Trendy clothing tailored for breastfeeding mothers is proving big business for two Dragon slaying South Tyneside sisters.
Alex Malley and Jenny McFadden set up Pretty Mama in April 2020 from the spare room of their mam’s Hebburn home, while Alex was expecting her first child.
After trawling the internet for ‘stylish and convenient’ clothing that she could wear while breastfeeding, the fashion graduate was left exhausted by the lack of options, so set about creating her own.
Teaming up with her sister, Jenny, a law and business graduate, the pair designed their first range of dresses, lingerie and jumpers and began trading under the brand name, Pretty Mama.
Fast-forward five years and they have shipped thousands of orders to customers across the globe, opened their own head office and have become a viral sensation on social media.
The duo’s biggest achievement however came in 2022, when they appeared on hit BBC show Dragons’ Den and secured investment from Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett, Peter Jones and Touker Souleyman.
The national exposure led to a surge in followers and sales and with turnover since growing year-on-year, the duo are now gearing up for what is set to be their busiest year to date. Alex recalls:
“The Dragons Den experience was incredible.
“I was always a huge fan of the show, so when I told Jenny I’d applied, she just laughed and we thought nothing of it.
“Then the phone rang while we were out for a walk one day and when I answered, it was one of the show’s researchers. They said they’d like us to go on the show and we didn’t think twice.
“We only had four weeks to prepare, so it was all a mad rush, but it was surreal. The experience was fantastic and we were blown away when we had four dragons invest.
“Since then, we’ve seen sales grow year after year and it’s just not showing any signs of slowing down. It really helped take the brand to the next level.”
One of the things which appealed most to the investors was the ‘ingenuity’ Alex and Jenny had shown to ensure the unique zipping mechanism which they designed and had created for all of their items was design registered.
“We receive hundreds of orders every month from customers across the globe and I think this is down to how unique our products are,” Jenny said.
“The way the zips are designed provides easy access for breast feeding and because we’ve ensured they are design registered, it’s something which is truly unique to Pretty Mama.
“Our clothes are also purposely oversized, which our customers tell us they love because it just makes the garments so much comfier and easier to wear, especially when you’ve just given birth and maybe aren’t quite feeling back to your pre-pregnancy self yet.”
Alex Malley and Jenny McFadden on why they are unique and why setting up there business in South Tyneside was a ‘no-brainer’:
Pretty Mama sells the majority of its clothes through its online store, driven by organic social media marketing, but also occasionally hosts pop-up stalls in John Lewis’ Newcastle outlet, as part of the retailer’s ‘All things baby’ pop-up event.
After participating in the Scaleup North East programme delivered by RTC North on behalf of South Tyneside Council, the company is aiming to continue building on this success over the next 12 months, by increasing its digital marketing activity and further strengthening its online presence.
Alex said:
“The Scaleup North East programme was a huge help as it allowed us to meet and network with other businesses in the area who are at a similar stage in their journey and hear how they managed to overcome similar challenges and hurdles.
“We also got the chance to hear from some great speakers, such as the marketing executive behind Gillette’s iconic ‘the best a man can get’ campaign, which got us really thinking outside of the box and thinking about how we position ourselves as a company.
“It has inspired us to ramp up our activity for the coming year, which we’re confident will be yet another year of sales growth, and also look at expanding our workspace as we continue to outgrow our existing space, so it’s very much a case of watch this space.”
Cllr Margaret Meling, lead member for economic growth and transport at South Tyneside Council, said:
“The Scaleup North East programme was set up to provide the advice and support required to help scaling businesses grow and Pretty Mama is a perfect example of how it has done just that.
“Having built the brand from the ground up, appeared on Dragons’ Den and grown internationally, it is very much a business on a huge growth trajectory, and we are delighted that they are based right here in South Tyneside. They are a real credit to the borough.”
In total fifteen South Tyneside businesses have been supported through The ScaleUp programme which has received £120,000 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The scheme specifically targets businesses that can demonstrate significant revenue growth or growth potential. It is hoped the scheme will continue when future funding is clarified.
