February 16, 2021

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

40 minutes

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!

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By Alison Hoenes | women's apparel patternmaker

4.8

66 ratings