A Perthshire mum who creates comfortable breastfeeding clothing and underwear is now taking on staff and moving into larger premises to cope with demand from around the world.
Kirsty Lunn from Scone, started selling the brightly coloured pieces after struggling to find clothes that would allow her to easily breastfeed her children.
Spotting a gap in the market, Kirsty was inspired to set up Molke and after her friend Ros Marshall came on board as a partner the pair have grew the business, selling the range to thousands of women across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and USA.
Now, with support from Business Gateway, Kirsty and Ros are moving into larger premises and have taken on three members of staff to deal with demand.
Kirsty said: “We are currently undergoing massive growth and had to make changes in order to deal with the amount of orders coming in. Ros becoming my business partner was key to our growth and we have recently taken on two machinists and a packer. We have also moved into a bigger space which allows us to make all the products, pack and get them out to delivery from one place.
“Molke came about after my initial business idea which was making custom cloth nappies and while they proved popular it was nothing compared to when I began selling the underwear. I launched Molke as I wanted to help women do what comes naturally in an easy and, if desired, discreet way.
We know and understand our market which has played a huge part in our success. But without the support of Business Gateway we wouldn’t have been able to make the leap to having our own staff and office. With our advisers’ help we were able to turn it into an effective business which we believe will only grow further.”
Andrew Webster. Business Adviser, Business Gateway Perth and Kinross said: “We have helped Molke in a number of areas, most recently with HR support. Together we have created a recruitment pack that allowed Kirsty and Ros to employ their first member of staff and we will continue to offer guidance as the business continues to grow.”
Molke sells a range of clothes, up to size 26, including hoodies with a zip across the chest, breathable, stretchy yet supportive bras and comfortable pants. Much of Molke’s success has been down to social media where customers share photographs and reviews on their purchases.
With plans to launch a ready-to- wear range later this year, Kirsty and Ros are optimistic that the business will expand even further especially with the rise of non-breastfeeding women now making orders.
Kirsty added: “Our customers are wonderful and even have their own Facebook group where they share tips and advice. Our profile has been raised largely due to social media and mums talking about our products on forums which is fantastic. Our bras can be worn by anyone and we have seen an increase in women buying our underwear that aren’t currently breastfeeding and they are delighted with the comfort they experience.
“We have had feedback from women saying that it’s changed their life and they can breastfeed comfortably and in a relaxed manner when they are out which is ultimately what we strive to provide for our customers.”
