Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Marie Bard .
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a third generation Italian-American with a keen eye for design that dates to my grandmother Rose Troiano who worked as a costume designer for figure-skating champion Sonja Henie in the 1940’s.
I spent the majority of my 20’s burning the midnight oil on Wall Street while launching an online designer resale boutique called The NYC Fashionista in an effort to pursue my love for fashion and design. After meeting my husband and moving to Chicago, I was met with an overwhelming amount of frustration when I became pregnant and tried to find appropriate clothing to wear at the office or for social gatherings. Not to mention, I’d return almost every garment ordered online due to poor fit and quality. During my commute I started to sketch styles that I could picture myself wearing in order to feel confident and fashion-forward, as I had dressed prior to pregnancy. I discussed my feelings with my closest friends and family, only to find out that my sentiment was sharing amongst many other women.
With the help of a local pattern maker, we transformed my sketches into samples that I wore to special occasions and events. The overall feedback was positive and further inspired me to produce smaller quantities to sell online. The very first production fulfillment arrived at the same month as my newborn son. Despite the challenges of balancing both priorities, my passion for introducing a fashion-forward maternity clothing and brand into the marketplace has kept me motivated in a position to pursue my dreams on a full-time basis.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As I like to refer to it, being a “Mom-preneur” requires a constant realignment and shifting of responsibilities.
As it relates to a start-up clothing brand, the inability to take advantage of efficiencies of scale (manufacturing pricing, sourcing fabric, etc.) when you’re producing minimum quantities is costly. There’s a significant amount of investment required to open your doors. Not to mention, there’s not a straight-forward “one-fits-all” process or protocol for developing your product. It’s rather fragmented and often times difficult to manage timelines, iterations, and expectations of the several key players required to help launch a concept into a tangible item. .
Another challenge is learning to stay focused on the big picture. There are busy weeks and then very slow weeks. Then someone returns a dress (ouch). You venture onto Instagram and see a pregnant woman who tagged a maternity dress that’s not yours. There’s a lot of emotional highs and lows when it’s your baby, your design. I’ve had to learn to fight through this and to focus on positive “wins”, which may constitute as other things than a “sale.” This may include forming key partnerships within the community, landing a highly visible product placement, seeing a photo of a customer wearing your dress at their baby shower, etc. All of the best success stories I know of came from situations of adversity; I try to remind myself of that daily.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Tiff.Marie Maternity – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Tiff. Marie Maternity is a modern brand of maternity-wear custom made for a fashionable transition into motherhood. We specialize in high-fashion styles that are unique to traditional maternity-wear with out sacrificing on comfort.
Our dresses are designed with high quality stretch bamboo and cotton fabrics with carefully placed elastic gatherings for the ultimate flexibility. They’re intentionally designed for wear during all trimesters, postpartum, and are nursing-friendly.
Our quality, comfort, fit, style, and affordability set us apart from what’s available on today’s market.
Were most proud of being a mom-owned company designed to meet a market need; in addition to the fact that we’re locally sourced and made in Chicago!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
A majority of our customers have purchased dresses from us specifically for their special baby celebrations (Baby Shower, Gender Reveals). We’re in the process of launching a celebration collection called BAEby™ (BAE + by = “Baby”) that carries gender-specific colors.
We’re also considering expanding our line into an array of designer gowns for maternity photoshoots.
Contact Info:
- Website: tiffmariematernity.com
- Phone: 312-909-3867
- Email: teamtiff@tiffmariematernity.com
- Instagram: @tiffmariematernity
- Facebook: facebook.com/tiffmariematernity
Image Credit:
Focal Vision Photography, Rays of Life Photography, @IamKarenFlores, @GlamYork, @SavvySoles
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