COVID Side Hustle to the Red Carpet: Undone by Kate
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How did Kate’s pandemic side‑hustle turn into the Undone by Kate brand?
Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders the podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined by Kate March, the founder and designer of Undone by Kate. Chances are, if you've seen a big influencer wearing a custom one of one costume or dress, Kate is behind it. Like acquired styles, Christmas Eve looks, Halloween costumes. She also designed Selena Gomez's VMA's dress. Tells the story of how that happened and also almost kind of didn't happen. And this is a true story of taking a side hustle and a passion into a full-fledged business. How she started, how she grew, when she knew how to grow, the steps that she took, all of that. I think there's going to be a lot of people who listen to this and see themselves in Kate at her early stage.
And not to be cheesy, but this is your sign to keep going and take it seriously. Kate has great advice to share and some really fun behind-the-scenes stories of pieces she has made and what the process is like making a custom garment. And if you've been enjoying the podcast, it would mean so much to me if you can follow the show and leave a rating or review. It really helps the show grow and continue to get really cool guests like Kate. Also, if you've been following along with the Fashion Career playbook series I've been doing, this past Friday, I really Released on Substack email templates that actually get replies. I go through a lot of outreach tips like who to email and how and what to say. Literally breaking down step by step things I have done.
And this week's brand highlight is a small business that is making that style of necklaces. The picture will be on the video version here, but I'm sure you've seen it on a lot of tastemakers like Pia Mance or the Millennial Decorator style. Sarah, that's like this long pendant necklace with a tassel or beads. And I found this brand first actually because she was selling her pieces on Poshmark. And she only has somehow 168 followers on Instagram. It's all based in New York. It's called, I might pronounce this wrong, Avon Atelier. And the pieces are stunning. She has ones with shells and all these different pendants and tassels and chains and And people have said that they have first learned about a business or a brand through these highlights.
So I wanted to bring them back. So definitely go check her out. I'll put her Instagram in the show notes and quick shopping hack.
What sparked Kate’s first up‑cycled tees and how did they lead to early demand?
I know I've been talking about Rent the Runway on here a lot. And of course, you can get 50% off your first month with my code. But once you have a piece at home, they are doing 50% off you buying. It and if we're like girl mathing this really quick, you get a subscription for $50 with the 50% off code. You get five pieces. That's like you're renting it at $10 each. And then you have this that's a $200 sweater. You use the code, you're buying it for a hundred. Like that's actually such a hack, I think. And a lot of the pieces on Rent the Runway, they're getting new stuff in every week. I have gotten stuff where I'm the first person to wear it because I get it with all the tags still on. And so if then you're buying it at fifty percent off, I just think it's such a hack and I wanted to share.
Okay. So let's get into the episode. Hi, Kate. Hi. I'm so excited to have this conversation with you and get to know who is behind Undone by Kate. So thank you for being here. Thank
you for having me. I'm so excited.
I'd love to start with a bit of your introduction, how Undone by Kate even began. How did this all start?
So it's a little bit of a long story. I'll try to shorten it down. For those who don't know me, I'm Kate. I'm the founder and designer of Undone by Kate. We specialize in custom bridal and special occasion one of a kind pieces. So really anything in between those, if you need a custom outfit, I can make it for you. And what's really unique about Undone is that everything is made here in New York. So everything from when I draw the sketch to your final fitting, it's all custom made in New York. And That is something I take great pride in that you really get so much individualism within each bespoke piece that we make.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did Kate’s pandemic side‑hustle turn into the Undone by Kate brand?
0:05–2:22
2
What sparked Kate’s first up‑cycled tees and how did they lead to early demand?
2:22–4:51
3
How did a $10K Shopify sale happen after an influencer posted Kate’s design?
4:51–8:48
4
What was the process behind creating Selena Gomez’s VMA dress on a 24‑hour timeline?
8:48–14:54
5
How did Undone by Kate pivot from influencer pieces to a custom bridal focus?
14:54–20:11
6
What lessons did Kate learn about pricing, wholesale, and hiring contractors?
20:11–26:00
7
What advice does Kate give to aspiring founders about internships and saying yes to opportunities?
26:00–32:09
8
What are Kate’s hot takes on sequins, industry misconceptions, and must‑watch resources?
32:09–35:08
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Fashion & Founders The Podcast
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