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5 Questions for Katherine Mullins
Katherine Mullins’ fashion dreams
began at age 6, when she saw seamstresses whipping up a beautiful
ballgown in the animated classic “Cinderella.”
After that, the Charlotte native- a graduate of South Mecklenburg
High and UNC Chapel Hill- always had her mind on sketching
and sewing. Two years ago, Mullins, 30, quit her job at a
Charleston software company and holed up in her apartment,
making skirts. It was the beginning of LulaKate, her line
of “classically hip” dresses, skirts and belts.
Lula, by the way, is the name of her great-great grandmother.-
Jen Aronoff, Staff Writer
What finally compelled you
to take the plunge into design? “I knew what I wanted
to do, and I wasn’t doing it. I wanted to get up and
be happy to go to work. And I wasn’t looking forward
to going to work every day. It was a chore. Now I wake up
and I’m like, Oooh, I get to go to work today!”
How do you choose a good
fabric? “I try to pick things that are fun and a
little bit different, but that a lot of people can wear. Very
timeless – retro, but in style.”
What inspires your designs?
“Major style icons of the past, like Audrey Hepburn
and Jackie Kennedy… that whole feminine but very classic,
and kind of alluring fashions of the 60’s. Things in
my grandmother’s closet, things my mother wore. They
have a lot of detail. The quality is excellent…We want
to have a connection to the past, to the women in our lives
who have made a difference. I hope my clothing will be one
of those pieces that people hold on to and pass down to their
children.”
Any advice for people who
want to start their own business, as you did? “It
takes determination, a lot of energy, and just the willingness
to keep going and not quit. I literally started this company
off $300 in my bank account. If you have a dream and you have
an idea, it can be done.”
Where are you hoping to
go from here? “I want to grow my company, but keep
it a manageable size. One of my main goals is to get into
some stores in Charlotte. It’s ironic I have stores
in all these crazy places (Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta,
San Francisco, Los Angeles), but not any in Charlotte.”
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