Dote

Dote is one of the newwer labels on the market and they have truly taken the breastfeeding fashion world by storm. Each item does not look like a item of nursing wear and our customers are often amazed at how comfortable and chic the clothing is.

Here is the interview with Dorothy who launched the Dote label:

How easy did you manage the transisiton from working in a corporate environment to working for your own in a completely different environment of fashion?

It's completely different in so many ways. In a huge corporation there are many established practices and methods to learn from, and work is specialised in one particular area. As an entrepreneur one has to multitask, bootstrap and try to figure out all sorts of things. It's a wonderfully flexible and creative environment to be in but there needs to be lots of discipline too, otherwise nothing gets done. I did a year of design school in between so that helped smooth the transition process. One thing I really miss from corporate life is interacting with colleagues - it can be lonely at times running your own business. You're constantly thinking about the business and not many people can really understand what it's like running one.

Dote Designs has been hugely successful across the world, why do you think this is? What is it about Dote that new mums love?

We are very grateful for the response we've had so far. When designing, my goal is to create clothes that women would love to wear, regardless of whether they are nursing or not. Each piece has to be functional as nursingwear, but it has to look and feel great too. We've received a lot of comments that our clothes don't look like nursing wear, I hope that means we have achieved what we set out to do. There is a widespread notion that nursingwear is frumpy, but I want to challenge that notion with Dote. We try to offer more nursing dresses too - I noticed that nursing tops were far more easily available than dresses when I was breastfeeding. I personally love the ease and simplicity of a dress and I wanted to incorporate this into the line.

What was it about the breastfeeding fashion on offer at the time that made you set up Dote?

Much of it was very basic; I suppose because the majority of women nurse for a relatively short time. I planned to nurse for at least a year, and I was out a lot with my baby. To go from a huge selection of clothes to very limited options was very disappointing. I wondered what women who were nursing longer term were wearing. I kept thinking that something was lacking and felt I could offer something different. At the time, I was designing for womenswear label, Dotted Line and it seemed like a natural extension of what I was already doing - creating beautiful clothes, except this time it was for the nursing woman. While the range of nursing clothes will probably never be as extensive as regular clothes , I'd like Dote to bridge the gap as much as possible.

Where do you get the inspiration for each piece and collection?

Inspiration can strike anywhere - watching old movies, a feeling, beautiful interiors, a mood or feeling. I try to jot down ideas when they hit me.

What exciting new items do our customer have to look forward to from Dote in 2010?

There are some new designs that I am really excited about - but we have to keep you in suspense for a while! We are introducing some ideas which I think are a first in nursing. We are also experimenting with more colour - we have worked with monochromatics and neutrals so far but customers can look forward to a spot or two of colour coming up.