Kelsey Perry of duoFIT Maternity: Activewear for Active Moms!

I have always had a special place in my heart for the women who are making waves in the Kansas City fashion industry. One of those women is Kelsey Perry, owner and designer of duoFIT Maternity. 

Most of you know that I work as a personal stylist/shopper for many women in the Kansas City area. As a personal shopper, I set out to wardrobe my clients head to toe. This could mean anything, including workout gear for pregnant women, which is not easy to find. I knew there had to be something else out there. That’s when duoFIT caught my eye! Quality, functional, supportive and cute activewear for the bump? Sounds too good to be true, right? As a brand-new mom, I had to find out for myself. I reached out to Kelsey to chat about duoFIT’s story and the woman behind this amazing brand! 

Abby: Maternity athletic wear is a fairly new niche but needed category. What inspired you to start your collection?

Kelsey: I know it’s niche, but it felt so necessary! After two pregnancies of trying essentially everything available in the maternity activewear market, there was nothing that actually worked. And by “worked,” I was asking for the bare minimum—leggings that stretched, stayed in place, offered support and were made from a material that could survive my workouts. This was detrimental because during my pregnancies, working out was the one thing that really helped me feel connected to my body, strong and truly built like a mother.

I understand that larger companies are hesitant to invest in a nine-month product window, but to these customers, those nine months are when you need the most support. Now that it’s becoming more encouraged and mainstream to stay active during pregnancy, there’s an even bigger demand for maternity activewear that really works. 

Abby: After shopping for multiple pregnant clients and more recently for myself, it’s safe to say there isn’t much out there in the world of maternity athletic wear. When I first heard about duoFIT I was so excited to finally see something with quality come to the market, especially a sports bra for nursing! What is different about your brand? What makes your products superior to other maternity athletic wear? 

Kelsey: First of all, thank you! When designing duoFIT, I literally saved every single piece of maternity clothing I had ever worn and kept notes pinned to them identifying what I liked and didn’t like. Every piece of duoFIT was made to channel the likes and avoid the dislikes. I knew we had to start with a great base legging and then work on the maternity panel, not as an afterthought but as a piece of performance wear that was engineered to serve a very important purpose. From there on, that’s how the first collection came to life.

Our leggings and nursing sports bras are made from true performance-grade materials that are moisture-wicking and antimicrobial. The seams are anti-chafing and made using a machine top brands use. Our nursing sports bras offer real support and ensure easy nursing access thanks to hooks anchored to the straps. Our leggings feature a maternity panel with extra elastic to keep it in place and give the wearer flexibility to stretch the band over their bump or fold the top down. The leggings also have an adjustable band that helps increase the support under your bump. 

What makes duoFIT different is that I made the product with myself and other pregnant women in mind with thoughtful and functional touches. It’s designed by moms for moms and I knew if I built something different and better than what was currently on the market, women could avoid nine months of poorly fitting leggings and bras that make nursing nearly impossible.

Abby: As a new mom and a fellow entrepreneur, I would love to know how you are balancing your new business and mom life! I follow you on instagram and it really seems like you have it all together. What’s your secret? 

Kelsey: Oh, the Instagram highlight reel. I definitely don’t have it all together, but it might seem that way because of my incredible family and support team. I would say the secret to balancing life and business is that it doesn’t balance. I try to give my attention to whatever needs the most at that specific time. 

For example, these last two weeks, both my kids and I have been passing a lovely virus back and forth, so the majority of my time was spent with my sick kiddos and trying to rest. My attention to some of the to-dos for duoFIT definitely fell off the priority list, but now that we’re all on the mend I’m going to put more TLC and attention back into my business. 

It’s always a hard transition for my kids when it shifts from lots of “mommy time” to lots of “mommy has to work time.” And while it hurts my mommy heart to see them sad, I know they’ll be okay and that it’s important for them to see me working hard and following my passion. 

Abby: Starting a clothing brand is a huge accomplishment, especially since we live in Kansas City! What advice would you give to other young local designers that want to start their own collection?

Kelsey: My Kansas City roots are the backbone of my brand. I love this city and all the things it has to offer. We have an incredible community of female entrepreneurs that gave me the confidence I could launch and produce duoFIT here. 

When I set out to start duoFIT I didn’t know the first thing about the design process or what went into turning sketches into a product, I just knew pregnant women deserved better. Knowing this, I was intentional about surrounding myself with intelligent and wonderful people that share their knowledge and have the patience to teach me. I still learn something new every single day. 

Rightfully Sewn is made up of those intelligent and wonderful people and they make duoFIT’s small-batch production happen. Beyond helping with production, this amazing organization offers classes and tools for budding designers. If I had more time, I would take every class they offer and try to learn the craft inside and out. 

My advice to local designers wanting to create their own line is to start learning what it really takes to launch a business. I’m not saying you have to do it all, but it’s crucial knowing what goes into all the processes that make the business run.

Abby:  What do you see in the future for duoFIT? Will you ever expand into ready to wear? 

Kelsey: My ideal future for duoFIT is to be the mom-referred brand of maternity activewear. If we can build more traction over the next year or so I would definitely love to release a small collection. But there’s a rumor we might already have some things in  the works.

From leggings that actually stay up over the bump to supportive and functional nursing sports bras, this brand has touched on the basics of what every active pregnant woman needs and did it with quality. I am so excited for Kelsey and can’t wait to see was she has up her sleeve next! Stay up to date with what’s to come for this amazing local brand and special events by following @duoFIT_maternity on instagram or check out the entire collection at builtlikeamother.com. ■

Written by: Abby Wood

Abby Wood is a wardrobe stylist and style blogger in Kansas City, and her education in design plus retail experience make her an expert in fit, fabric, style and trends. Her professional experience in fashion began with an apprenticeship with a bridal designer, shifted to creating and showing her  own line, moving up to management and training at a retail level and now professional styling as an independent consultant. Abby loves to help individuals develop and evolve their own sense of style. 

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