Mom-Founded Brand Spotlight: Ollie Gray Bras
With the pregnancy and motherhood industry currently booming, it can be a very exciting adventure and challenge for moms to look for areas of improvement and make functional and beautiful products for babies and their mothers. We had the opportunity to interview two women who recognized this potential in products and decided to create their own companies based out of Charlotte, NC. This is part one of our two-part mini series on mom founded brands, so be sure to check back next week!
Ollie Gray began when Kate Rech had given birth to her second child and realized that she was still struggling to find a hands-free pumping bra to be able to feed her baby. She teamed up with former lululemon designer Cara Sumpton to design a bra perfect for pumping, nursing, and recovering from delivering a baby. Ollie Gray bras can be purchased from https://olliegraybras.com.
What inspired you to found Ollie Gray?
I’m a working mom - I am an attorney by trade and returning to the courtroom proved to be difficult for a pumping mama. Simply put, there wasn’t a pump bra that could keep up with my busy schedule. So after a couple of years of suffering through what was on the market at the time, my husband and I decided to create a bra that could keep up with what we call "the new mom" - strong, empowered, and active.”
How long have you been making your products?
We started working on the idea of The Anywhere Bra over three years ago. We officially launched in June of 2018.
How do you hope your products will help other moms (and babies)?
We want our products to make moms feel positive, proud, and beautiful. Giving birth isn’t easy, the body is changing like never before and our bras (and future products) are here to make mom-life easier - and to feel pretty in them is an added bonus!
What’s your favorite style Ollie Gray bra right now?
A little known fact is that all of our bras are named after family members that are nearest and dearest to our hearts. It's tough to pick just one, as they all have a special meaning behind them. I will say, I have not pumped in over three years and I still wear mine to spin class every day. We are currently also working on a new bra to add to our line which is sure to make all moms (and all band/cup sizes!) feel amazing.
And finally, tell us a bit about yourself and your family! How many kids do you have, etc!
My super supportive husband, Bryce, and I have been married for over 10 years and we have two amazing children - Loughlin (age 8) and Olivia Gray (age 4). We reside in Charlotte, NC and enjoy adventures with the kids, traveling, and date nights - where would we be without date nights!
Check out Ollie Gray and learn more here.
Heather Slugaski is a clinical social worker living and working in North Carolina. You can follow Heather on Twitter @heatherlynnsw.