Creating The Classic Dresses They Couldn’t Find with Audrey Cole and Mary Kunkle of Paris Bloom

Audrey and Mary are sisters and co-founders of Paris Bloom (now Betty Hannah)- a dress brand that they started without prior fashion industry experience in order to create the classic styles they couldn't find elsewhere. "Paris Bloom is inspired by our French great-grandmother, Mary Hanna. Mary Hanna grew up in the 1920s in the Michigan Upper Peninsula with big city taste and a small town budget. She designed and made her own wardrobe and was considered the most fashionable girl in town. Today we’re proud to continue her legacy by designing vintage-inspired dresses for the modern woman. Our high-end dresses are handcrafted in America to ensure quality and value. We manufacture and ship them ourselves to save you money and avoid charging department store markups. We love helping our customers across the U.S. and around the world find the perfect timeless dress that they feel confident and distinctive in." In this episode, you’ll learn: The frustrations Audrey and Mary had when shopping for dresses that lead them to want to create their own How they started their brand without prior fashion industry experience How they found the fashion incubator that helped them produce their first collection What they’ve learned since going to their first sourcing trade show The strategy they use to confirm that they are on the same page with their factory What they learned from working through production issues during their first production order What they noticed about the correlation between certain fabric properties and return rates Why Made in the USA has been important to Paris Bloom since the start What it’s like running a business together as sisters People and resources mentioned in this episode: Paris Bloom website Paris Bloom email Paris Bloom on Instagram Paris Bloom on Facebook Can you relate to Audrey and Mary going to their first sourcing show not knowing how to describe the fabric they were looking for? My Free Guide + Email Course: Finding the Right Fabric For Your Apparel Design will take the guesswork and uncertainty out of finding the perfect fabric and give you the tools to source like a professional. Get the Guide here! 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.