How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits

• Recreating the Luxury & Legacy of Vintage Textiles with Christine Lindebak of Lindy Lindy

  Luxury doesn’t always look like designer clothes, high heels, and a “dream” fashion job in NYC. Sometimes it looks more like quiet morning moments getting ready for a big day, hand-stitched embroidery on a vintage table linen, and barefoot commutes to a home office in a Spanish apartment. Christine Lindebak has always appreciated these small details. With her bridal loungewear brand, Lindy Lindy, she has leaned into these details even more. Each piece is crafted using vintage textiles that share a luxurious story of their own. In episode 119, hear why her lounge and sleepwear designs were a perfect fit for brides, how Christine’s identity and lifestyle massively changed when she quit corporate, and the ways that Christine has considered scaling that align with her values. Christine Lindebak is a fashion industry veteran, having worked for Emilio Pucci, Mulberry, and Alexis Bittar. She is the founder of Lindy Lindy, creating bespoke homewear from vintage Spanish linens for brides seeking one-of-a-kind getting-ready attire. Christine is also the force behind Sewing and the City, selling fashion sewing patterns online and in shops around the globe and inspiring people of all ages to sew their own clothes. This episode explores: Fitting the customer Why the bridal loungewear market organically fit Lindy Lindy How Lindy Lindy’s niche made marketing easier for Christine How Lindy Lindy pieces are sized Christine’s approach to pricing her pieces Fitting the lifestyle How Christine landed her first wholesale partnership Why Christine quit her “dream” career in luxury retail How Christine’s identity and lifestyle massively changed when she quit corporate Fitting the values The reason behind Christine’s premium sewing construction choices How the textiles themselves shape Lindy Lindy designs How Christine’s values play out in the day to day operations of Lindy Lindy The ways that Christine has considered scaling that fit her values People and resources mentioned in this episode: Lindy Lindy website Lindy Lindy Instagram Sewing In The City website Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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• Designing A Life & Business You Love (Even Through Change, Loss, and Challenges) with Doug Phillips and Liz DeBraber of Conscious Clothing

  Rose and Doug Phillips asked: “how can we spend every day, together, doing what we love?” Their answer was Conscious Clothing. For two decades they built their business on this premise - even building the gorgeous, sun-filled Michigan studio where their team of ten designs and makes each piece of organic and natural fiber clothing.  Things haven’t always been dreamy, though. As the brand grew, work started to creep into the weekends. The pandemic hit. Then Doug lost his life and business partner. But, the heartfelt vision for Conscious Clothing remained. In this interview, Doug and General Manager Liz DeBraber share how they’re intentionally restructuring the business for the sake of themselves, their team, and their customers. Doug Phillips is the owner of Conscious Clothing, an organic and natural fiber clothing company based in the Grand Rapids Michigan area. While navigating the challenges of designing and manufacturing in the US for over 23 years against a flood of cheap clothing imports, a mission was born. Exemplifying how a better way is possible by supporting local and organic is better for people and the planet. Doug hopes everyone realizes their power to create change with the purchase power they have and the brands they choose to support. This episode explores: Fitting the customer How Liz is completely revamping Conscious Clothing’s pattern library to better fit their customers The process behind extending their sizing from XS-XL to XS-6X.  How their small team things about customer service Fitting the lifestyle How founders Doug and Rose built the business from the ground up to realize the life they wanted together What they changed to keep the growing business from taking over their life How a years-long season of grief forced Doug to make big changes in the business Why sustainability is just as much about the lifestyle of the team than it is about the products they are making How they are balancing R&D with production Fitting the values Why organic and natural fibers and made-in-USA production are important to Conscious Clothing How the industry and consumer values about organic clothing has changed over the 20+ years they’ve been in business Why Doug is happy that Conscious Clothing is not as unique as it once was People and resources mentioned in this episode: Conscious Clothing website Conscious Clothing Instagram Fox fiber® - breeder and grower of organic, naturally colored cotton Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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• Taking Smart Risks For The Family Business with Gina Kuyers & Margot Adams of Luxeire

  Work smarter, not harder. That is what the high achieving women who wear Luxeire’s technical tailored button-ups are doing and what mother-daughter co-founders Gina Kuyers and Margot Adams do in their business as well. (Okay, sometimes they are working smart and hard). In just five years, they’ve grown the brand to 7 figures. They’re self-funding the business and the growth hasn’t come without risks. They’ve learned to experiment quickly and have found what investments pay off for them and which don’t. Their whole business is built for problem solving. In episode 117, Gina and Margot share how they’ve focused Luxeire’s marketing and ad strategy around what matters most to their customers, how they take risks without jeopardizing their family life, and why producing in New York city fits their business values. Gina Kuyers: Co-Founder and CEO The idea for Luxeire emerged from founder Gina Kuyers’ frustration with the discomfort and high maintenance of beautiful clothing. Gina, unable to find any brands that offered the perfect fit, decided to take matters into her own hands and create one. With a 20-year career and a PhD in school psychology, Gina had spent decades applying research to real-world problem solving. She used this expertise to identify a significant gap in the fashion industry: the lack of stylish, comfortable, and low-maintenance clothing that fits perfectly. Motivated by her own experiences and the needs of countless others, Gina set out to create Luxeire. Gina’s meticulous approach to research and problem-solving has been instrumental in the development of Luxeire's unique product line. She has leveraged her analytical skills to source the finest materials and employ innovative design techniques that ensure each piece is both functional and beautiful. Luxeire’s wardrobe staples are a testament to Gina’s commitment to quality, comfort, and sustainability, offering a perfect fit for modern lifestyles. Luxeire stands as a testament to her dedication to solving everyday problems with elevated, practical solutions. Margot Adams: Co-Founder and Head of Marketing and Sales In December 2020, Margot Adams, Gina’s daughter, joined Luxeire as the dynamic head of marketing and sales. Serving as the driving force behind the brand’s direct-to-consumer launch, Margot's leadership has been instrumental in reshaping Luxeire’s market approach. Margot attended the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she immersed herself in business design with a special focus on marketing and sustainability. While at Parsons, she honed her creative skills and developed a keen eye for aesthetics and trends. Her time as a marketing assistant and stylist for Sarah Flint further enriched her understanding of the fashion world, allowing her to blend practical experience with academic knowledge. This background has been instrumental in shaping Luxeire’s brand identity, infusing it with innovative marketing strategies and a strong emphasis on sustainable practices. Margot’s creative vision and strategic insight have been pivotal in elevating Luxeire's market presence, ensuring the brand resonates with contemporary consumers who value both style and sustainability. Her ability to merge creative artistry with business insights continues to be a driving force behind Luxeire’s success. This episode explores: Fitting the customer Who the Luxeire customer is The problems with classic tailoring that Gina and Margot set out to solve How Margot focused Luxeire’s whole marketing and ad strategy around what matters most to their customers Why it all started with a problem and one special fabric Fitting the lifestyle How Gina and Margot take risks without jeopardizing their family life Gina and Margot’s vision for success  What Gina’s business plan looked like when she first started versus now What has worked and not worked for Luxeire when it comes to hiring help Fitting the values Why producing in New York city fits Luxeire’s business values What sustainability looks like in Luxeire’s products and business People and resources mentioned in this episode: Luxeire website Luxeire Instagram Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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• The Benefits of Retail Experimentation and Collaboration For Independent Fashion Brands with Elizabeth Solomeina of Flying Solo

  If you’ve ever dreamed of having your products in stores but are hesitant to dip your toes into retail because of high overhead, lower wholesale margins, or lack of retail experience, Elizabeth Solomeina has a solution. In episode 116, Elizabeth shares her refreshingly different approach to retail. Her multi-city retail space and press showroom, Flying Solo, is designed just for independent designers to grow their brands and community. It is a collaborative retail space where designers get to control how their collection is presented, get feedback directly from customers, and make higher margins without the traditionally long wholesale lead times. Elizabeth Solomeina is the co-founder of Flying Solo, a revolutionary fashion retail and PR platform based in New York and Paris. With a background in design and entrepreneurship, Elizabeth has built one of the most influential independent fashion platforms in the world — supporting thousands of emerging brands over the years and redefining how fashion reaches the market. This episode explores: Fitting the customer Who the Flying Solo customer is How Flying Solo presents diverse designers, collections, fits, and sizing cohesively to customers The future of retail amidst today’s gloomy retail headlines Fitting the lifestyle What Elizabeth and her team look in the designer they stock How brands can best prepare for a successful retail experience How creatives can thrive by working together How Flying Solo’s retail model gives so much more freedom and flexibility to designers Fitting the values Why Elizabeth believes so strongly in the value of collaboration and community The benefits of creative experimentation for designers People and resources mentioned in this episode: Flying Solo website Flying Solo Instagram Elizabeth’s LinkedIn Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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• Fit Based on Faith, Values, and Vocation (i.e. Psychographics) with Heidi Keil of Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel

  When your brand focuses on a specific body shape, creating clothes that fit is fairly easy. But what if you are designing for specific psychographics instead of demographics? What does fit look like then? Heidi Keil is the founder of Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel. She designs clothes for female pastors and chaplains – which is super niched on both faith values and vocation, not necessarily body type. Manufacturing clothes and a business that fits has been a prayer-filled journey for Heidi, but she serves in this way because she loves it. In episode 115, hear how Heidi arrived at a size chart and a size range that fits the pastors she serves, why Heidi started Humble Hearts as a business but it’s turned into more of a hobby within her lifestyle, and how Heidi’s faith values and favorite bible verse inspire her humble approach to running her brand. Heidi began designing clergy apparel, at the request of her pastor, when she was a student in an Apparel Design program. It was something Heidi continued to offer, somewhat sporadically, while working in the costume shop at The Guthrie Theater following graduation. When the theater closed due to the pandemic in 2020 she turned her time and attention to creating a line of clergy apparel (mainly due to her own need for something to fill her time). Gradually, with the help of family, friends, past instructors and work contacts she slowly developed an online presence. Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel is in its 5th year.   Where does the name come from? "...live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:1-2 Heidi shares: "This small business has been a wonderful way to blend my interest in fashion and apparel design with my faith." This episode explores: Fitting the customer The number of iterations it took to get the Humble Hearts size chart and size range right The things Heidi had to learn when she switched from her costume shop job to manufacturing clothing for Humble Hearts How Heidi learned what details and functionality are important for clergy apparel What changed when Heidi realized she didn’t have to do everything herself Fitting the lifestyle Why Humble Hearts started out as a business and has now become more of a hobby for Heidi How Heidi’s season of life allows her the time flexibility to run Humble Hearts How those around Heidi support her in this business The activity that has the biggest impact on sales for Humble Hearts Fitting the values Heidi’s humble approach to running her brand How the liturgical calendar affects Humble Hearts’ selling season How Heidi’s work with Humble Hearts serves a greater purpose People and resources mentioned in this episode: Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel website Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel Instagram Heidi’s email Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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