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When Shelley Suh—a fashion industry veteran with nearly two decades of experience working for high-end brands like Botkier—was preparing to go back to work after having her first child, she recalls initially struggling with the daily ins-and-outs of pumping and feeding. And then, about three years later, after the birth of her second child, she relived the same obstacles—only this time, she channeled her frustrations into creating Loyal Hana, an innovative and fashionable line of nursing clothing.
“After I had my son I got a little bit of the ‘baby blues,’ and I was triggered and inspired to make [pumping and feeding] easier for moms,” Suh, 41, says. “I was really inspired by both my kids. This company is really about making it easier for all the moms out there that are breastfeeding. The brand is designed to make moms feel a little bit more confident and stylish…to make them feel a little bit empowered and visually fashionable.”
What makes Loyal Hana—which officially launched in 2014—so distinct lies in the brand’s elegant and ingenious design strategies. The brand’s signature looks are crafted with a nearly invisible zipper along the seams (or darts) that run along the sides of the tops and dresses—and these discreet zippers are used to open up a vent that allows moms to breastfeed or to pump without removing their shirts. This seemingly subtle, but immensely helpful, design element is paired with original prints and classic silhouettes and colors for a result that is undeniably chic.
“In terms of the designs, it’s really all my personal style,” Suh says. “It’s something that I yearned for when I was nursing and prenatal. It’s a little bit looser on the body. Most of the styles feel more like a contemporary line—it has this hidden zipper and it has room for the belly to grow.”
Suh’s keen eye and instinct for what new and expectant moms were searching for is matched only by her spot-on business acumen (after just launching 2014, Loyal Hana is now in sold by top retailers like Nordstrom, Yummy Mummy, Bump Brooklyn, and more), and passion for her work.
“This [project] keeps me going, and it’s interesting because, while I was launching this company and going through the ‘baby blues,’ my father was really struggling with cancer, so it really was an outlet for me, creatively—to keep my identity and to help women empower themselves again,” Suh explains. “It’s about the struggle of motherhood and the reality of what you live with when you have kids…I look at my kids and I’m inspired by them. I want them to have a good role model through all of that.”
The fact that Suh, who currently raises her family in Sagaponack, NY, with her husband, cites her two children—a 5.5-year-old daughter and a 2.5-year-old son—as such a large piece of what inspires her professionally and creatively is also reflected in the brand’s name: “Hana” means “one” in Korean (which is Suh’s heritage), making the literal meaning “Loyal One.”
“Mothers are loyal to their children and to raising their kids the best way that they can, [and] the word ‘Hana’ means one in Korean,” Suh explains. “I think it’s perfect for moms. Also, I’m very Korean… I’m so close with my family and I’m so proud to be Korean.”
The closeness and commitment to family is certainly paying off for Suh, who is now looking forward to the new Spring 2015 looks from Loyal Hana hitting stores later this month—including some fresh silhouettes, bright seasonal colors, and even some jumper designs—as the brand hits its one-year anniversary. Plus, she’s also always looking creatively to the future while savoring and appreciating her current success.
“Long-term, I’m really diving into doing things more creatively in terms of fabrics. I’m trying to do some more custom fabrics…[with] new techniques that I think are really cool and kind of edgier,” she says, adding: “The business is really organically growing and I’m really proud of it all.”
To learn more about Loyal Hana, visit loyalhana.com.
