MOMpreneur: n. defined as a female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur.
Welcome to our next installment of MOMpreneur Monday, highlighting Florida businesses and brands that were founded by female entrepreneurs and fellow Mommas.
Today’s featured Modern Boca MOMpreneurs are...Daniela Potter & Nikki Santa Eulalia: Creators of the JOEY et CHLOE Clothing Line.
Tell us a little bit about your background and what inspired you both to start your beautiful line, Joey et Chloe clothing!
Daniela: I grew up in Bavaria, Germany with my German mother, Italian father and four siblings. Both of my grandmothers were seamstresses and encouraged me to experiment with fabrics and bring my own designs to life. Upon graduating from high school, I was accepted to Istituto Marangoni to study Fashion Design at their three campuses in Milan, Paris and London. After design school, I remained in London working for Alexander McQueen, Burberry and Melissa Odabash, which gave me several opportunities to learn from the very best in fashion.
It was also in London where I met my American husband. We wanted to start a family and decided to move to Florida to raise our children in the quiet little town of Stuart.
After being a stay-home mom for a year, I started to really miss fashion. By chance, I met Nikki at a “mommy and me” music class. We clicked right away and both thought it would be so cute to wear the same clothes as our daughters. Soon after, we founded JOEY et CHLOE clothing, a mommy and me matching line. Being a mom is the sole reason why JOEY et CHLOE exists.
Nikki: I grew up in Miami, Florida with my father who immigrated to Miami from Cuba in the 1960s, my Cuban-American step-mother, and my Canadian-American mother. Growing up in Miami cultivated my passion for the Cuban and Latin culture. As a child, my sister and I had vivid imaginations and would spend countless hours entertaining the family by choreographing shows including several costume changes. My grandmother would also make us dresses. I remember spending hours watching her and feeling inspired.
After high school, I attended business school in Miami, but decided halfway through I wanted to pursue my true passion: “fashion design”. After graduating with a bachelors in marketing and international business, I moved to Milan, Italy on my own to attend Istututo Marangoni and the international student fashion design program.
Living in Italy was a life-changing experience. Living in Europe and traveling every chance I got inspired me and shaped my design aesthetic. Upon graduating, I moved back to Miami and worked as a designer for many years until my husband and I decided to move to Stuart and start a family. After four years as a stay at home mom to my son and daughter, I yearned to get back into the career that I loved and was lucky enough to meet a fellow graduate from Istituto Marangoni in our town! We instantly hit it off and began brainstorming the company.
What inspired your clothing line?
JOEY et CHLOE clothing was inspired by our daughters. We noticed they always wanted to mimic us. Something as simple as matching our clothes was an incredible bonding experience and we wanted to share that with the world.
Although this experience has been inspiring and empowering, it has also been the biggest challenge of my life. Balancing work and family is a skill I am still learning. I am grateful for my supportive husband who has been my biggest cheerleader. My kids are also proud of me and that means everything. I want to teach them that doing what you love and working hard is what makes you successful.
In less than 18 months, JOEY et CHLOE has produced three collections and is a thriving company.
What challenges have you faced?
Our business started with a few brainstorming sessions. We collected ideas and started working on our designs and samples right away. Because we both worked in fashion before, we already had a lot of contacts which made things like sourcing fabrics and trims a lot easier.
The most challenging thing (besides finding good seamstresses who could sew our garments in high quality without us having to commit to a big production run) of course is balancing business and our families. Looking back, we find it quite hard to believe that we got all of this work done and still found time to spend time with our husbands and little ones, even though at times we had to compromise.
What’s unique about your line and why should MBMom readers purchase it?
Our Mommy and Me Outfits incorporate exquisite, high-end fabrics that we import from Italy. We check every item ourselves to make sure the quality is perfect. There are other “mommy and me” brands out there, but we believe our sophisticated design is quite unique and are proudly made in America. We offer an almost ‘made to measure’ service. We always ask our customers for their measurements to make sure they get the perfect fitted dress. If they wear different sizes on the top and bottom, we can even custom cut the dresses.
For Modern Boca Moms who love to match with their little ones, JOEY et CHLOE is perfect for you! Most of our clients buy our outfits for special occasions like weddings, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
What exciting things are happening with your business?
We are excited to venture more into the wedding industry. We are putting together a concept where you can pick any of our designs, a color theme, a fabric and then we can custom make dresses for your entire bridal party. This includes everybody who should be wearing your wedding colors.
What do you both love about living and working in South Florida?
Daniela: The weather – I love the cool winters here (warm compared to German winters). I have to admit though; the summers are a little tough!
Nikki: The people are so nice! Growing up in a big city with lots of traffic, everyone was so busy and stressed. Living in Stuart, I go to the grocery store and the people who work there know my kids’ names and are so nice and helpful. It really is paradise.
SHOP HERE
Shop and follow JOEY et CHLOE clothing on Social Media:
Facebook-Joey et Chloe
Website-Joey et Chloe
Etsy Shop-Joey et Chloe
Instagram-Joey et Chloe
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