Mallory Ottariano is the founder and Chief Everything Officer at Youer Apparel . She started her brand as a creative side project making one-of-a-kind apparel and has grown it into a full line of active lifestyle apparel for women. Today, Mallory owns her own factory in Missoula, Montana where they produce thousands of pieces of apparel every year. Mallory has been a vocal advocate for domestic manufacturing and has grown her loyal customer base by being transparent about what it takes to run an apparel business and the costs associated with producing apparel in America. In this episode, we talk about what it takes to get a brand started, her struggle to find reliable factories, and how her loyal customers funded her expansion to start her own factory. She tells the story of how she turned a horrible experience pitching her products to REI into a viral social media video and how she has grown her brand without spending a dollar on advertising. Mallory has utilized social media to organically grow her business. You can find her on Instagram and learn more about Youer on their website . The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/ KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia. #koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere
