Today we’d like to introduce you to Chantal Mann.
Chantal, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My love for fashion didn’t just start when I created Playground Couture. I attended Texas Woman’s University and Tarrant County College to receive my degree in Fashion Merchandising. After graduating, I wanted to use my degree to become a Fashion Buyer. In the process of becoming an assistant buyer, I created Playground Couture as a blog. I showcased my two children fashions on that platform. The blog received outstanding monthly views and always received positive feedback from my readers. From the success of the blog, I created Playground Couture as an online boutique for boy’s and girls and made my garments affordable for the everyday mom.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been easy being your own boss and funding a company from scratch. I feel that my struggles were some of the same as many entrepreneurs starting out today. My main struggle was turning those blog readers into paying customers. It was rough, but I worked on building trust with my customers. I constantly provided new pieces and also purchased marketing ads on social media. Social media is a business in itself and you have to find a way to make it work for your business. Another struggle was funding. As you know, a new business will need funding. I was able to get a jump start on my business by winning $10,000 on my family reality show, “The Mann’s.” That money, combined with my savings, definitely help me purchase more inventory and to digitally market my company.
Please tell us about the Playground Couture.
Playground Couture is an online children’s boutique dedicated to boy’s and girls in sizes 6m-14 years old. We specialize in fashionable and “Couture” pieces for your child. We have everyday wear, and we have a section called, “Couture” which is more formal pieces for any special occasion. My company has been featured in DFW Child and Fort Worth Child magazines and being a small company, those features mean a lot to us. Being that I am a parent myself, I know the struggles of trying to find cute and fashionable pieces for my child at an affordable price. Playground Couture is just that, different from your normal big chain stores. We keep our pieces limited, to keep that exclusivity, but still affordable and won’t break mom and dad pockets.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I would always play dress up in my mom’s clothes and heels. My mom would be in the kitchen cooking dinner and I would be hiding in her closet with her fashionable shoes and costume jewelry playing dress up. My daughter is following in my footsteps, and I would sometimes find her playing in my vibrant eyeshadows and sketching out designs for her dolls.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Playground-Couture.com
- Phone: 800-409-7349
- Email: infp@playground-couture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playgroundcouture/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/playgroundcouture
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/playgcouture
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/playgroundcouture/
Image Credit:
De Lacy Photography, Justin Taylor
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