Meet Helena Kaylin: Founder, MINDD Bra Company

We had the good fortune of connecting with Helena Kaylin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Helena, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have worked in the intimate and active apparel industry for the past two decades. As a former executive at Victoria’s Secret, I led innovation and product development for many years, specifically with the goal of defining the future of bras, which had a profound impact on my career.

Yet ironically, I found that even Victoria’s Secret wasn’t creating bras that were true to my size and addressed my needs. As a 34DD, there were incredibly limited options available for me, and unfortunately, I ended up seeing this trend pretty consistently across all intimate and apparel companies I worked for throughout my career.

I’ve found that the innovation teams within these bigger companies always seemed to focus on creating the “ultimate high-impact sports bra” or the “ultimate running bra”. I started speaking with an increasing amount of D+ women every day, and I learned that while they care about a great sports bra, they are desperate to find a comfortable, everyday bra that they could feel supported in whether they were running errands, spending time in the office, lounging on the couch, or heading out to dinner with friends. They also shared that making a wireless bra that addressed these needs would be the holy grail. At that time, the available bra options for these women were either “sexy”, yet unsupportive and uncomfortable, or “functional”, yet significantly lacking in style or beauty.

My ‘aha’ moment was during my time working as the VP of Women’s Merchandising and Design at Lululemon. I found myself trying to convince a group of male innovation leads and executives that there was an underserved community of women. I knew it was time that I had to do it on my own, and that’s how the MINDD Bra Co. was born.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As women, we often have to sacrifice beauty for comfort, and vice versa. In my opinion, no brand has really been able to successfully bridge those two areas in the intimates industry, especially as it relates to the D+ woman. With MINDD, I set out to change that.

I started MINDD at age 43, which meant applying 21 years of work experience at some the biggest bra brands on the planet (like Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Uniqlo and Lululemon) to the development of my dream company.

I’ve learned so many lessons along the way. Six months before launching, a mentor of mine said “Stay focused. Do one thing, and do it better than anyone else. Make sure you stand for something, always.” I’ve worked hard to follow that advice.

I’ve also learned that if you truly listen to your customer, and the nuances behind what she is saying, that you will be able to fill a pipeline of innovation for the next 10 years. At MINDD, we take a very customer-centric approach, making sure our customer feels very connected to our brand, which allows us the opportunity to continue to learn from the real relationships we build on a day-to-day basis. This is so important, especially living in an e-commerce driven time where our interaction is all digital.

Has it been easy? Well, not exactly. Every cliché or quote out there about tenacity, discipline, agility, and getting out of your own head comes from a real place. There have been many days when I felt overwhelmed or lost, but I knew that staying focused and driven meant I’d eventually get back on track.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh my gosh, my family and I are all about the food! We plan dinner while we are eating breakfast. Food is such an important way for me to connect with friends, family, and the community.

Day 1 would start with a trip to the Original Farmers Market at the Grove. My husband owns a pickle tasting bar – Kaylin & Hobbs – so we would have to start with pickles and probably get a beer at the tavern.

From there, it would be lunch at Terroni on Beverly Blvd. Sit at the bar, have a pizza and Aperol spritz. Or just go to Petit Trois and sit at the bar with a bottle of wine and order the burger. Then head to Melrose to walk, shop, and people watch. I also love random hole in wall bars (and there are plenty in LA).

I recently watched and loved “City of Gold”, the documentary on LA food critic Jonathan Gold. I would love to set up a “Gold” day, including eating at a taco truck on his list, finding a great ramen spot, and overall just tracking down some of the hole in the wall joints he wrote about to drink, eat and catch up.

I love the outdoors, and am a fan of a great hike, so I’d Uber out to Escondido Falls Trail in Malibu, and then enjoy happy hour cocktails at Paradise Cove Beach Café.

Lots of these activities end with cocktails and happy hours. BTW, my dogs would be a part of all it! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband Scott Kaylin is my biggest cheerleader! He is a serial entrepreneur and understands the “all-In” mentality that is sometimes / often required in launching and running a business. He has supported me throughout my career, continued to champion my hopes and goals, and has helped me in building a life that I love, including a business that I’m so proud of.

Website: www.minddbra.com

Instagram: @minddbra

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MINDDBRA/