Sonnet James creates dresses that inspire play and look great

Like many busy parents, Palo Alto mother and business owner Whitney Lundeen could think of many things to do when her kids were around besides play with them. While her two boys were in the sandbox or wrestling on the carpet, she often found herself checking her email or sitting on a bench. As an interior designer, Whitney also desired to avoid the ‘mom uniform’ of ugg boots and sweatpants. What could a mother wear, Whitney wondered, that would feel fresh and cute, yet still make her feel playful with her kids?

Sonnet James is born

Whitney Lundeen modeling one of her Sonnet James dresses. Photo by Sonnet James

With this question in mind, Whitney launched Sonnet James in 2013, a clothes company that sells attractive and affordable ‘play dresses’ (prices range from $98-$148) that are compatible with both business meetings and playgrounds. And while her company has grown rapidly in the past two years- aiming to surpass $500,000 in sales this year- Whitney’s story is one of grit and determination to provide for her children and see her dream come to fruition.

A ‘brutal learning curve’ to create simple, yet elegant designs

When she started Sonnet James in 2012, Whitney had no training in clothes design or even sewing (her crafty mom had tried to teach her to sew, but she hated it). Despite her lack of experience, Whitney dove fearlessly into her new project, armed with nothing more than a sewing machine and a few books about pattern making. She drove to Britex in San Francisco, purchased some bolts of stretchy, colorful fabric and started experimenting with cutting, designs and patterns on the floor of her apartment.

“My learning curve was brutal,” Whitney recalls. “I spent weeks just making terrible mistakes and ripping fabric until I finally created something that was close to a prototype of the dress I had in mind.”

With no capital to build her business, Whitney borrowed money from her extended family, flew her sister from Phoenix to shoot photos and built a beautiful and appealing website. All the while she was juggling her life as the primary parent for her two boys. “I stayed up every night until 2am after the boys were in bed, sewing on the kitchen table, designing the site and writing to fashion bloggers, begging them to look at my dresses.” When she had 150 dresses completed, Whitney launched site and sent a link to the one blogger who had offered to write about Sonnet James.

Sonnet James dresses build an emotional connection for mothers

Whitney Lundeen, founder of Sonnet James. Photo by Sonnet James.

Less than 48 hours later, all 150 dresses were sold out and Whitney found her site flooded with inquiries and photos from mothers who loved her product and wanted more.

“Women have an emotional connection to Sonnet James dresses and that’s what’s driven sales so quickly,” Whitney said. “We are all looking for ways to engage with our children and still feel feminine.”

A killer Kickstarter video is key to raising capital

The initial demand for Sonnet James dresses was exciting, but also terrifying as Whitney also had no experience with production and very little money. So, like many great Palo Alto entrepreneurs, Whitney turned to Kickstarter.

Again with the help of her siblings, Whitney created an engaging and fun Kickstarter video in July 2013 that raised over $60,000 from investors in just 30 days. With this influx of funding, Whitney was able to hire Naomi Davis, a fashion blogger and mom who blogs as “Love Taza,” to be the spokesperson and model for her next line of dresses.

“Connecting with Naomi and Love Taza was the single best decision I have made in terms of marketing,” Whitney explains. “With no other advertising other than the link on her site, we sold 1,000 dresses in one week and expanded our reach internationally and around the country.”

Sourcing production in San Francisco that’s good for workers and business

The capital from kickstarter also allowed Sonnet James to move its production from Los Angeles to San Francisco. “It was important for me to not only find a local manufacturer, but also one that would treat its employees well,” Whitney explained. “There are a lot of awful sweatshops in San Francisco, but the place that makes dresses for Sonnet James is light, airy and pays its employees a fair wage.”

Building a massive following on social media

Naomi Davis, “Love Taza,” modeling a spring dress from Sonnet James. Photo by Sonnet James.

With her strong visual eye and lovely images, Whitney has attracted over 30,000 followers on Instagram, and this social media app has been instrumental in building customers and exposure. Sonnet James has also caught the attention of fashion and home bloggers such as Design Mom.

But while Whitney’s business is growing, she is still one of only a few employees of Sonnet James and until very recently, hand packaged and shipped each dress.

As Sonnet James’ sales grow, Whitney is focusing on designing and interacting with customers. And of course, playing with her sweet boys, who attend Addison Elementary School in Palo Alto.

Whitney demonstrates how her comfy and stylish dresses are perfect for play.

A terrific adventure…

As Whitney says in her video, “our kids are still young but the days of being invited on their adventures are running out.” She’s on a terrific adventure with Sonnet James, and we can’t wait to see what she makes next.