FASHION FOUNDER Q&A - COEUR et MAMAN

Coeur et Maman is a gorgeous new British Womens and Childrenswear Brand with a focus on traditional styles with whimsical, enchanting twists. Founder and Creative Director Kate takes time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions about her debut collection.

Baby Bath Robe

What was the reason for your starting Coeur et Maman?

I had my son at the start of 2020, just before we found ourselves in global

lockdowns. I struggled a lot with integrating back into my highflying career in finance,

and could no longer support the long hours or the hostile environment. I needed

desperately to be the best mother I could be for my son, and that meant taking care

of myself in order to best be there for him. I started thinking of ways to ease myself

out of a 9-5 in an unsupportive environment.

At the same time, I found myself dressing my son in a lot of hand-me-downs from

friends and relatives – for the first year I only bought what I needed to supplement

what was donated to us. This felt very natural, very responsible, and had me thinking

a lot about ethical fashion, family heirlooms and how we dress our children. Thus,

the idea of Coeur et Maman, which is French for “Heart and Mother”, was born. I

wanted to create a brand that captured the essence of what was most important to

me -my son, my very heart - and what I was passionate about -being a steward and

caretaker of the planet for the benefit of future generations.

Having made the English countryside home for the last six years, I could not think of

a better homage than to the magic and charm of that countryside, and so our

branding features a lot of that.

I chose a French name as a nod to my international roots, and to recognise that at

the heart of it all, we are all citizens of the world, and in celebrating the diversity of

that we can be so much better than we ever could be otherwise.

What are Coeur et Maman's Key Values & Messages? 

Coeur et Maman will provide traditional women’s and childrenswear clothing that are

as enduring as they are refreshing. Whilst celebrating the magic and enchanting

world of childhood, we will provide designs that are handed over from sibling to

sibling, enduring in their quality and timelessness.

We believe firmly in being responsible members of our communities, and we aim to

reflect this through ethical business practices, starting all the way from the designs

we make, the fabrics that we choose for our clothes, the fair treatment of the people

that make our clothes (including safe working conditions and living wages), and our

employment practices as we scale as a business.

The Snuggly Bath Robe (TM)

Your imagery is beautiful and feels very in keeping with the brand, did you

have this visual in mind throughout the full process of developing the

brand?

I wanted to capture the magic of the English countryside, from the cottage gardens

to the wildflower meadows. I worked with a branding specialist to design our brand

logo, which features the snowdrop – a very welcome sight in the English countryside

towards the end of winter.

I was also fortunate enough, through you as our designer, to be connected with the

most amazing print designer who patiently worked through the jumbled vision in my

head, and brought to life our first ever collection of prints. I’ve been teasing some of

these prints on our social media recently, but I can’t wait to show them in all their

splendour in an upcoming collection.

What products can we expect to see in future ranges? 

We have launched our pre-sale with the bath time collection, which is fitting as it

allows us to showcase the flagship product that I hope captures the essence of our

brand. The snuggly bear bath robe is as magical as it is utilitarian, and I’ve been

loving seeing all the cosy bath time pictures from lovely families enjoying it.

Following the pre-sale, we will be bringing out a line of women’s and childrenswear

clothing. The womenswear collection will cater to a broad spectrum of women, from

expectant mothers, lactating mothers and all the way to just ladies who appreciate a

good old-fashioned, well-designed dress. The childrenswear will provide, for the

early months, a wonderful bridge between mothers that prefer to use cloth diapers,

and those that prefer to use disposable diapers. Past those early months we will just

enchant, delight and keep our little explorers comfy and free enough for wild

adventures.

Were there any hurdles that you needed to overcome? If so, what were they?

Oh so many! I think the top three would have to be finding a suitable manufacturing

partner, making the most of scarce resources and juggling my day job, being a mom

and this pet project.

As a start-up, we are too small a fish to fry, so very often manufacturers would not

even be prepared to engage with us. And when some did, we quickly found the

amount of stock we would have to order was just not feasible for us. Finding the right

manufacturer with the same ethos on ethical treatment of their workers, whilst also

producing good quality garments, was rather difficult, and caused a lot of delays.

I did not, and I still do not, have a limitless budget to plough into this dream. I had to

figure out where best to spend money, and when to compromise on things, even if

temporarily until we are off the ground and are a going-concern as a business. Free

resources like Ember the App that provide free accounting services have been a

lifesaver.

For the foreseeable future, I’ll remain a working mother with a 9-5 job. That means

working my day job, and logging off to be a mother for a few hours in the evening,

before spending an average of 4/5 hours every night on Coeur et Maman. I am lucky

that I have since changed jobs and am now in a much better space with a job that I

love, and colleagues that are pleasant and easy to work with. But to be sure, this is a

lot for anyone to sustain, especially for long periods at a time. Knowing when to rest

is crucial, and I’m still learning how best to do that.

What is your advice for anyone looking to start their own clothing brand?

One of the most useful things I learned early on was that I don’t need to know how

do to it all, I just need to figure out who is an expert in what I need, and how best to

engage their services. My advice would be for anyone interested in this journey to

not let lack of experience in the fashion industry stop them. There are a lot of useful

programmes at hand to help; I used the Fashion Startup Course offered by the lovey

Vicky to come up with a framework on how to approach it all. Now and again, I also

tap into the podcasts and masterclasses offered by Kate from Make It British, who

has a wealth of knowledge on the UK industry.

After that, it is about figuring your non-negotiables, and learning to be flexible on the

other things. This will go a long way in getting your brand off the ground, and you

can always revisit the ideal vision you had for your offering as your business grows.

Whilst you are it, let go of the perfectionism. No one will know that things didn’t turn

out EXACTLY how you wanted them, so holding up things over minor details is not

helpful.

Lastly, know when to walk away from business relationships that are not balanced

and are rigged against you. Learn how to have those very difficult conversations

without burning business bridges, and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself when

necessary. Oh, and get a lawyer; it will prove a costly mistake to avoid the legal

aspect of things.

Kate

All products available www.coeuretmaman.com

#luxurykidswear #luxurychildrenswear #babyshowergifts #babygifts #ethicalfashion