We were lucky to catch up with Monique Knox recently and have shared our conversation below.

Monique, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

As a retired Registered Nurse, I’ve always wanted to become an entrepreneur, but I didn’t know what to focus on specifically. BellaWear by Monique Leray was created due to a need for lightweight comfort in a strapless slip, a way to feel sexy and to provide great coverage with any dress. I’ve always had a love for comfortable sleepwear and loungewear, so when I had the idea to create the BellaWear strapless slip, I decided to incorporate all three garment types into a business; therefore, Monique Leray Apparel was born. Monique Leray was created due to a need for lightweight comfort in women’s wear. My BellaWear strapless slips, sleepwear and loungewear all started when I realized I needed a specific type of slip to wear with a dress I had planned on changing into during my wedding reception. I looked everywhere, from small boutiques to large high-end department stores and could not find what I wanted. I realized that if I was looking for this type of slip, then other women would be also. This led me to create the BellaWear strapless slip with an adjustable back closure as a unique feature. I started with the short length slip style, and I later added sleepwear and loungewear to my collection as my business grew. In the near future, I will soon be adding a long length slip style due to multiple requests from customers. Monique Leray is committed to providing customers with year around styles that cater to women who want women’s apparel that is designed to keep you cool and comfortable at any time. My target market is the young career woman to the mature woman. Mature women have a specific need due to hormonal changes and look for apparel that keep you cool at all times. Hot flashes can be a nuisance, embarrassing and uncomfortable and some women can have them worse than others. The young career woman also looks for comfort in stylish apparel and want to come home to relax after a long day of dealing with the corporate world. Monique Leray Apparel’s mission is to make sure a women’s comfort is a necessity at any age.

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

For those of you who are not yet familiar with me, I am Monique Knox the owner of Monique Leray Apparel and designer of the BellaWear strapless slip which launched me into the world of design and retail. I have two online stores and you can find me at https://moniqueleray.com or https://www.etsy.com/shop/MoniqueLerayDesigns. I’m a retired Registered Nurse with a love for fashion. Monique Leray Apparel was created out of a need. I offer my exclusive BellaWear strapless slip, loungewear and sleepwear for women. My BellaWear strapless slip has a unique design. Most strapless slips have an elastic band that tend to slip down, I have created my slip with an anti-slip grip feature. The BellaWear slip has an A-line shape that allows fluidity in movement. It has adjustable straps that can be removed for the strapless look, lightweight anti-static fabric to provide a comfortable, smooth and flawless fit, padded bra, wide band across the back to reduce bulges. This band provides extra wide support for all shapes and sizes. I’m most proud that we are known for the quality and hard work we put into our apparel to make women feel their best. I am also grateful for the wonderful customers who have supported my business and was not disappointed. Because I have been so blessed, Monique Leray Apparel has committed to helping others in our community by giving a portion of the proceeds to PATH LA: They provide assistance to homeless individuals and families in the Los Angeles area. Helping to solve the Homelessness crisis is close to my heart, so I also organize a grocery give away to help homeless families with young children once a year. I would like to invite your readers to visit my website to see what other women are saying about Monique Leray Apparel and not just take my word for how great my apparel will make you feel. Visit us at https://moniqueleray.com or https://www.etsy.com/shop/MoniqueLerayDesigns.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When going into an area of business that you are not familiar with, it can be a daunting task. I had to learn the business of fashion and manufacturing clothing from the ground up. There was no one to call on for help, but I persisted. Thank God for technology, because it saved me a lot of time that I could have lost in addition to what was lost in trial and error. I found most of my sourced vendors and connections via the internet. I was working a full-time job when I started my business and had to creatively juggle how to build a business and stay productive on my job. I worked weekdays 9-5 and the fashion industry operated weekdays 9-5, so that made it difficult to meet with people in the industry. As you can imagine, I had to request days off to get things done. I had multiple appointments to meet with manufacturers before finding one qualified to do what I required. There is the sourcing of fabric and trim. When designing and manufacturing clothing you have to constantly meet with the seamstress to redesign, fit and make adjustments on how you envisioned your garment to look. Although, it seemed hopeless at times and the fear of the unknown, my passion for my business gave me the steadfastness to press on to the reward.

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

There are two sites where you can find Monique Leray Apparel, my website at moniqueleray.com and I also use the Etsy platform at https://www.etsy.com/shop/MoniqueLerayDesigns. I first started out on the Etsy platform. Some of the pros are that you have the potential to reach a larger audience when one is just starting out, another is the support they provide when building your website on their platform, The cons to a platform are the cost to maintain the site and the cost per sale for using the platform. I have always planned on having my own website eventually and in 2020, I created bellawear.com. I hired a website developer to help create the e-commerce for me but realized how difficult it was to keep up with the maintenance of the site when you don’t have the technical knowledge and back-end support. In 2021 I created the moniqueleray.com site through GoDaddy which is far easier to maintain and if there are any problems, I have tech support available in the event of any issues.

Contact Info:

• Website: moniqueleray.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moniquelerayapparel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moniquelerayapparel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg9CkbPICf4
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/moniquelerayapparel