Hannah Hale | On Leaving Corporate for Family Life & Launching Her Own Brand To Find Flexibility In Fashion
by Neha Ruch
Hannah Hale and I first met in Colombia in a little café at the end of a very hot, very long travel day. She was strikingly chic and equally real and we were fast friends. That combination made her an excellent Chief of Staff at Lucky Brand after graduating Stanford’s Business School. When her first daughter was born she decided to pause and I wasn’t surprised to see Hannah embrace the period as one for exploration and intentionally designing a life she wanted to live. Hannah has since built Kilte Collection committed both, to luxurious knitwear to elevate the routines of the multi-hyphenated mother and to creating a flexible workplace in fashion. Her Q&A gives insight into trusting the pause, the pros and cons of being a solo founder, and an honest take on help and personal growth.
1. I adore your path because it is evidence of making choices for family life and using the pause to learn and discover what you want next. What do you think helped make your pause between leaving Lucky Brand and starting Kilte so meaningful?
Making the decision to leave Lucky Brand was one of the hardest, and also one of the most fruitful. I was so afraid to make the leap to leaving my full-time career without having clarity around where life would take me and what came next. I honestly think that without this time, I would have never started my own business. Having the time to dedicate to my daughter and myself allowed me real clarity of thinking around how I wanted to live my life and what decisions were best for me and my family. I am so grateful for this opportunity.
2. I think women navigating the grey look at women running businesses and assume it's an ideal balance. While it may afford you flexibility, what does it really look like to run a business alongside family life? There is not one day that's similar, but what is the split in your day between the kids and Kilte?
The pro is that you run your own business; the con is that you run your own business. I do feel extremely fortunate to have the chance to start my own business and this opportunity is not lost on me. For me, it’s nice because since I’m my own boss, I’m able to flex my schedule to work for my kids. I can mostly take my daughter to school and am able to easily take them to doctors appointments and other toddler or baby groups. I always carve out time to cook the family dinner, something I would have never had the luxury of with my old career. On the con, as a sole founder I spend a lot of time in my head on key issues and I’m probably not as good at setting boundaries between my personal and professional life as I once was. Everything kind of blurs together. Financially, it is also more stressful because I don’t have the dependency of a steady paycheck, although I find this path to be much more personally fulfilling and exciting! As far as the split goes, it really depends on the time of year. In the Spring I can be flexible, but I am normally buried over the Holidays.
3. You launched Kilte with two kids, your younger one being brand new! You know I believe we lift all women when we are transparent about help - what help did you hire in the home and with the business that helped you make this year possible?
I fully believe in good help and feel fortunate that I am able to afford such a luxury! We have a full-time nanny and I also had a baby nurse with both of my two children when they were born. My nanny is a real life-saver. Aside from helping with the kids, I also have her help me with grocery shopping and other errands. She is seriously the best!
As far as my business goes, I have a number of freelancers who I work with. Typically, these freelancers have an expertise in an area that I am familiar with but not a subject matter expert on. I have been working with most of these women since the onset of the brand and could not imagine running the business without them.
4. You've built Kilte for the multi-hypenated mother which you embody - what routines do you swear by to keep yourself organized across the many parts of your day to day?
I always have a personal and professional running to-do list in notes on my iPhone. A little crazy but it keeps me from forgetting all the things I have to do. I have a regular yoga practice, which I swear helps tremendously with my mood and energy and like to do regular neighborhood walks to clear my mind and jog my creative thinking. I try to go to sleep at a reasonable hour and also put my work away (for the most part) before dinner.
5. It's hard for me to pick a favorite part of the Kilte story but I do really appreciate the company is built on offering flexible roles for women in fashion - the women in the MU community are very interested in the concept of flexible work - what do you look for in the women you hire? If any women took pauses how do you view that?
Most of the women who freelance for me are primarily full-time mothers, so I have no issue with pauses or that at all! Of course, the individual needs to be responsible and accountable for their workstream, but otherwise I leave it to them as to how it gets done. As far as what I look for, it’s mostly a curiosity and excitement about the brand and learning in general, someone who thinks outside the box on how to get things done (we are a start-up after all!) and isn’t afraid to challenge my POV, and of course someone who supports and empowers other women.
6. You know growth is important to me as a mother and a creative - what's something you had to/are still working on personally to enjoy this season as a mother and entrepreneur? What have you read/done/listened to to help you move through it?
OMG what I am NOT working on haha. I am extremely impatient, so I am constantly working on that. I can overanalyze decisions, so am working on making decisions more quickly, feeling confident in them and moving on to the next task. I also love to do a million things at once, which can be great as a founder, but not always the best as a mother. I am always working to be more present with my children. I try to spend at least 10 minutes a day with each one of them being fully present / engaged and zero distractions. I do an annual vision board to set my goals and I always refer back to it; I find that very clarifying. Also, I always find a morning walk while listening to a podcast to be extremely energizing and refreshing. I cannot recommend How I Built This and Second Life enough.
Quick Chit Chat
A product you'd gift to every mother: Egyptian Licorice Yogi Tea and a yeti coffee mug. Don’t knock it until you try it.
Ideal date night (location or activity): Dine-in movie theater #rip.
Family travel destination you loved: Big Island, Hawaii. I love a beach vacation with the kids, you don’t have to leave the resort for anything and you also never have to stay out late. A real win-win.
3 Instagram accounts you're inspired by: @brentnealejewelry for her amazing colorful and whimsical jewelry, @courtneygrow because she’s funny, has great style and is actionable, @m.elle.design for her chic interior sensibility
You can find Hannah & Kilte Collection on Instagram.
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