We recently connected with Koko & Chantelle and have shared our conversation below.

Koko &, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It kind of goes all the way back to college and two girls getting their fashion merchandising degrees. Chan went to University of Texas, and Kate went to Ole Miss. After college we both wanted to use our degrees and pursued a buying career at Neiman Marcus. Fashion has always been in both of us! We love it and we live it!!

Fast forward to starting our families, we wanted something that gave us both more flexibility, and at the time Stitch Fix was a great option. We could style at home while our babies were napping, but three years in, we were again ready for something new and different! We were ready to be our own boss.

Kate’s love of writing took her towards the bogging world. It was an amazing creative outlet, but it also felt a little lonely. In 2018 after a long conversation with Chantelle about joining in, Koko&Chantelle was born!! It became the perfect fit! We could share the work and time! If someone was sick, the other could fill in. It was a natural fit for us! We have been best friends for years, and who wouldn’t want to work with their bestie?!

At the time we started K&C the blogging/influencing world was still such a young person’s game, but we were able to fill a void for moms nearing 40…needing style….trying to rediscover their cute self after babies. It was something that wasn’t really heavily presented in this virtual world. We started with fashion posts first because that was easiest for us. We quickly added kids, recipes, gifts, home, and general lifestyle. Coming up with content is easy because we include literally whatever is going on right now in our own lives. When sports season starts, we share gear and equipment. When Chan moved into her new home and Kate renovated her kitchen, we shared the process and all the finds. It is ever changing and evolving which keeps it fresh and fun for our followers…and us, too!! Every day is different!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

We got into this business because we both always had people stop us when we were out and about to ask about our outfits or accessories. We had friends and family reach out for help with styling. Fashion is something that is and has always been so important to us. We love that you can take a piece of clothing or that one “it” item, and show someone how to wear it with their own body shape and style! The confidence that creates, and the joy it gives to us is amazing!

While we post often, our followers have come to look for our Wish List Wednesday post each week where we share what we just bought, what we are searching for, or something that is on our aspirational list! It’s is a fun collage to create each week!

We can be found on Instagram (@kokoandchantelle), on Facebook, on Pinterest, and on our blog kokoandchantelle.com.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Yes!! Covid is a major story of resilience for us!! There were so many hard things that happened during Covid to so many businesses. Having an existing online presence was a major gift!

We were able to help create memories and connect with our followers by providing items like family games, comfy loungewear, recipes, exercise gear, new books to read. It really boosted our business because all of the online businesses were still shipping, and we had a captivated audience that was looking for all the ideas.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

It’s one of our favorite stories!! We met forever ago it feels like when we were both assistant buyers at Neiman Marcus! Chan was in Menswear, and Kate was in Ladies Shoes. We had mutual friends that connected us, and the rest was history! So many nights out in our twenties…oh the costumes! Lots of birthdays and dinners and weddings and then babies.

We’ve known each other for over 20 years!! Our kids are each 18 months apart. Chan has two girls and Kate has two boys. Even as teenagers they still beg to hang out. Our husbands are both in the finance industry! And work never feels like work! Every day is so fun!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kokoandchantelle.com/
• Instagram: @kokoandchantelle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokoandchantelle
• Other: Pinterest: https://pin.it/51S38f19ELTK: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/kokoandchantelle?tab=posts