Contributed by Kellie C. Hockless
Mama Knows Best has been a project in the making for 31 years now. Anyone who knows me knows this is exactly what I should be doing and that it is the best platform to fully display my talents, personality and desire to make others happy. “As the oldest sister, I always seemed to have a knack for telling other people what they should be doing, like I was somebody’s mama!” The concept originated organically, I love fashion and find a special joy in helping others look and feel their best!
A few years ago, I quit my job, planned on a few months’ hiatus where I would work on creating the business plan for Mama Knows Best and then begin the job search again. During that few months hiatus, the economy crashed and what seemed like a perfect plan quickly began to unravel. Mama Knows Best was put on the back burner while a full on job search began. The job search was futile, more and more people were being laid off every day and my identity was being questioned.
After 6 months of working as a Grant Consultant for First Steps Referral and Consulting in New Iberia, Louisiana, I returned to New York convinced the time was right and I would find a job. Two months of job searching resulted in many interviews, many “we’ll call you’s” and no new job. I was getting back in the mix of things, being social, going to new restaurants, shopping, falling back in love with New York and was constantly asked, “Are you in fashion?” “Are you a designer” or told “ I love your style” “That’s a great outfit” “Where did you buy that?” and the desire for Mama Knows Best to become real just couldn’t be ignored. I realized that my path was clear and it was not one that someone else could lead me on, I had all of the pieces within and I needed to take hold of my own steering wheel and drive.
In Mid August, I wrote an email to my sister and my Mother proclaiming as Lebron James had recently done… that it was time to take our talents to the internet and begin our own reworked and redesigned vintage clothing line, which would eventually become MKB. I invited them to become part of my dream project. My sister currently works in fashion so it only made sense for us to work together in making this dream a reality. I suggested we use the clothing line as a platform to generate styling and shopping customers. My sister and Mother were instantly on board and by September 24, 2010, we had applied for the Mama Knows Best LLC and we were exchanging ideas and plans for our new company.
I like to say that Mama Knows Best is “Making the world a prettier place, one person at a time.” Simply put, everyone likes to feel pretty. Every woman has an extra spring in her step or bigger smile on her face when she feels good about herself. Our society now puts so much emphasis on celebrities and their lifestyles that many average women feel as if those looks are unattainable. Mama Knows Best is here to help women understand how easily they too can feel like a super star, sometimes it is just a suggested new eyeliner, new hair cut or a more flattering dress or simply the suggestion of wearing perfume. Uncomplicated as these suggestions may be, they can quickly and easily enhance a person’s look, helping that person increase confidence, which is the main goal of Mama Knows Best.
There are so many different stories about how this began organically. One girl’s weekend, I managed to dress and style 5 girls just with the suitcase of clothes I had packed. I was doing hair, make-up, throwing out accessories, different dresses, as one girl was done another would ask to be next and all I could think was … YES, this is what I should be doing it just feels so right.
The Mama Knows Best concept is one of luxury, which focuses on the average woman as a customer, the average woman who wants to look and feel pretty. A customer who may not have either the time or the inclination needed to pull ensembles together that always put their best foot forward.
Mama Knows Best is a multifaceted fashion outlet for design, style and personal enhancement, offering services including personal styling, consulting and personal shopping as well as a redesigned and enhanced vintage clothing line, known as MKB.
- Personal shopping services assist customers in a variety of ways from selecting special gifts for loved ones and holiday shopping to picking the perfect cocktail dress for a special event or a knock-em dead suit for a new job.
- Personal styling services include makeovers and preparing the perfect wardrobe for special events, trips or photo shoots. Our stylists are keen on details, tailoring their suggestions for personal enhancements based on the clients’ needs.
Every time a friend asks my advice on an outfit, a gift purchase or new make up, I am complimented and appreciate that my opinion is valued. I am purely a continuation of the style, the core values and the self-confidence instilled in me by my Mother, the original “Mama.” To experience the Mama Knows Best difference, check out our website or contact us at info@mamakbest.com.
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