Five years ago Kirsty Lunn made a bra in her spare bedroom in Blairgowrie – now her underwear company makes almost £1m a year.
From humble beginnings, Molke has grown to be a remarkable Perthshire business success story with a passionate following of women aged from 10 to 80.
Mum Kirsty’s first bra was borne out of frustration at the bland colours available for maternity bras.
The sewing enthusiast designed a grumpy cloud pattern accented with fuchsia pink details.
Friends trying on bras in car parks
“First attempt at a bra today,” she proudly announced to her friends on Facebook. “Super comfy and great for nursing.”
The response was overwhelming. The post quickly spread among local breastfeeding groups and soon people were asking if they could buy one.
A germ of a business idea was formed. Her next step was enlisting friends to test her creations and she realised her wireless bras were appealing not just to breastfeeding mums, but to all women.
“I was getting friends to strip off and try on bras for me everywhere. One of my pals even tried a bra on in her car at Larghan Park in Coupar Angus,” Kirsty said.
“I think a key part of our success is that our bras are based on real women instead of measurements or mannequins.
“Soon my spare room was taken over by the project with a cutting table, sewing machines and fabric filling the wardrobes.”
Sewing every night
The company was named after Kirsty’s son’s word for milk and sales of the bras spread through word of mouth.
As orders flooded in, Kirsty recruited business partner Ros Marshall initially on the basis of three hours a week which quickly became a full-time undertaking. Ros is now a director, with a minority shareholding in the company.
“I literally handed her a box of receipts – I was that person,” Kirsty said.
In its first year of trading, with Kirsty sewing every night, the business had sales of £30,000.
Scale-up potential
But Kirsty didn’t value herself as a businesswoman or realise the company’s potential until she was put in touch with Jackie Brierton, from business support group Growbiz.
She said: “At the time I was exhausted. I had a baby and a toddler. I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep, I was sewing a lot and just focused on getting through each day, not planning for years into the future.
“Jackie pointed out that what I was doing was really valuable to the economy and had huge potential.
“My head was reeling… I think Ros and I went to the pub afterwards.
“But now I see it was the push I needed at the time. I was ready, I just needed someone to say I could do it and they believed in me.”
Flashing bra to the First Minister
A business plan was drawn up, a “terrifying” £10,000 business loan acquired and premises secured at Perth Airport.
A crowdfunding campaign in the summer of 2017 saw the firm make a sales breakthrough, with pledges for underwear rewards totalling £5,000 in 24 hours.
Kirsty said: “It seemed like an unbelievable amount of money – now we can have sales of £25,000 on a good day.
“As well as generating revenue, it brought the business to the attention of lots of new customers.
“The boss of Crowdfunder UK, the platform we used, posed in a pair of Molke pants.
“At the end of the year, I won an award for best use of social media and met the First Minister at a ceremony for Scottish businesswomen.”
Covid hurt growth but also brought new customers
Known for its colourful designs, the company’s range has since expanded into leggings and swimwear.
Sales have grown every year. The business, which employs 20 staff, now has three buildings at Perth Airport.
Last year the company made £450,000 and expected sales of more than £1m this year until Covid caused a four-month closure.
Revenues will be around £800,000 this year, with a £1.4m target for 2021/22 and £2.5m in 2022/23.
Also on the ‘to do’ list for 2021 is getting on with plans for custom-built premises.
“Covid has stalled our growth but I can’t complain too much,” Kirsty said.
“We were closed for four months and are going to almost double our sales and make a profit this year.
“A typical month for us is around £90,000 sales and 2,000 orders.”
However, Covid has also brought new customers who are working from home and no longer want to wear wired bras.
No-deal would increase costs
The main concerns for the firm now are the implications of Brexit. With fabric sourced from Europe, a no-deal exit could bring a 12% rise in costs.
“It’s going to increase our costs. Therefore we expect our international customer base, particularly Ireland, to fall or face issues,” the entrepreneur added.
“We are watching closely. If there’s a no-deal I can see prices rising everywhere at a time that employment is low and we are facing a recession.
“But it will not stop our ambitions. Even in the early days we said our aim was to be one of the main employers in Perthshire. That is still the case.”
