How Nadia Boujarwah, Fashion Entrepreneur, Spends Her Sundays

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Sunday Routine
By SHIVANI VORA

In 2014, Nadia Boujarwah was working as an analyst in investment banking when she grew frustrated at the lack of fashion options for plus-size women. So the Kuwaiti native, herself a size 15, gave up her day job and became a founder of Dia&Co, a subscription styling service for women sizes 14 to 32. Today Ms. Boujarwah is the chief executive of Dia&Co, which has about 300 employees and one million customers. Ms. Boujarwah, 31, lives in Gramercy Park with a roommate, Marissa Steinmetz, 31, who was her classmate at Harvard Business School.

SHIVANI VORA

INTERNAL ALARM This is the one day I allow myself to wake up without an alarm clock. But I’m not a sleeping-in person and usually out of bed before 8. On other days, I’m up before 7, so the extra sleep is a treat.

COFFEE CRAVING Nine times out of 10, the first thought that pops into my head is how much I’m craving a cup of coffee. It’s not just because of the caffeine; I love the taste and smell of good coffee. I make a cup at home in a French press and use beans from a Brooklyn brand called City of Saints. They’re smooth, bold and delicious.

PERUSALS With a cup in hand, I settle into the couch and check Dia’s dashboard, which gives me the site’s performance metrics from the day before. I read The New York Times and look up recipes that I may want to cook for dinner that night. Kuwaiti cuisine, which includes a lot of rice-based dishes and grilled meats and stews, is a staple, but I go through phases of what else I’m into. Right now, I’m on a Thai food kick.

SPIN CYCLE There’s nothing more enjoyable to me than taking a rigorous spin class. I go a few times a week but always on Sundays. Exercising in the morning gives me more energy and helps me think more clearly. I’m not wedded to a particular studio, and around me, there are several great ones, including Flywheel and Revolve. I sign up for either a 9 or 9:15 class.

COOL DOWN After spin, I stop at Think Coffee and pick up an iced coffee because, no matter the time of year, I’m always hot after spin and need something to cool me down. Then I head to the Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket.

FACETIME THE FAM I head back home to make pretty much the same meal I eat every Sunday: two scrambled eggs and two slices of multigrain toast with jam. While I’m eating, I FaceTime my family in Kuwait. My mom is my first call, and we have a half-hour catch up. Then, it’s on to my sister and two nieces, ages 2 and 3. They’re adorable. It’s hard to be so far away from home, and the phone calls make me miss my family more.

THRIFTING I have a great group of friends here and always see one of them on Sundays. We might get manicures, but more often than not, I wrangle whoever I’m with into going vintage clothes shopping, which I’m obsessed with. As a plus-size woman, it’s not easy to shop regular retail, but there are some beautiful vintage clothes that fit me. GreenFlea, on the Upper West Side, is an incredible market. The City Opera Thrift Shop, on East 23rd Street, is also cool.

WALK AND TALK Dia’s co-founder, Lydia Gilbert, and I meet up around 5 and have a walking meeting. We tend to walk around the loop in Central Park or down the West Side Highway to Brookfield Place and chat about bigger-picture issues in our business, such as long-term goals and decisions we need to make about pursuing certain projects. Being outside gets our creative juices going.

DINNER PARTY Having people over for dinner is a Sunday ritual. I cook while everyone is over. We open a few bottles of wine, and then I divide up who’s going to do what. I’ll be at the stove and get help from others with chopping and cleaning. I don’t deprive myself of food, but I do try to eat healthy, so vegetables are a big part of whatever the dinner is.

WINDING DOWN When everyone is gone, I get into bed and watch something on Netflix. I’m currently watching “Emily Owens, M.D.,” a medical drama that got canceled, which is too bad, because it’s a great show. By 11, it’s lights out.