Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucy Chalmeton.
Lucy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After my daughter Chloé was born two years ago, I wanted to bounce back to shape as fast as I could. But I quickly realized that I couldn’t find the right bra to work out and feed my baby at the same time. All the sports bras didn’t have the nursing functions, and all the nursing bras had zero support. Among the very few nursing sports bra options out there, nothing was stylish enough that you wanted to wear. Something was missing from the nursing wear category.
I saw a void in the market for bras that can take the breastfeeding mothers seamlessly from workout to feeding without unnecessary snags, and not compromise on style or function. That’s how Sweat and Milk got started.
We partnered with one of the best sportswear design firms in downtown LA to sketch and prototype two flagship nursing sports bras to start with: one for low-medium activities such as yoga or lounging and the other for higher impact activities such as running. After going through more than twenty rounds of prototyping and testing on over 30 moms, we launched our direct to consumer website in October 2017.
Ever since then, our bras have been loved by nursing moms around the world. We continue to evolve and perfect the pattern based on moms’ feedback. This year, we added one more color (pink), and also released nursing-friendly tops and our Maman et Moi (mommy and me) matching leggings.
Our mission is to create high quality fashionable and functional attire that keep the nursing moms active, cozy, and stylish throughout this special life journey and beyond.
It has not been a smooth road.
The first obstacle was time. I had this idea right after my baby was born, but didn’t launch the business until she turned two. Being a new mom has been quite overwhelming to me, especially when we had no help. Eventually, we had to hire a part-time nanny so that I can get time to concentrate on it.
The second is that it’s a brand new field for me. Although I have many years of experience in digital marketing by working with multinational companies and the world’s largest ad agencies, launching and running a fashion startup is a whole new adventure. It is very exciting, but also very challenging.
I had to learn and get involved in everything hands-on, from fabric sourcing, pattern making, finding and negotiating with factories, photoshoot, shipping and fulfillment, participating in trade shows and events, building a website, creating and executing social media strategy, dealing with finance and IRS etc. I’ve learned tremendously over the past year but also went through some ups and downs down the road.
Sweat and Milk – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Sweat and Milk LLC is a company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 2017 by Lucy Chalmeton, our mission is to create fashionable and functional attire that keeps nursing moms active and stylish throughout their special life journey of pregnancy, nursing, and beyond.
Our flagship products are two stylish and functional nursing sports bras, Océane Yoga Nursing Sports Bra, and Chloé Running Nursing Sports Bra. Océane is designed for lower impact activities such as yoga, pilates, dance, and stroller walking, while Chloé is created for higher impact activities including running, cycling etc.
I’m proud that we are filling a void in the market and providing something stylish and functional for nursing moms. With all the strains of being a new mom and lack of sleep, we just need to feel pretty and like ourselves again.
Being a new mom can feel isolated and depressed sometimes. We also provide free Yoga for Mommy and Me classes in beautiful parks in LA. It’s a great way for moms to get out and breathe fresh air, make mommy friends, bond with the babies and get some stretches and workout in. Our community has grown into over 650 moms in west LA and continue to grow.
When I receive emails and comments from moms, telling me that it’s the best nursing sports bra they’ve tried, and they keep telling everyone they know, I feel very proud.
1 bra $59, and any two bras at $55 each, and any three bras at $50 each. We also have more bundle and save for other items.