We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lana Moss a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lana , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I came up with the idea for Hendon Heritage while sitting on my back porch on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I had been pursuing my career in Human Resources for the past 20 years and had worked my way up the corporate ladder, but realized the past 20 years had put distance between what I do on a daily basis and what I was truly passionate about doing, which is, I think, a common thought in our modern society. I knew I wanted to create something that filled a need for people and I had somehow lost sight of that passion. So I looked for a common, every day need. Something to solve. I looked at homeless shelters. what do they need? Time and time again, each shelter I looked at all afternoon, their wishlists included new underwear. Of course. Who wants to wear used underwear? This is fundamental need, but something that is often overlooked. I looked for nonprofits filling this need and found that there were, nonprofits trying to fill this need. So how could I possibly help them?

It was then that the idea of Hendon Heritage was born. I thought to myself that I could create a brand, to fill this need that I would be proud of, one that I would be proud to purchase from, myself: An American made brand, with natural fibers instead of the plastic we’re so used to seeing in our modern day underwear.

Most of our clothes in the US are made overseas, but recent studies have shown that each dollar spent on, “Made in America” brands brings $2.69 into the US economy. Not only does Made in America help make jobs, and help the economy, but it also helps to ensure the working conditions the employees have are good and that they are paid fair wages.

Natural fibers, like pima cotton, are much healthier for a woman’s body.

A give back model allows for you to give a pair of underwear to someone in need with each purchase.

This idea would allow for a brand that would be beneficial at every step: creating the product would benefit the local economy, the product itself would be healthier for the woman wearing it, and the give back model would allow for the purchaser to do good with every pair.

Lana , 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?

Hendon Heritage provides luxury non-toxic, American made woman’s underwear with a give back model. I believe that woman are becoming more intentional with where they spend each dollar they put back into the economy and want to feel good about each purchase, Hendon Heritage gives woman that opportunity. Not only will you be able to wear unique quality pieces that will make you feel good about yourself, but you’ll also have the opportunity to support local artisans and people in need.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I’ve learned through building Hendon Heritage is that it’s ok to not know, and it’s ok to ask.

Having been in the same career for 20 years prior to Hendon Heritage I was comfortable and familiar with being the expert. People came to me to solve their problems, I knew how to work them through the issue to find a resolve, but when you’re moving from a 20 year career in Human Resources to the women’s apparel industry, there isn’t a lot of information that is transferable. What I have done is leaned on experts for their knowledge. I’ve had ups and downs, moving between different designers, working and reworking specifics, but knowing that it’s ok to ask the silly question is key, because that’s how you find out the answer to the silly question instead of guessing or presuming. It’s been an amazing learning curve, and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it.

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

When I started Hendon Heritage I had an idea of what I wanted the designs to look like, BUT as it turns out, because there aren’t many underwear manufacturers in the US, those manufacturers in the US don’t have the same equipment to make modern underwear that other countries have. In addition, a lot of the designs we’re accustomed to seeing are possible because of the fabric is made of a lot of plastics, which I didn’t want to do. As a result I had to reimagine the designs I had in mind to be creative with the fabrics I wanted to use, in order to bring the customer an elegant design while still working within the confines of possibilities. I believe initial setback has now become the element that will set Hendon Heritage apart as we work towards pre-launch in April 2025 and full launch in June of 2025.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hendonheritage.com

Image Credits

James King photography
Jamie Bayer editing