Naissance on Melrose – One of the Pioneers of Trendy Stylish Maternity Clothes
I spoke with the manager, Missy Rae, who shares Jennifer’s belief that you shouldn’t have to give up style just because you’re pregnant. The clothes that we offer are every bit as cool and trendy as the clothes you would wear before your pregnancy. Regarding design, Missy Rae does some of the T-shirt designing, but Jennifer Noonan, the owner, does all of the designs. What didn’t Jennifer like about shopping for maternity clothing? The environment wasn’t very friendly. The clothing wasn’t interesting, and the selection just wasn’t good. You’re already not feeling very good when you’re pregnant. You want the experience to be comfortable and make you feel good about yourself, rather than feeling worse because the clothes aren’t fitting properly. It’s just an uncomfortable environment . She wanted to make it a beautiful experience when people are shopping for maternity clothing. Jennifer started small and piece by piece put her collection together. Five years later, they’ve grown tremendously. NOM’s clothes aren’t really designed for the corporate office. They’re catered more toward just being comfortable and showing a sense of style–like party clothes and everyday wear. They do a lot of jeans, which go below the belly and are very comfortable, compared to some of the other maternity jeans that are out there. They do a lot of fun tank tops and t-shirts, too. How does NOM come up with the different designs? There isn’t any particular color pallet that we stick to. Jennifer goes through phases where she’s into more natural colors, or having pinks or camouflage. Each season is a little different. We’ve been working a lot with vintage pieces such as vintage Levis, which are turned into crop maternity jeans or maternity skirts. Taking vintage t-shirts and turning them into tube tops is another big success. Debra Messing wore our Mickey Mouse version of that, and people just went nuts for it. We’ve been making different versions of that one ever since. How does a mom-to-be find you? As far as advertising, we’re really lucky because a lot of magazines ask us to include samples in various features. So we get a lot of advertising, whether it’s fit for pregnancy, In Style, or when a celebrity wears our clothing. People seek us out. You can either go online, or call us toll free. We really don’t do advertising. It’s more through word-of-mouth. How did Jennifer Noonan come up with the name Naissance on Melrose? Naissance is French for birth. Jennifer wanted a unique word that would be a little mysterious but also have to do with the process of giving birth. To whom are you catering and what is your price range? We cater to moms of all ages who want to look sexy. Our clientele ranges from very young up through the 40s. We sell to people all over the world. Through our website, we get orders from every country. The price points are very affordable, ranging as low as $40 up to $175. Many of our pieces work after the pregnancy, too. We hear from many of the moms who continue to wear the clothing. In fact, we’ve had a few customers who keep calling and ordering clothes for the next season even though they’re no longer pregnant. Highest High It is very fulfilling working in the maternity industry because it is a very happy business. Every day we help moms look good and feel their best. Lowest Low People who steal your designs and copy your ideas–the competition is getting a lot fiercer with people jumping on the bandwagon of doing stylish maternity clothing. That is the biggest pitfall. But you just learn as you go. You find out what people are into, and what they like and dislike. It’s trial and error. But for the most part it has been a fun growth process, and we will continue to grow every year. To learn more about Naissance on Melrose, visit their website atwww.naissanceonmelrose.com, or visit their boutique at 8254 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046, or call (800) 505-0517. Interview by Kaylene Peoples |
