The Mint Museum Auxiliary welcomed fashion entrepreneurs Jessie Randall, co-founder of Loeffler Randall, and Katie Hobbs, co-founder of Cara Cara as guest speakers at their recent winter membership meeting at Mint Museum Randolph. Randall and Hobbs shared their experience launching businesses and balancing family life. Charlotte-based Maggie Gavigan, founder of Mignonne Gavigan, served as moderator.
Here are excerpts from that presentation, shared with permission from the Mint Museum Auxiliary.
What inspired you to start your respective ventures?
Jessie: I went to UVA and moved to New York City two days after graduation. I started working in advertising and met my husband there. I didn’t think I had the confidence out of college to say I was a designer and it took awhile for me to realize this is something I really want to do. I started my company because of my wedding. My husband was a graphic designer, and we did everything by hand and made everything so complicated. I came home from my wedding hysterically crying because my feet hurt so bad. I was working at Banana Republic and we knew we wanted to start this company, and I thought we should do handbags. He said, “No, it has to be shoes. You're obsessed with shoes.” I took a shoe course. I was foot modeling when a Bergdorf Goodman buyer came in who I used to go to high school with. She said to bring our new collection when it was ready and we sold it to Bergdorf in our first season.
Katie: I went to UGA and started in advertising as well! Starting in media was fun and fast-paced. I moved to New York with my husband and I wanted to get into fashion so badly and didn’t know how. I had no friends in the industry. I thought the way in would be in publishing. I started at New York Magazine then later I got a job at Elle in sales and marketing. That’s where I got exposed to fashion and editors. Then I started an E-commerce site (later closed that) and then used all my experience in a position at Harpers Bazaar by taking what I learned in media to create a shoppable magazine. I hit a wall at 40. I was working non-stop for almost 20 years and had little twins at home. The day I quit my job a friend (now partner) in Tribeca called me and asked me to meet her. She was a designer and wanted to start a line and asked me to do it with her. In March 2020 we had an event to launch our collection at Capitol in Charlotte when Covid hit. Somehow when people got out of their athleisure, here was our brand and it was vibrant, happy clothing and it took off from there.
What pivotal moments or challenges early in your career shaped your perspective?
Jessie: I came from nothing but my husband saved money and wanted to bet his whole life savings on this company. His father really did not like that idea. We launched our business and sold it to Bergdorf and the factory we worked with said we had to sell 2,500 pairs of shoes in our first season, which felt insurmountable. Our mentor always said to me “Jessie, anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” So many different things have gone wrong and it’s really a test of resilience.
Katie: A pivotal moment for Cara Cara was Covid. We had clothes sitting in a warehouse and nowhere to sell them. We were able to take all the inventory and sell it online at a better margin. We just had to do it all ourselves and it was the most rewarding thing.
How do you balance the demands of running a business with raising a family? What was it like having your husband as your co-founder?
Jessie: It’s really hard. I feel like we don’t do it well. Brian (my husband) is my opposite in so many ways, but it’s so wonderful because all the qualities I don’t have, he has. I’m shy, and he’s outgoing. Kids were really hard because we started with twins, and we already had the company. I always thought the fact that I was a working mom was going to make my children have to be in therapy the rest of their lives. One day I was so frustrated about things that had gone wrong and I said “I’m done, I’m quitting.” My daughter burst into tears and said “but we were so proud that you work and we’re so proud of your company.” It was a huge moment in my life because I had been assuming this whole time this was so bad for my kids, and she was telling me the good side she saw in it. Hopefully they’ve seen an extremely hard work ethic and that I never give up.
Take us through a day in the life with kids and life?
Katie: I’m in New York a lot, and that’s just part of it. I used to have mom guilt all the time, and now my kids are 11 and it’s an amazing phase. All of the sudden they are independent. With this phase of life we have more quality of time together at home, and it’s a very sweet spot. I can maintain the travel and also have a good family life .
What tools have you found most effective for managing your time?
Jessie: I have a to-do list on my Notes app and any time anyone asks me to do anything I put it all there. As I go, I delete and it’s the only way I keep organized. It’s so much secretarial work having three children!
How do you invest in your wardrobe?
Katie: Now that I have a clothing line, I invest in really great shoes and bags. It’s so easy to over consume. I'm a big believer in investing in fashion that truly sparks joy. As a former impulse shopper, I've had to train myself over the years to think through a purchase and look at it more like a closet acquisition.
Jessie: Our house is piles of my clothing! I love fashion, but I think as I’ve gotten older, I have wanted to buy less and just build a core wardrobe with the perfect sweater and jeans. I like to have core items that are the foundation and then a “wow” shoe.