Interview with a Mom Who Started Her Own Clothing Line

interviews

Aug 18

Molly and daughter/muse, Philomena

Meet Mère the Label

Molly is a Kansas City-based mom & entrepreneur starting a clothing line for nursing moms. We asked her to be one of the first interviewees because she is in the early stage of launching her clothing label & thought it would be inspiring to hear what that’s like.

Tell us about you & Mère the Label!

I’ll start by saying, the thing that connects me and Mère the Label is a desire for easy breastfeeding access in fashionable clothes.

I found that passion as a stay-at-home mom when I felt that my style got wrecked by a limited clothing selection for nursing mothers, so I put on the entrepreneurial boots and created Mère the Label (Mère= “mother” in French) here in Kansas City!

What inspired you to start this business?

I had a creative part of me that wouldn’t settle down when I transitioned out of the workforce and into the home. In my previous job I worked in marketing for a global bridal fashion label—a great gig for a gal dating and engaged! When I got married and became a mom, my creative juices flowed from wedding obsession to mama obsession—and thanks to my experience at my prior job, the sketch book became a best friend.

What does the process of starting a clothing line look like? Where are you at in that process now?

The process is one word: patience.

What many don’t realize is that you need to source your fabrics before even selecting a design to run with! Having a manufacturer with contacts in the textile industry is key, because they can help you get your hands on them. From there, your manufacturer will make a pattern from your sketch and produce the prototype, and help you revise it until it’s ready for marketing and going up for sale. I am currently getting the last revisions done on my first design, which should be ready for advertising and pre-order in the next few weeks!

What’s been a surprising challenge about starting a clothing line?

The high-quality picture you see on a website likely took hundreds of small tweaks to get there!

Even a simple design can be really tricky once the prototype is made, especially if it’s something that hasn’t quite been done before. Getting to know the physics of a fabric and even some anatomy/skeletal structure of your target market is another surprising learning curve. Nailing the fit and getting everything to lay just right, not to mention making sure it will lay right in every size, can take a ton of revisions.

What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve received?

It’s fashion-specific, but starting small and slow was what I picked up from an old design entrepreneurs’ textbook written in the 90s. Small-batch, slow fashion is in vogue right now as it happens—but it really is the tried and true, most economical way for a new clothing business. The sustainable route allows you to test your market as you go along. That’s why we’re going to launch one design for now, and hopefully slowly build based on how well it performs!

What’s your favorite business hack you’re utilizing right now?

Really basic but Canva has been a lifesaver marketing tool!

What’s your favorite part of starting your own business?

Seeing a sketch that I drew actually come to life. Despite the long process in between, it feels like it literally jumped from the page onto a model—like it took no time at all!

What does it look like for you to start a business alongside starting a family?

Surprisingly, there’s a lot of beautiful parallels. The personal growth in becoming a mother is similar to the growth needed in starting a business. However, the challenge becomes making sure your duty of starting a business/new career doesn’t override your duty as a spouse and parent. As long as I keep those in order, starting a business stays rooted in passion for beauty, as opposed to corporate anxiety.

Where do you hope to be with the brand in a year?

I hope to be launching a second design, shipping nationally, and maybe even see my designs offered in local boutiques!

What’s your favorite daily routine that you *cannot* miss? It can be anything, it doesn’t have to be business related.

My morning apple cider vinegar tonic. I’ve been doing it since middle school. Not sure the extent of all its physical benefits, but if I don’t start my day feeling like an absolute goddess of health, the whole thing could fall apart.