Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelsey Perry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kelsey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

duoFIT Maternity was created out of the personal need for better performing, better quality and cuter maternity activewear. Through my first two pregnancies I did what most women do; bought the “classic” maternity leggings that either rolled down my bump, stretched out, were see-through and pilled after a few wash and wears. After that, I tried spending the extra money to size up in a more high-end brand to just have ill-fitting leggings and sports bras. As a group exercise and Spin Instructor with a toddler plus being pregnant with my second child, I was spending all my time in activewear. After my second birth, I knew that pregnant bodies deserved better. With the desire to have my vision made in the USA, I found a production partner in Kansas City. After creating and engineering the maternity activewear of my dreams, duoFIT launched in June of 2019. In September of 2019, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our third child so I really got to put all of duoFIT’s pieces to the test. I love being able to truly tell people that duoFIT is the best maternity activewear.

Kelsey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Kansas City local, married to my high school sweet heart and we have 3 kids and two dogs. But before becoming a mom, I worked for a family business and come from a long line of entrepreneurs. I always knew that at some point I would start a business of my own. I was a fitness instructor at my sister, Hailee Bland-Walsh’s gym (City Gym KC) and she would often hear me complain about the lack of quality and functionality of my activewear while pregnant. She was always the one to encourage me to create something better. Pregnancy changes everything. And even though it may seem like a short amount of time, it sure doesn’t feel that way when you’re in the midst of it. I often wonder why women don’t want to spend the money to invest in themselves during this time? Their bodies are doing something incredible and they deserve activewear that supports them through pregnancy and beyond.
Since duoFIT is not fast fashion and it is made in Kansas City, our prices aren’t the least expensive. But, we do believe our quality and our investment in good fabrics and supporting other local, female run businesses makes the cost well worth it. Our price range is $9-$99 and all of our pieces are designed to serve a body after delivery as well — that fourth trimester where bodies continue to change rapidly after delivery.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

When I started duoFIT, I did not have any previous clothing design or manufacturing experience. The only thing I knew was I wanted to have my products made in the USA. I also knew that I had to find a manufacturing partner that could help with the entire process; taking my designs and concepts and turning them into patterns and samples, to pre-production samples and all the way through small batch production. Knowing what I wanted helped narrow the search and luckily, I was able to find a partner pretty quickly. I pitched my idea and business plan to Rightfully Sewn, and they agreed to take us on as a small batch production client and also help guide and teach me the business of fashion.
Learning how to build a product and business from scratch brought about many lessons. Often times, when ideas or designs would get too big to too complicated, I had to remember to keep it simple and scale down. The other components that we have had to learn is the production quantity and inventory management. There was no way to know how much we were going to sell when launching. And looking back, I wish we would have launched with a smaller inventory.
Since we have remained a small batch brand, and everything is sewn and constructed in Kansas City it takes longer for us to fulfill production orders; 6-8 weeks of an existing design. That does cut into our margin but that was a business decision we made knowing that being made in America was more important.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I believe that pivoting is what makes entrepreneurship so exhilarating and exhausting. The ability to make quick changes and be nimble in business is something that can only happen in small businesses. When Covid hit and it changed all consumers behaviors, we definitely had to pivot to try to keep the launch momentum going. Pre Covid, our main revenue driver was pop-up shopping events. However, that became almost non existent overnight. Without pop-ups, one of the main challenges was find a way to get our product in front of people so they could see, touch and experience the duoFIT difference — our quality and functionality. With that, we launched our KIT x duoFIT. KIT is our version of a “shop the box” experience. It was our pivot to get our maternity activewear in front of someone who couldn’t be at a pop-up. For $20, a customer can purchase KIT.
KIT consists of two bottoms, two tops and one nursing sports bra. The customer has two weeks to try the items at home and then buy what they keep, return what they don’t. Super easy and a fun way to experience the range of items duoFIT offers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://builtlikeamother.com/
• Instagram: @duofit_maternity
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/duofitmaternity
• Linkedin: duoFIT Maternity Activewear | https://www.linkedin.com/company/duofit-maternity-activewear/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits
Photographers: Amber Deery Meghan Savage Lizzy Ervin Spencer Walsh