrictive. I’m a woman and my weight fluctuates and I wanted to put on a pair of jeans that would always fit me.” The Schreiners considered the sense of the name, too, as “having it all.” Darrel explained, “You can have your cake and fit in your jeans too, you don’t have to sacrifice anything, and you can have fluidity.” Dominique added, “Our family bakes a cake every time there’s a celebration in the house, so we’re big bakers–we like the idea of celebrating your life exactly where you are in it.”

As Cake’s CEO, Darrel comes up with ideas and makes executive decisions, “I’m good at bringing up and resolving concerns between the two of us, and so within the company I’m more of the leader between the two of us.” Dominique takes leadership with external companies: “I’m COO, and I like to say I’m creative director because I enjoy creating the lines. But, at the end of the day, our collections are collaborative.” Entering the fashion industry was not without its pushbacks. “Being a female founder, we found that there are a lot of male voices behind the scenes,” reported Dominique. “They run the factory, they make jeans, and it’s been a definite growing process, finding my voice and standing up for what I want.”

The Schreiners serendipitously found the Align program and knew it would be the perfect fit. “I’ve always wanted to go back to school for tech,” said Dominique, adding, “I found that the more we were hiring for our company, we were contracting out, I wasn’t as knowledgeable in these areas and wanted to be more hands-on with the process as we were building our company.” They chose the San Francisco location to be closer to their factory in LA, “we can be there in half a day if need be,” said Darrel.

Furthermore, the Schreiners have a mutual fascination with AI. Dominique sees its applicability to fashion-based software and decision making, while Darrel explained its relevance to efficient operations.: “If you’re working in the cut and sew, and if you can implement tech into that process, then you’re not having to sacrifice your clients or workers. With advanced technological processes, we’re able to make sure everyone’s taken into consideration.”

Already in their third semester of the program, the Schreiners took a step back and pointed out some noteworthy professors. Dominique recalled her first semester with Dr. Smruthi Mukund: “I loved her class. I really liked the material, and she did a great job presenting it. Having the chance to see another female in the role she’s in was inspiring.” Darrel attributed her success to Director of the San Francisco campus, Dr. Jodi Tims, “She was our guiding mentor, she wanted to ensure every new student was taken care of, and I still talk to her.”

The Schreiners are excited to receive their MSCS degrees at the end of the fall 2021 or spring 2022 semester. Eager to implement the knowledge she’s gained from the program into Cake Denim, Darrel added, “I also want to expand my horizons by participating in more hackathons.” Dominique plans to expand the collection and learn from other industries through networking: “I want to understand how tech can be applied to another field, especially fashion, and vice versa.”

Forward thinkers, the Schreiners imagine that they’ll find even more ways to apply their knowledge from the undergraduate degrees and the Align program to personal and business interests. Darrel explained, “In the Align program, I’m finding that it’s all related, the research and development and types of [denim] washes–there’s a lot of science that goes into all of that.” She added, “With our natural science backgrounds, I think tech can be used as a solution in any field.”

Keep up with Cake Denim here.