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Clothes Call
A childhood passion prompts a career change,
and in turn, a budding apparel business.
New label LulaKate
has hit the ground running since it launched last year.
A cluster of seamstresses in
LulaKate’s hometown of Charleston, SC, churned out skirts,
dresses and belts as the line worked its way into more than
50 boutiques, mostly in the Southeast.
“I was sewing everything
myself out of my bedroom for the first three months, then
I hired people and moved into a real office,” said owner/designer
Katherine Mullins, who combined her nickname with her great-great-grandmother
Lula's first name to come up with her label. “People
kept telling me I needed to do more tops and dresses, but
it was a challenge.”
Demand for the label’s
colorful prints grew so quickly that Mullins recently started
working with a manufacturer in southern Asia to boost production.
“I have about 54 accounts
now, and I’ll be able to jump to 200 accounts almost
immediately.” Mullins said.
The LulaKate line, known for
its Southern country club feel, has moved quickly up the retail
chain since Mullins left the corporate world to follow a fashion
calling last year. The former software saleswoman started
selling skirts at trunk shows in homes. She began wholesaling
in January, first on the temporaries floor at AmericasMart,
then at the Mart’s Premiere Show in April. She has a
sales rep, and she plans to exhibit at the Premiere show again
in October.
“Now, I’m looking
at bigger markets like San Francisco, Philadelphia and Boston,”
Mullins said.
Heather Kaney, owner of BleuBelle boutique in downtown Savannah,
GA was the first retailer to carry the LulaKate label.
“A friend in Charleston
discovered the line, told me about it and I went to LulaKate’s
web site to check it out,” Kaney said. “I just
fell in love with it right away. It’s very girly, conservative
and Southern, which is perfect for Savannah.”
LulaKate has been selling out, she said, and the line fits
with the other young contemporary collections at BleuBelle,
such as BCBG, Laundry and Theory.
“We’ve done really,
really well with LulaKate’s belts,” Kaney said.
“The prints are so eye-catching that you can put on
a T-shirt, jeans and one of her belts and it’s a complete
outfit.”
LulaKate’s beefed up spring
line features 70 pieces, including new tops and accessories.
The collection incorporates lots of purples and Kelly green
in cotton and stretch poplin, Mullins said. Colorful prints
are a big part of the template at LulaKate.
A strapless “Afternoon
Tea” dress in a multicolored, floral print features
Carolina blue grosgrain ribbon around the waist. Warm weather
skirts run the gamut, from florals, dots and paisleys to an
Eiffel Tower print with black rick-rack along the bottom hem.
For fall, Mullins is offering a zebra print and also pink
tweed.
“I try to do things that are fun and trendy but still
classic,” she said.
Wholesale prices from $65 for
skirts, $90 to $95 for dresses, $40 for tops and $24 for belts.
Mullins said her goal is to keep retail prices under $200.
“I’ll obviously
be able to lower my costs (with the new manufacturer) but
the big thing for me is that I can now expand my line,”
Mullins said. “I’ll be able to grow from three
silhouettes to 13 silhouettes.”
Mullins plans to hire a business
manager to enable her to add the Dallas and Los Angeles markets
to her Atlanta trips.
She’s also eyeing her
own LulaKate retail shop. Mullins just moved her office into
a bigger space in downtown Charleston, and it has a prime
spot for a store on the ground floor, she said.
Mullins said she got her first fashion calling when she started
sketching dresses for her Barbie Dolls in kindergarten.
“People thought I was
crazy when I just up and quit my job to make skirts,”
she said. “But this is something I’ve wanted to
do since I was six years old.”
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