Today we’d like to introduce you to Minh Doan-Lin.
Minh, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The road to Belle & Kai started with my love of photography. I picked up my first professional grade camera because I wanted to take better photos of my children and be able to capture all these fleeting moments. From there, my daughter became my go to model whenever I wanted to practice a technique and I would try to find something unique for her to wear so she could model for me.
Not finding exactly what I was looking for, I decided to start Belle & Kai, a boho inspired line of dresses for girls. I love vintage clothing and I actually use to sell it on Etsy as a hobby. My favorite eras were the 60s and 70s and my line definitely has a bohemian nod to that era.
I work closely with a pattern maker and seamstress to bring my designs to life and it’s so important to me that my dresses are comfortable yet stylish. The business is solely run by myself and my husband and we’re involved in every aspect from design to photography.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, but any business has its struggle. My line is strictly sold online through my website and with ecommerce, it certainly has its benefits. Since your online store is open 24/7, but you don’t have a physical address you can operate whenever it’s convenient for you. I work during the day while my kids are at school or at night when they’re asleep. The hardest part, of course, is getting my name out there. With ecommerce, there’s so much potential but the hard part is finding your target customer among the millions of people that shop online. I started the business in 2016 and I finally feel like I’m starting to get traction.
Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest are all out there and free to use, and it can get overwhelming at times. Social media marketing is a huge part of ecommerce, but it takes time for you to build that audience.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
We specialize in dresses for girls that are vintage inspired with a bohemian spirit. We carry sizes 2T all the way to 14. A lot of children’s clothing boutiques stop at eight or ten, but we want to be able to dress a wide age range and I would say every dress is appropriate for any girl from toddler to tween.
You definitely won’t be able to find anything like this in the mall and I believe the quality of our dresses set us apart. We use really nice fabrics and most of our dresses are lined in cotton voile to be comfortable.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Houston is a great city. I actually grew up in Dallas, but I came here in 2001 for pharmacy school, met my husband, and just stayed. Having an ecommerce business, I know you really can start anywhere, but Houston is a great city to network and meet other creatives.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.belleandkai.com
- Email: belleandkai@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/belle.and.kai
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/belleandkai
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.
