Soo Slick founders Alexander and Elizabeth Adeoye pose with a dress that has built-in shapewear during an interview at their home in Henderson Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024.
Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Following the birth of her daughter shortly after she moved to Las Vegas, Elizabeth Adeoye wanted to start wearing shapewear that was equal parts stylish and convenient.
She quickly discovered there were little to no affordable options for clothing with built-in shapewear. As a result, Adeoye said, if she wanted to wear an outfit with shapewear, she had to don multiple layers — such as a bodysuit and tummy-control garments underneath.
Her solution was Soo Slick, a shapewear apparel brand with inclusive, all-in-one pieces and items around $40.
“When we got into bodysuits, there were a lot of brands out there — popular ones — but the price was like $100 per piece,” Adoeye said. “And we just wanted it to be accessible. If it’s not accessible for a lot of women, it’s going to defeat the purpose of enhancing women’s curves and giving them the confidence that they need.”
Adoeye and her husband, Soo Slick co-owner Alexander Adeoye, started by launching the brand through Amazon. It wasn’t long before the couple noticed a correlation between an uptick in purchases of Soo Slick products and the virality of a post on TikTok.
So when they were asked to participate in the beta test of the U.S. iteration of “TikTok Shop,” the social media platform’s in-app marketplace, Elizabeth Adeoye said they jumped at the chance to further ensure Soo Slick’s sustainability.
“It’s been absolutely crazy,” she said of the exposure her business has received because of TikTok Shop. “I’m not gonna lie. It’s been a life-changing experience for a small, Black, minority-owned business, where it’s so hard to get capital or all this other stuff.”
Only six years after the Adeoyes moved to Las Vegas and started Soo Slick — and less than a year since the brand’s debut on TikTok Shop — they have garnered more than 200 million views on the app, and were one of just 10 people named to the “Loved by locals” category of its annual report, which was released toward the end of last year.
To be named to the list is definitely helpful for a small business, Alexander Adeoye said, because it further promotes the brand so it can remain valuable, relevant and competitive. His wife agreed, calling it a “stamp of approval” and noting that influencer marketing on TikTok has grown the Soo Slick brand, earning it over $1 million.
“It makes you feel like what you’re doing is right,” said Alexander Adeoye, who is also a registered nurse. “It just gives you that confidence. … It’s so exciting and I’m just really proud of my wife to be able to get it here — from nothing to here. We literally started with, what, $300?”
Another Las Vegas local, Alexandra Lourdes, was named to the same category.
Lourdes gained a massive following across social media by sharing her life and experience as a co-owner of multiple Las Vegas businesses — such as the immensely popular Café Lola. She was “shocked” by the report.
“It was just such an honor and it was so cool to see,” Lourdes said. “And I think it’s just really cool that they’re featuring different styles of creators, which is amazing.”
She feels like her followers are her family, Lourdes said, and she thinks they value that her content is relatable — whether it’s depicting the busy schedule of a working mom or something as simple as cleaning out a messy car.
Though she may not share every single piece of her life, Lourdes said, she does share the important moments.
“I feel like it’s like any relationship in life,” she said. “I feel like you have to put in work and you have to really be authentic and honest. And that community really feels that back, and I feel like my following has grown into something that’s so amazing.”
The local community in Las Vegas has been especially important to her, Lourdes said, and many of them will come into her businesses and introduce themselves to her, give her a hug and even ask how her daughters are doing.
Las Vegas feels like a small family, she said, especially among business owners. The latter are supportive instead of competitive with one another, Lourdes said, which is cool.
“I do think that Vegas is so small,” she said. “I think that we’re all very supportive. I feel like my channel is very positive and very family-focused, so to me, having (my channel) represent Vegas is really fun, because you see a different side of Vegas than maybe the Strip offers. So I love it and I’m super honored.”
With two daughters, another job and an ever-growing business, Alexander Adeoye said, running Soo Slick is busy work for the Adeoyes, who are originally from Nigeria. Going forward, the family hopes to give back to the local community through charitable work, he said.
“We’re definitely thankful and grateful for all the support that we’ve been able to get,” he said at their home in the southeast valley, where a colorful array of Soo Slick bodysuits, jumpsuits and even an evening gown with built-in shapewear could be seen hanging on a rack in their living room. “We’re lucky. I’m sure a lot of people are doing the same thing that we’re doing but they’ve not been able to scale as much, and so we’re just very, very thankful.
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