Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Felisha Crier Hosein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Felisha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Our mission at PregZen is to provide comfortable functional underwear. Why is this important to me? Growing up with my grandmother, I remember seeing her struggle to bend down, whether it was to pick something up from the floor, to put on her socks and shoes, and even put on her underwear as she aged. As a child I viewed it as ‘just the way it is’ for the elderly, thats how they get dressed. Now as an adult I realize that isn’t the case. Reduced mobility due to health issues, swelling, surgery, and other factors can play a role in ones ability to dress themselves with ease. But it does not have to be a struggle, at least not with our underwear.
Another driving force in my decision to pursue being an underwear designer is having experienced what it is like to not be able to bend down. During my first pregnancy I had sciatica and excessive water retention which made bending down or lifting my legs to dress myself a daily challenge. That what inspired me to create my first underwear!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
How I got into my business – The name of my company is called PregZen, which refers to being PREGnant with my daughter JeZENya. Due to sciatica and excessive water retention, bending down or lifting my legs to get dressed, especially putting on my underwear, was a daily struggle. Would sit at the edge of my bed with my underwear in hand, take it like a lasso and try to throw it over my feet. If it landed, I would use my other foot and try to pull and wiggle them up! After doing that for some time I thought, theres got to be an easier way. Regular underwear has to be put on “the standard way” and thats a problem for those with reduced mobility. One day I decided to cut up a t-shirt and bra and make underwear you can open, sit into, and fasten on the sides. Thats how it started – with a simple solution to a daily problem.
What type of products you provide, problems you solve – We have two main lines of underwear. Maternity as well as moisture absorbing underwear. All our underwear can be put on while, standing, sitting or lying down.
Our slogan is “No more bending down to get your underwear up!” TM
What sets you apart – Our maternity underwear not only makes getting dressed easier, it has adjustable hook and eye closures so it can fit throughout an entire pregnancy. It also has a built-in tummy support band.
Our moisture absorbing underwear replaces the need for pads, tampons, liners. Are great for leaks, sweaty workout crotches, and periods. What differentiates us from regular period underwear is, you don’t have to pull our underwear down your legs to get changed. You don’t have to take your pants or shoes off either. You can unfasten on the sides, using our snaps or velcro side closures. It’s a pretty efficient way to get in and out of your underwear, especially if you are on the go.
Our underwear is inclusive. They are great for pregnancy, postpartum, post-surgery, wheelchair users, those with back problems, reduced mobility, as well as the elderly.
Most proud of, and main things about me and my brand – I am a homeschooling, work from home, mom of 3. Built my business on the side while taking care of my kids. Stayed the course through many ups and downs, and its taken 12 years to get here.
I did it one small step at a time. Was able to get my underwear design patented, slogan trademarked, find manufacturing companies to work with, make prototypes, find models for fittings, make packages, build a website, register my business, set up and run social media sites. It was a lot but I say this all to encourage other moms. The day in day out work of being a mom can become monotonous, with all the bottles, diapers, cooking, cleaning etc. Having a creative outlet on the side actually felt like a ‘break.’ It felt good knowing I was doing something that was not only going to help others, but I was doing something for myself. Learned in this process that no matter what it is you are doing, its important to set aside the time (even if its 10 or 15 minutes), to do something for yourself, something that will get you one step closer to your dreams and goals. That’s how I did, all in one small step at a time, even if all I was able to do was send an email one day, that was counted as something good that was done for my business.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I came up with the idea for my product, Made prototypes to show friends and family my idea. Started asking other pregnant women what their experience with bending down, and getting dressed, was like. Gathered enough information to confirm that this was an idea worth pursuing. Started looking for ways to get my idea patented. After a quick online search found several “invention help” companies. Called, emailed, and was turned down 3 times.
Each time I felt defeated, and battled with feelings of giving up. Believed in my idea, but needed to find inspiration to get back up and keep going. Interestingly enough that inspiration would come in the form of random conversations with people that would encourage me, by telling me what a useful idea it was. Or would see someone that I knew would definitely benefit from my underwear design. Was eventually referred to a patent lawyer, and got the process going.
Had I listened to the “NO’s” I would not be here today. In this process of bringing an idea to life, not giving up in the face of defeat has become a theme, as there are many obstacles that come along the way. It’s ok to step away for a bit to gather the strength to keep going, but you must keep going. I also learned the importance of having at least one person believe in you or your dream, even if it’s a random stranger.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
My entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy has been shaped in many ways by Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. She is the only female inventor that has built a business around an idea, that I know.
Before hearing her story it felt like I did not have any one to look up to, as far as inventing something goes. Did it on my own and had to navigate it one step at a time.
While working on my patent I came across her story and saw a lot of parallels. It was exciting to discover..
Like coming up with a solution to a problem while getting dressed. A solution that would help a lot of people.
Even coming up with the name, PregZen. Took Sara’s master class where she explained that made up names like Spanx (or PregZen :) ) tend to do well because it’s not obvious, and stands out.
The idea for the model on my packaging was inspired by her as well. It was during covid, was working on packaging ideas and could not find a model at the time. Did a quick search on Spanx packaging and saw that she used herself as a model. Thought that was great! So I got an illustrator to make a “how-to” illustration with me putting on my underwear. And that’s what I currently use as my brand image.
Along my journey, whenever I was in need of inspiration I would either check in with family or my mentor Deb, or find a video interview with Sara, watch it, and get encouraged.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pregzen.com
- Instagram: @pregzen
- Facebook: @pregzen
Image Credits
Illustrations by @anna_wijnands