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
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50:31
How This Designer Changed Her Business To Better Care For her Customers with Paloma Soledad of LuxCare
What would you be willing to do to better serve your customers and mission? Paloma Soledad, a three-time stage IV cancer survivor and founder of LuxCare, is making some big changes in her business to help women going through medical treatments feel more like themselves and less like a patient. In episode 114, she tells the careful details and entrepreneurial journey that has gone into creating LuxCare’s stylish and medically accessible clothing.
Paloma Soledad is a fashion designer and three-time cancer survivor. Inspired by her journey with stage IV cancer, Paloma created LuxCare, a gifting platform, and line of clothing designed to help individuals facing medical challenges feel more like themselves. LuxCare offers adaptive garments, including headscarves for those experiencing hair loss, and versatile clothing that blends comfort, style, and medical functionality. Her brand focuses on sustainability, timeless styles, custom prints, and high-quality fabrics.
Paloma's career highlights include designing for films such as "Coraline," receiving the "Best Emerging Designer" award at Portland Fashion Week, and being named one of Entertainment Weekly’s “Eight Costume Designers turned Fashion Headliner.” Her work has appeared in SPIN Magazine, L'Officiel, Photobook Magazine, and on electronic billboards in Times Square.
With a commitment to slow fashion and environmental sustainability, LuxCare uses certified organic fabrics and continually seeks innovative materials. Paloma's designs are crafted to uplift and empower, offering both comfort and elegance. Raised in Hawaii, her design aesthetics were shaped by the natural wonders around her, instilling a deep respect for the planet's limited resources. Mostly self-taught, she learned from her mother as a child and honed her skills on the job. Today, Paloma seamlessly integrates beauty and craftsmanship into her fashion projects, significantly enriching the lives of those she designs for.
This episode explores:
Fitting the customer
The LuxCare clothing details that made Paloma feel less like a cancer patient
The thoughtful details from design to packaging that provide care to each customer
How Paloma knew that it was time for a rebrand
What Paloma wished she’d thought about before choosing a brand name
Why gifting is a big part of the LuxCare brand
Fitting the lifestyle
The mental shifts needed to go from making everything yourself to producing at a factory
How Paloma moved from costuming in the film industry to designing fashion apparel
What Paloma had to learn when she transitioned from designer to entrepreneur
Fitting the values
Why Paloma compromised on her values to better serve LuxCare’s mission
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
LuxCare website
LuxCare Instagram
Paloma’s LinkedIn
FabScrap - textile reuse and recycling
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53:44
How To Build Trust With Customers As a New Brand With Niche Fit with Neha Samdaria of AAM The Label
We’ve all been burned by an online clothing purchase that didn’t live up to its promised fit and quality. It is no wonder that women who don’t fit standard-size charts are hesitant to purchase from a new brand online. This is the challenge that AAM The Label CEO and founder Neha Samdaria has overcome within her brand that designs for pear-shaped women with fuller hips and thighs. In episode 113, Neha shares exactly what she did to build trust with her customers and factory, keep return rates super low, get stocked in Nordstrom, and have Buzzfeed and Forbes editors writing raving reviews.
Neha Samdaria is the founder of Aam The Label, a sustainable fashion brand for the ~25% of women with fuller hips and thighs than the standard size chart. Founded based on her own experience as a pear-shaped woman and bootstrapped entirely from her savings, the brand is now available at Nordstrom and has been featured in Forbes and Cosmopolitan. Neha holds an MBA from Stanford and a Bachelor's In Science from Caltech.
This episode explores:
Fitting the customer
How Neha created her own unique size chart for AAM The Label that focuses on body shape more than size
How Neha conducts fit testing to make sure she gets the best fit for her brand and not just the individual fit models
How AAM The Label got placement in Nordstrom
Fitting the lifestyle
The exact things Neha did to build trust with customers online
How AAM The Label had to adjust to make wholesale work
Neha’s original goals and timeline for business success and how her goals are different now
The pros and cons of retail and wholesale
The biggest mistake Neha made starting out
Fitting the values
What AAM’s values of fit, quality, and sustainability & ethics look like in practice
How Neha found her factory, patternmaker, designer, and sample makers
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
AAM The Label website
AAM The Label Instagram
AAM The Label email
Neha’s LinkedIn
AAM The Label on Faire - wholesale marketplace
Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth book by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
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1:00:20
How Made In the USA Clothing Connects Craft and Community with Kristina Collins
What if clothes not only reflected the beauty and personality of the wearer, but brought together the skills, people, and livelihoods of a whole community? This is why Kristina Collins is passionate about producing her brand of jackets and sweaters in the USA as locally as possible. In episode 112, hear how she has focused her creativity and her sourcing to connect the community around her. This priority brings challenges, but also many opportunities to her fashion business. Kristina shares her transparent philosophy as well as her tips for brands wanting to set up a local supply chain of their own.
Kristina Collins clothing is women's jackets, blazers, and sweaters designed and made in the USA. Our mission is stand-out, high-quality garments that are sourced and made with our local community at heart.
This episode explores:
Fitting the customer
Why made in the USA is important to Kristina and her brand
Why Kristina narrowed her offerings to just jackets and sweaters
The dilemma with pricing products as a small brand
Fitting the lifestyle & business
How Kristina Collins navigates the seasonality of a Fall/Winter focused brand
How Kristina is adjusting her design and production schedules to accommodate wholesale in 2025
The production model that is working for Kristina Collins
Why Kristina recommends working with individuals instead of a full-package factory or agency when developing your brands first products
Fitting the values
The challenges and benefits of fitting your values in your fashion business
How to make local manufacturing and production connections
The types of fabrics and fibers that are easy to source in the USA
Whether sample sales or resale hurt a brand’s reputation
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
Kristina Collins website
Kristina Collins Instagram
Kristina Collins LinkedIn
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1:00:57
This Brand Has Strong Opinions About Style and Women’s Rights with Kimberly Becker of K. Becker
More and more in today’s fashion industry, women are the ones in charge and designing for themselves instead of for some unrealistic societal ideal. Kimberly Becker is doing this and going a step further for women’s rights with her brand K. Becker. In episode 111, hear how politics, feminism, and sustainability guide her work and how she’s using fashion to give back to causes that support women across the globe.
Kimberly started this journey as a Textile Major at RISD. After graduating, she worked in the garment district of Manhattan for about a decade off and on – beginning at Liz Claiborne, and then moving to upholstery fabric design, always focused on designing the fabrics. Kimberly’s time at Liz Claiborne gave her priceless experience, both about how the business was run and also in getting exposure to the suppliers and manufacturers from around the world.
Fast forward 25 years and she is creating art focused on women's rights. Her House Dresses and Dolls for Change were both discussions about how women are still facing an uphill battle in the world. Someone asked her why she wasn't designing clothing. They loved the way the dolls Kimberly was making were dressed. It took about 6 months for Kimberly to find the courage to try. That decision was life-changing. She’s one year in and the brand is settling into the collection and message she feels fits what she was aiming for.
K.Becker is a collection of sustainable pretty things that fit and flatters real women's bodies. Empowering women is vital. When we feel beautiful we are a force. All clothing is sewn in NYC, and knit in Brooklyn and the company is an all-women team. Kimberly donates 5% of all profits to women-focused causes.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The two sides of feminism in fashion and where Kimberly sees both in the industry today
How politics and women’s rights activism sparked the idea for K. Becker
Why Kimberly moved away from describing her brand as petite
The thing that Kimberly asks her focus groups of women to bring
The balance between being too corporate and too personal as a brand
The core message and values that guide K. Becker
How Kimberly met her factory and patternmaker
The importance of consistency
Why Kimberly doesn’t like to use blended fiber materials
How Kimberly’s background in textiles influences her fabric and apparel design decisions
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
K. Becker website (use code "Fitting20" for a 20% discount!)
K. Becker Instagram
Kimberly’s email
Kimberly’s LinkedIn
Jane Hamill - Fashion Brain Academy - fashion business coach
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Sobre How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting® is the podcast for slow fashion designers who want to create clothing and grow a business that fits their customer, lifestyle, and values. In biweekly episodes, hear how relatable fashion entrepreneurs (the kind who run their businesses from kitchen tables and cutting tables, not boardroom tables) navigate the fashion industry with integrity and define success based on their own principles.
In each conversation, host Alison Hoenes (a freelance women’s apparel patternmaker) explores the things that all slow fashion business owners experience: the vulnerability of launching something new, the deeply empathetic process of designing clothes that fit a niche market, the challenges of pursuing both financial and environmental sustainability, the late nights of reckoning with your values that make you consider shutting the whole thing down, and the rewarding moments that make it all worth it.
In addition, hear from experienced fashion industry resources that are helping indie designers make a difference and a profit – like low MOQ factories, fashion marketing and business coaches, or sustainable fabric suppliers.
How Fitting® offers validation that you are not alone in your fashion entrepreneurship experience, ideas to try on in your fashion business to create a better fit, and a curious look into how other slow fashion brands are making it work. How fitting is that?