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

Melony , 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.

As an empty-nester now later in life, I was in search of what I wanted to do in this next chapter. My passions are in travel, design, philanthropy and creativity and I wanted to dive into something that could encompass all of these. My significant other is from Mexico and after being a part of his family, I found his sister’s handbag line to be a beautiful merging of old world Oaxacan craft and contemporary design and function. This berthed my idea to merge the same old world cotton weaves into modern day, sustainable and eco-friendly fashion that gets made in the heart of Los Angeles. My goals are to employ and offer fair compensation to those abroad as well as at home. I believe in the uplifting of others. I start doing so from the point of development, into manufacturing and ultimately find much satisfaction when I see women wearing La Peony. Being able to empower craftspeople through a living wage and fair trade, while doing my best to care for the environment and social good offers a gratifying sense of purpose. While I have not invented anything new since fashion has been around forever, I do feel like I am approaching fashion differently and with an emphasis on every person of the process. The people making the garments are as important as the wearers of the garments. It is my work to make sure there is a sense of belonging and a smile on everyone that La Peony touches no matter where they come in the process.

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.

Even though I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology, I have always had a creative mind. I have an eye for art, interior design and fashion. As a mother of three and a grandmother of one, I see an opportunity to make the world seem smaller by bringing foreign crafts home and showing one another the social good that can come about by uplifting others. Caring for the planet and the people that occupy it brings joy and purpose to my life and I am proud to establish and grow my brand, La Peony Clothing, with that message behind it.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I sell mainly via Ecommerce. I decided to start there due to the ease of such a platform. As opposed to brick and mortar or hustling for large department stores’ accounts; the overhead expenses, challenges for hiring employees and industry constraints on seasonal timing cutoffs are reduced. The cons to a strict ecommerce approach is that growth is slower and word of mouth takes longer to create brand recognition and loyalty. I am a slow fashion brand so I have limitations to meeting large demand; however, this means I can focus on quality and elevate design for those hoping to wear a unique brand that promotes confidence while also doing social good.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Fortunately I am at a point in my life where I am more established and have savings to self-fund the start of La Peony. I have not taken capital from others as of yet. However, I am also at a time in my life whereby I need to be smart and be the best steward of the money as well. I am living the roller coaster likely well-known to many entrepreneurs. I learn many lessons on the fly and I use common sense and life experience as my guide. I have advisors that help guide me as well to make good business decisions and allocate funds where I might see the best results to increase sales and brand recognition.

Contact Info:

• Website: lapeony.com
• Instagram: @La_Peony_Clothing

Image Credits
Dimitry Loiseau – Photographer Liz Moss – Model Stephanie Stock – Model