Milkstars

Milkstars is a US based company which specialises in nursing shirts which are colourful but have been tested by a number of mums before even going into production. Jamie started Milkstars last year and is fast growing, read our interview with her:

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

While starting a new business is certainly a daunting task, I love that I have complete control in my new role. I am my own boss so I can work when I want and as hard as I want. I realized almost immediately that the harder I worked, the better things got. It's difficult to always have to be the decision maker and to have to hold almost every role in the company (while I'm the CEO, I'm also the intern!) but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I really value working for myself.

What makes Milkstars different and unique compared to the other breastfeeding designs on the market?

I started Milkstars because I wasn't satisfied with what was on the market fashion-wise. Most of the shirts I found were all about function and not at all about fashion. I wanted to create a shirt that looked like something I wore before I was nursing. I think a lot of nursing shirts are too literal. I don't think a nursing shirt has to immediately let on that it is what it is. Since I started working on Milkstars I've noticed some other clever and stylish designs on the market by other brands. I hope to see more in the future; nursing women deserve more choices.

What challenges and rewards have you faced setting up your own business, particularly during a recession?

As a new business it's always a challenge to get people to try you out. Since we're so new we can't rely on name recognition and have to do a lot to promote the brand. But, any time we hit a bump in the road, I go back to my original idea. I wanted to create the kind of nursing shirt that I wanted to wear but couldn't find. I know that there are other women out there like me. I've gotten some amazing feedback from moms who love our shirts so it inspires me to keep going.

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

I started the line with one shirt, the Julian. It took a while to get there, we did a lot of rounds of sampling and fitting and interviewing other nursing moms about what they wanted in a stylish nursing shirt (not to mention testing out fabrics, and learning everything I could about the fashion industry which was completely new to me). From there I just started thinking about what kinds of necklines, sleeve lengths, etc were flattering to women and started creating. We make a lot of patterns each time we design and then edit them down to a few pieces.

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

We're very excited to launch our first dress this year! It's something I've wanted to do from the beginning and I've been working hard to get it right. Our stores will see the samples this Spring and we'll ship sometime in May. We've also got a hoodie on the way and another dressy short-sleeve shirt. It's really exciting for us to add new pieces and colors to expand the line. We're so grateful that moms seem to like us and want to see more.