Sprout Interview: KoKo Adora - The Power of a Mother’s Love Transpired Into Fashion

I was flattered when Sprout reach out to do an interview about KoKo Adora’s inspirations and journey so far.

Link to the article: https://sproutorganic.com.au/koko-adora-the-power-of-a-mothers-love-transpired-into-fashion/

Interview article below:

KoKo Adora: The Power of a Mother’s Love Transpired Into Fashion

Bernadette, the mumpreneur extraordinaire behind KoKa Adora shares her journey in building an incredible matching fashion brand for mothers and daughters.

Q: What inspired you to start your business?

A: The inspiration for KoKo Adora stemmed from the below photo taken in the ’90s. The photo is of me and my mother overseas in matching dresses my mother had custom made. When I was lucky enough to have beautiful girls of my own, I wanted to replicate the image for my mother but struggled to find affordable, unique, and quality matching clothing, so I started making my own. We were often stopped in public and people would ask where they could buy our outfits from. I was overwhelmed with compliments and was encouraged to start KoKo Adora.

I really treasure this photo because it reminds me of how much my mum loves me and it’s a memory that signifies our bond.

I aim to create these same cherishable memories for other families and create moments of joy during a time when your little one gets to dress just like you. KoKo Adora isn’t just about fashion, to us, it’s about love, family, unity, and an opportunity to enable our family to help other families. Since starting KoKo Adora we have partnered with different charities and sacrificed profits to make a difference in the lives of children and their families. What inspires us every day is a greater goal to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and families in need on a large scale.

Q: Can you tell us a little more about your clothing line?

A: Koko Adora is about the power of a mother’s love transpired into fashion. We’re a Sydney-based Australian designer brand for matching family and kids clothing and accessories. We’re all about displaying love and unity in families. KoKo Adora is about comfort, affordability, and quality clothing. We incorporate practical designs with quality fabrics that are both beautiful, fun, and elegant without the big price tag. KoKo Adora wants all families to be able to enjoy and afford the designs. Being a family run local business, my daughters are very involved. Some of our collections are inspired by my daughter’s Khloe and Savanna who actually help pick colours and patterns!

Q: What keeps you motivated?

A: I won’t sugar coat that it is hard to stay motivated sometimes because business is not always easy and there are steep learning curves. Being a full-time working mother in a corporate managerial role with two toddlers was hard enough most days, adding KoKo Adora was initially a small creative outlet and a hobby that naturally evolved, but the vision pulled me and it started to take it own direction. I think validation and success so far have been such incredible motivators to keep going.

KoKo Adora started by popular demand and ever since the start I have been overwhelmed with the support and growth of the business. ⁣⁣⁣The encouragement from loyal customers was such a big motivator for me and the compliments and messages of support and appreciation just blew me away (and still does!).

We were labelled one of the 10 places in Australia to buy matching family clothes from the reputable Now to Love who have an incredible network backing that includes Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day, Good Health, OK! Magazine, Take 5, Bounty, TW Week and more.

We have stockists around the world including places like Italy, Nouméa and France. In the beginning days of KoKo Adora I never imagined it to take off the way it did.

I have also met other incredible mums through my journey and we all lift each other up. Such a supportive community of friends, family, awesome mamas, and incredible customers is inspiring and motivating every day.

Most importantly, my little girls and my husban are the pinnacle of my motivation for so many reasons. They are the epicentre of my happiness, and my overall happiness in life is extra fuel that helps me push the boundaries. My family’s support, encouragement, pride and love motivates me continuously. Hopefully one day my girls will say, I can reach for the stars just like mum does.

Q What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful Mumpreneur?

A: Dedication & persist