Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Haag.
Kristina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a Houston native and after completing my undergrad education at Rice University in 2011, I knew I didn’t want to go into typical corporate life. I decided to pursue a career in something I loved, which is fashion. I moved to London in 2012 in order to complete a masters degree in Fashion Marketing and ended up staying for a few years working for a small firm that specialized in fashion PR.
Feeling a bit homesick, I moved back to Houston thinking I would take a month to figure out my next step in life, most likely moving to LA or New York to continue on a track in fashion PR, when I got roped into a job with my family’s business. It was during my time back in Houston, experiencing the heat and humidity as if for the first time, that I began to seek out options for clothing that was as comfortable and functional as my workout gear, but appropriate in a business setting.
Realizing there was nothing available that was what I considered both fashionable and functional, I thought there was a gap in the market that I wanted to fill! Now, I know this seems incredibly ambitious as I’d had absolutely no experience with the manufacturing side of fashion, but I figured if I didn’t do it, someone else would and I’d be kicking myself later. I actually thought of the name Cotidié almost immediately after I came up with the idea for the brand. I wanted my brand’s qualities to be about working with you in your daily life, with the garments being super comfortable and machine washable (just like typical gym wear). I wanted a fancy word that meant “daily” and when I started to Google translations in other languages, the Latin word cotidié just immediately caught my attention. I knew that’s what the brand had to be called.
It was a fairly slow-moving process in the beginning. I’m fortunate enough that my dad started his own business in the 80s, so I had (and still have) his guidance throughout the process. But as for how to actually go from just ideas for clothing to making them a reality, I was very much on my own. A friend of mine recommended working with a technical designer and that was my first step. She and I would chat about the clothing designs, I would show her my crude drawings on graph paper (I’m a horrible illustrator) and she made my first tech packs for the clothing.
The next step was to work with a sample developer who created the patterns for my designs (which are like the blueprints of the garments). It was during this process of finding a sample developer to work with that I reached out to an amazing retail consultant who I hired to help me out along the way (I’m looking at you, Alice James!) After that, things started to really pick up. Fabric samples were sourced and we got to work with a sample developer and manufacturer in Los Angeles.
In all, it ended up taking a little over one year to get from the initial concept to Cotidié’s Spring/Summer ’19 launch collection. While working with our manufacturer in LA, I hired local branding company Mouth Watering Media in Houston to create the visuals of Cotidié as you see it now online. It’s been a steep learning curve, to say the least. Up until the website was launched, I was doing most of these things for the first time, but I’m glad for the journey and couldn’t be more proud of the products that we’ve created!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has certainly not been a smooth road! Every entrepreneur has always said that whatever you estimate your initial timeline to be, you’ll need to double it and that was certainly the case for Cotidié.
It was a bit rough simultaneously working on sample development in LA while also working on branding here in Houston, with neither party having a full picture of what the other was doing until both were complete.
There were also just so many little details that ended up being major complications along the way. One specific example was our heat seal garment care labels that go on each piece of clothing, telling the customer the size and giving them wash instructions. When we initially sampled them, they worked well and looked great. Upon production application, depending on the fabric type, not every heat seal adhered properly and it was a scramble to come up with last-minute options.
I do think, though, that every struggle and mistake is a learning opportunity… and let’s just say I’ve learned a lot. 🙂
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Cotidié is womenswear that blends technical performance with professional style. We are female-founded (by yours truly) and run right here in Houston, TX with all of our garments made in the USA.
These garments were created for every woman and the busy life she lives. Whether you’re a consultant who’s always traveling for work and needs clothing that’s wrinkle-resistant and comfortable on those long journeys, a mom who has no time to go to the dry cleaners, or you just need to sneak in a workout so you pack your work clothes to change into at the gym before heading to the office, Cotidié clothing is meant to work with you to make daily life easier.
The Cotidié brand promise is to create truly versatile, dependable garments that consistently look as good as they feel. Each piece is imbued with essential qualities for easy wear and care:
Comfort: Styles look chic, but feel soft and barely-there.
Stretch: Garments won’t bind, pinch or constrict movement.
Moisture-wicking: Lightweight fabrics stay cool and dry.
Machine washable: Both fabric and fit will hold up in cold wash cycles.
The Spring/Summer collection includes a variety of dresses, summer suiting, skirts and light, breezy tops to keep you comfortable and stylish at all times. Everything is available for purchase exclusively online at cotidie.com.
What were you like growing up?
I was definitely a nerd and loved school haha! I also grew up competing in figure skating and dancing (which I continued on through college) and I think that’s where the desire for comfortable and functional clothing comes from.
Pricing:
- The full Cotidié collection is priced at $200 and under
- Tops range from $60 – $100
- Bottoms range from $115 – $135
- Dresses range from $125 – $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cotidie.com
- Email: info@cotidie.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cotidieclothing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cotidieclothing/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CotidieClothing
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cotidie/
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
