There are many people within the Kardashian-Jenner family's circle, but not many of them are considered close enough to be trusted with the family's mini-fashion empire, the Dash boutiques. That's where twin sisters Malika Haqq and Khadijah Haqq McCray come in. The twins grew up with the family, since Malika met Khloe when they were 16-years-old, and they even recall being trusted by matriarch Kris Jenner to babysit Kendall and Kylie Jenner when the girls were four and five-years-old.
The Haqq sisters are now trusted with the Kardashians' other baby, the Dash boutiques. The high-end fashion stores (with locations in Los Angeles, New York and Miami) boasts designer styles hand-picked by the Kardashian sisters themselves and the Haqq sisters are in charge of the running the boutique's daily tasks, which include managing a staff of fashionistas called "Dash dolls." The all-female staff that represents the Kardashian brand will be part of their own "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" spin-off show, E!'s "Dash Dolls" which will follow the daily lives of the employees as they give viewers an insider's look into the business side of the Kardashian family. The show stars the Haqq sisters as they hold down the fort at Dash for the Kardashian sisters.
"As Dash started to pick up and they started other stores, I feel like I was just attached to the Dash store itself, I was working there, I would shop there," Malika, Dash manager, told HNGN of how she got more involved with the boutiques. "And then I became the eyes and ears when I wasn't there, so when the Kardashian sisters got busier and busier they just asked us would we be willing to help them and just make sure the store is being ran to the standards and make sure the dolls (employees) are being the dolls they were hired to be."
"It's an absolute honor," Khadijah, co-manager of Dash, told HNGN. "We've probably said it a thousand times in the last couple of weeks how gracious and grateful we are and how much we want to make them proud. It's a huge thing to take your baby and something that you've worked so hard for and see it be a success and then go 'listen, we love you, we trust you, help us along the journey.' So we're very thankful for that."
When it came to pitching the show, Malika said it was the Kardashian sisters' idea for a spin-off to focus on the Dash boutique itself. The sisters would receive nightly reports of the goings on in their stores and they realized the dynamic in the shop would make for great reality TV.
"There was a show in the store before the cameras even showed up," Malika said.
"'Cause it's not your average retail store," Khadijah chimed in. "The owners of this boutique are huge celebrities, they have a huge following. They get tourists from all around the world, people come from Kuwait or from Japan and they literally come to the store just because they want a piece of Kourtney, Kim or Khloe. They wanna see what's going on and take home like a little trinket so it's nice. It's a different environment and I think that's what's gonna capture our audience, is being able to finally see inside the store."
The show will allow fans an insider's perspective into the Kardashian brand and give viewers another look into their lives through the business side of the sisters, but it also allows fans to have a peek into the Dash dolls lives, including Malika and Khadijah. A typical day at work for these ladies can be anything but typical.
"A typical day is very busy," Malika said. "And I call Dash on Melrose like a Disneyland on a regular street. It is constantly like TMZ tour buses, tourists, millions of fans and then we have our regular customers that literally love the buying that the girls do and we do styling for clients and stuff like that. So it's a hectic day most of time, but a high energy environment and we appreciate that."
With all the distractions from tourists and fans and celebrity clients, it could be hard for the Dash dolls to maintain the standards and integrity of the store. But that's where Malika and Khadijah come in, as the captains who run a tight ship for the Kardashian sisters.
"They do need a little bit of guidance, but the employees do a really good job," Khadijah said.
In terms of the dynamic between the dolls, Malika said it's more like a sorority. There's the leader and there are girls with a clique-mentality.
"You just never know what's gonna happen with these girls," Malika said. "It's never a dull day for us but sometimes Khadijah and I have to come together and go 'look okay, this is the problem today, this is what's going on and this is how we're gonna have to try and execute this so the next six to eight hours here...'"
"Are a functioning business," Khadijah finished.
And although the drama between the Dash dolls is included in storylines for the new reality series, at the end of the day Dash is a business and the twins are in charge of running that business for the Kardashians. But they work together as a team and employ a good cop/bad cop managerial style to approaching the dolls to make sure the drama doesn't negatively impact business.
"You end up with a good cop and a bad cop, which is how we've been described before," Khadijah said with a smile. "I guess I would be the bad cop and Malika would be the good cop. And only because you know, just like we were saying sometimes when there's a lot of traffic and it's high energy, there's not really time to go 'sweetie,' sometimes it's like 'Hey! Stop! You, I need you, okay you got that? Great.' It's usually me, I'm a quick executor and I kinda shoot it to you straight."
"Malika, she has an authoritative way," Khadijah continued. "She gives you more chances than I do, I think."
"Yeah, I'm a little sweeter," Malika agreed.
"They know that we care about them and they take to us well," Malika continued. "I want them to know I respect their positions and I trust them to do good things 'cause otherwise they wouldn't have hired them in the first place. So it's just about keeping a good balance."
The dolls are expected to hold themselves to standards within the Dash "rule book," which means making sure their appearance is professional, respectable and adorable. In terms of the store, the girls are expected to keep a clean boutique, making sure hangers look the right way and that every customer is greeted as they enter the store.
"It's tough cause there are a lot of distractions inside Dash," Malika said. "I remember going into a clothing boutique near my house in the valley and I realize 'wow, I was the only person in the store.' And that is very seldom at Dash and it changes your perspective too, you realize we have to balance things and it's not always easy to do that. And we're there for each other and I think that makes our jobs easier on the daily."
The store also offers personal styling, which is the twins' favorite part. Celebrity clients will come in and the girls will give them expert styling advice, a service that is also extended to regular, every day fans looking to get the signature Kardashian look.
"Their fans and those customers, those are just as important as the celebrity customers because that's why they do it, that's why the store exists and that's why the store does so well," Khadijah said.
"I think our customers come in and they look at the employees and they might attract to one person cause they feel more comfortable that that person might be able to help them," Malika said of fans coming in looking to get Kardashian-ized. "So we kind of give them the freedom to pick and choose whoever they'd like to help them, but the help is always there and I think that's the most important thing."
The twins make sure that the Kardashian brand is being represented the way Kim, Khloe and Kourtney would expect it to, and they said they feel lucky to be able to work and play with friends that they consider family.
"We're really blessed to be able to say we can work and play with our family and friends," Khadijah said. "It's truly a gift."
Watch a clip from the series below and be sure to catch "Dash Dolls," airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on E!
