In downtown Eugene, located on the corner of Willamette Street and West Broadway, sits a very unique office on the second floor. Its nearly floor-to-ceiling windows let the natural light flood in over the brown cardboard boxes still in the process of being unpacked. The office is neat, organized and professional, but filled with hints of flare and character. This office belongs to Katie Brown, the creator of KatieBrownLA, a local startup brand that’s making a splash into the fashion world in a big way.
What’s so inspiring about Brown’s story is that she is from right here in Eugene, and is showing us all that it’s possible to achieve your dreams. After being in the restaurant industry for years, Brown realized she was ready for different, and when the inspiration of a potential clothing line struck her, she took the idea and ran. Brown has prided her self-named brand on many things: making women feel beautiful, providing timeless basics, promoting a long lasting relationship with the customer and keeping the brand as local as possible.
Neatly folded basic tees and wrap dresses hanging in garment bags are far more than pieces Brown has conceptualized and created, they are representative of a confident lifestyle, and a way of being. The women who wear KatieBrownLA are just as fearless as the woman who started it all, and that is the best part.
Q&A:
Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
A: I grew up in Eugene and I was in the restaurant business for about 10 years with my old friend from high school. We opened up five different restaurants in town, and when the last one was ending I decided I wanted to do something else, and then I had this “ah-ha” moment when I saw this woman walking into the ballet school on Willamette in a boatneck shirt and I started thinking about the basic timeless pieces that I’ve always loved through Gap, J-Crew, you know the classic stores, they just don’t feel the same anymore. All the stuff that was going on in terms of inhumane treatment, and Bangladesh and China, it was just all these things came together and I realized what I perceived to be a massive opportunity to create a line made in the U.S. that were real solid, basic pieces.
Q: Describe your brand’s style.
A: Well the name of the brand is my name, Katie Brown, and LA, because all the clothes are made in Los Angeles. The brand to me represents a casual, easy style but also a level of sophistication and taste. I want women to feel really comfortable in what they have on, and from first hand experience I know that it is easy to accumulate far too many clothes and most of them I don’t even wear. So it’s the idea of honing in on what looks good and feels good, and than moving on with your day, really appeals to me.
Q: What made you want to start a clothing line?
A: I want this company to be a lot more than clothes, I want it to be a community that women feel connected to and turned on by. I want to share great articles and inspirations, and I’ve always loved the idea of people pursuing their dreams and being good to one another and good to the planet. I think it’s important to be conscientious of how we are living, what we support, how we treat each other.
Q: So how did you get started initially?
A: I spent a long time looking at every clothing line I could come across. The big ones, the small ones, the abstract. Then, I just started asking anyone I knew if they had contacts LA and I went down there and started meeting people. Some, I knew, just wouldn’t work out, or be good business partners. I ended up going through a series of serendipitous, cosmic experiences of meeting one person who then connected me, but it led me to meet these amazing relationships who are now my manufactures.
Q: What was the inspiration for your pieces?
A: It took quite a bit of time to nail down the launching line, but again it was also, to me, classic pieces like a wrap dress, or a pencil skirt, or a boatneck or a great scoop neck. It really then boiled down to ‘how do I represent each piece, or each kind of piece?’ in a relatively small line. I wanted it to be flattering, primarily, and also very comfortable, and forgiving. I think we, as women, are really hard on ourselves, and I think it’s important to try and create clothing that makes women feel good.
Q: Do you have a favorite piece?
A: I have quite a few, I really do. There are certain pieces that I go to more– I love the scoop neck, and the t-shirt, the sweatshirt and leggings.
Q: What surprises and challenges have you run into so far
A: Oh, there have been many. I had no idea how to work with clothing or manufacturing or any of that, but for me it was really about asking questions, continuing to follow up, and pursue people and learn and really be okay with the fact that I didn’t know everything. So, when I went into conversations, I would ask questions, and try to be more informed than I was.
Q: What is the most rewarding thing that has happened so far?
A: Seeing the customers put the clothing on and the responses I’ve gotten. I actually had a woman text me because she bought quite a bit of stuff at a pop-up show and went to Portland for a romantic weekend with her husband two days later, and she texted me and she said ‘I’m feeling super comfortable and sexy, thanks so much for launching this company!’ and I was like ‘oh my god’, okay, that’s what I want.
Q: What’s your ultimate goal for the brand?
A: I would love to become the go-to for basics. That sums it up right there.
Follow Katie Brown LA on twitter.
