We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laura Nunnelly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laura below.

Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Edara Apparel’s mission is to design attractive and high performance tennis apparel for female athletes.

Growing up, I was a multi-sport athlete – namely playing softball, basketball and volleyball through high school. I opted to focus on academics for college, but sports has always been a through-line in my life. Tennis was a sport my parents introduced me to as a child and that I played off and on, but never consistently. I picked it back up as an adult, around 2019, once I enrolled my daughter, then 5 years old, in her first tennis camp. My muscle memory was still there, and I was immediately hooked. Tennis fit well into my adult life—it offered cardio and fitness, focus and strategy, and it fostered some valued friendships. I could always find an hour or two in my week to fit it in.

Rewind to 2017, where one of my annual dermatologist appointments revealed a Stage 1 Melanoma on my abdomen. It was excised and treated, but it shook me to my core, especially with a family history of skin cancer. I became hyper aware of my sun exposure, and when I picked up tennis, I never played without a heavy layer of sunscreen and usually wore a long-sleeved top. My options for an attractive yet functional tennis outfit felt very limited. I started to hone in on the various inadequacies of nearly all of my tennis apparel—the long-sleeved tops looked boyish; the elastic waistband of the skirts pinched my problem areas; the ball shorts didn’t fit snugly enough; my tops wouldn’t stay tucked in; the tops rarely matched the bottoms; and none of the material was sun protective.

Tennis is such a mental game, and stepping on the court feeling uncomfortable and insecure in my tennis outfit immediately stacked the cards against me. At a minimum, I needed to boost my confidence before I even picked up my racket. I needed better tennis outfits.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to tell readers about the types of products you provide, the problems you solve and what sets you apart from others.

Edara’s initial collection focuses on its signature one-piece tennis dress designs. In addition to being dissatisfied with my tennis skirt and top combo options, I was even more disappointed with the tennis dress options on the market. A dress is always such an easy outfit—one and done. You immediately look pulled together, and it is comfortable. I thought this concept should translate to the tennis court, but the quality and the designs on the market were dismal, especially for my tall, lanky frame. So, I set about to make a more universally flattering tennis dress that included built-in shorts.

Each of the three dress designs in Edara’s Signature Collection look like separates but function as a one-piece. What does that mean? It means you step into the dress and pull the bodice up and over your shoulders. But the upper portion of the dress is made with extra fabric so that it can drape comfortably over your midsection. It is all attached, so you won’t be tucking in, fidgeting, or pulling at problem areas. Instead, the fabric moves with you as one.

Some of the distinguishing features on each Edara dress include the following:

-Elastic hem grip on the shorts: this strip of silicone elastic keeps the hem of the shorts comfortably around your thighs so the fabric won’t ride up (a common problem for many tennis skirts). You can securely tuck tennis balls into your shorts, and they won’t fall out during match play.

-Wide waistbands: wider waistbands means less ‘muffin top’ from elastic waistbands that cut into your midsections. Edara waistbands are both comfortable and flattering. They don’t feature an elastic band but are slightly compressive.

-Built-in shorts: unlike most traditional tennis dresses which include the dress and then a separate pair of ball shorts, Edara dresses are all in one (sports bra excluded). Fewer components makes for easy dressing and flattering cuts.

-UPF 50 fabric: all fabric is sun protective yet breathable, moisture-wicking, and has four-way stretch.

-Higher necklines: each dress has a slightly higher neckline to ensure less sun exposure.

-Ball pockets: both sides of the built-in shorts feature a ball pocket. Some players use these, and some simply tuck the ball beneath the hem of their shorts. Either way, it is a convenient feature to stash a car key, credit card, lip balm or sunscreen stick.

Edara distinguishes itself not only because of the quality of the finished product, but because each feature has been thoughtfully included based on what the athlete needs and wants. As the designer and a player, I know firsthand what works and what doesn’t.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

My first rudimentary designs started at my kitchen table with my childhood sewing machine. I dissected some of my favorite tennis skirts and tops, playing with how I could make them better—and how I could make them into a one-piece version of themselves. I had a few skirts that I always enjoyed wearing, but none were perfect. Same with my tops. I really studied their construction, the quality of materials, and all the little features, or lack thereof, like pockets, hem grip and necklines. While my initial Frankenstein-like creations were hardly perfect, they gave me enough confidence that I was on to something—I could create something attractive that would actually perform with me on the court.

That led me to researching and contacting various manufacturers in Los Angeles; this was at the beginning of March 2020. The pandemic hit, and my first meeting with my production company in LA was changed to a phone call. The next two years of developing my initial designs was entirely remote. I would mail reference samples and materials; we conducted fittings on Zoom, with me as the fit model; I would schedule fabric sourcing meetings where I had to be masked up and the only one in the showroom. It was a long, slow process with many iterations of each design. I actually never stepped foot into my manufacturer’s space until right before I conducted my first ever photoshoot—in April 2022! While surely the process would have been more efficient without the pandemic, I am really proud of the results and how well I worked remotely with my account manager during those two years. I even moved out of CA during that time, and we still got it done!

My biggest lessons along the way have been: 1) communicate clearly with your team, 2) watch initial inventory expenditures, 3) while manufacturing will be costly, put as much money aside as possible for marketing purposes once you launch.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I work hard to make the Edara Instagram account’s stories a place to stay informed about professional tennis and pickleball—primarily tournament updates, highlight reels, history and background, playing tips, etc. However, it is also a place that fosters an appreciation for all sports, for health and wellness, for fashion and especially for advocating for women in sports. Stories has been a great way to allow my audience to get to know me a bit, as I will often throw in an opinion or anecdote of my own on certain slides. My stories are never contrived, but I do try to make them cohesive and easily digestible each day.

While my audience is largely woman-based, I think my Instagram stories definitely appeal to my male followers, as well. My goal on Instagram stories is to be an informative resource for sports fans and a positive influence for all. It is a place where they can stay up to date on current sporting events (mostly tennis & pickleball based), while also getting a dose of something uplighting, inspiring or humorous for the day. I love when followers forward reels to me, engage with my polls or questions and respond in any way. In addition to weekly informative blog posts which I send to my email subscribers, Instagram has been the best use of my time for building brand identity and fostering loyalty among customers.

Secondly, meeting people in person has been hugely effective—for both me and the customer. I think there is so much power in the ability to feel a fabric and to try a piece on in person. Also, people can see the passion I have for these products. I have conducted several in-person pop-up shops. My biggest take-away from those experiences are that once women try on an Edara dress, they see the vision behind the design concept, and they “get it.” And for me, I get to see how the designs fit different body types, which is always productive.

In general, I think getting to know your customers, in person or via social media, is a great way to foster brand loyalty. Putting a face and a story to a brand makes a big difference. Women can especially relate to one another, because many of us are busy moms juggling lots of responsibilities at any given time, and I think that helps humanize the brand. At this early stage of my business, it is still just me doing everything behind the scenes. So, although I am a private person, I have started to allow my audience to get to know me, and I think that makes a big difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.edaraapparel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edaraapparel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edaraapparel
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/laura-nunnelly-351b678
• Blog: https://www.edaraapparel.com/blog