AOW Insider | Interview: A Conversation with Mandy Kordal of Kordal Studio + Coping as a Retailer

This month, I was delighted to reconnect with a dear friend and colleague, Mandy Kordal of Kordal Studio. You can read our previous interview here but I wanted to check back in with Mandy. A lot has happened since we last spoke, including the opening of a brick-and-mortar shop in Green Point, Brooklyn. I was delighted to hear that she’s doing well despite all the challenges thrown her way in recent months.

During our conversation she shared what has been working for her, how she coped during the worst times last year, how she pivoted to adapt, and where she’s been going to stay inspired.

To start, how are you and your business doing during these times?

I can't express how grateful I am to say that "I'm doing okay" in these times. Kordal is midway through its 8th year and I believe our slow and steady growth has created a really solid foundation. From the start we've prioritized comfort and authenticity in our designs and I think most of us are really craving those qualities right now. Clothing that feels nurturing and supportive feels especially good when everything is so uncertain.

What does a day in the life of Mandy look like these days? 

A day in the life looks much calmer these days! We had a pretty busy holiday season and straight afterwards – around mid-January – my husband and I moved upstate to our *very first* home! It's been a big goal of ours for quite some time and like so many people the pandemic really made us reevaluate our priorities. While we both really loved living in Brooklyn, after eleven years it felt right to move onto a new adventure. I'm currently in the process of building out all of our studio furniture and storage so I can ship our online orders from the studio and give us a little more breathing room in our Fort Greene shop. We're also starting to design and sample our Spring / Summer collection which feels really good! In my downtime lots of house renovations and trail hikes!

I realize 2020 was filled with anxiety for most business owners. What changes did you make as a company last year and what has continued to stick? 

Oh gosh yes, we were so anxious. I can remember the week before lockdown in such vivid detail. Immediately we ran a small businesses sale to make sure we could keep cash flow coming in and offered pre-orders on the incoming Spring '20 collection. We closed our brick and mortar shop and were very lucky to negotiate a discounted rent. We got in touch with our vendors to see what their restrictions were and how we could safely finish our Spring '20 production. We got in touch with our wholesalers to let them know their orders were going to be late and that we honestly had no idea when we'd be able to ship. I had all of my employees sign up for unemployment right away because I knew I wouldn't be able to pay full salaries with everything shut down. Honestly, those first couple of weeks were hard. But at some point, I realized all of this was out of my control and reminded myself that everyone is going through it so just take it one step at a time and be easy on yourself.

Knowing that everything would be on pause I took the time to focus on what's most important to our business: our community. We made the big decision to step away from wholesale trade shows for good and instead design smaller capsule collections to be released every 4-6 weeks via our newsletter. Without the burden of trade shows we've been able to invest more into our website, development, and retail shop. And it feels really good! Now we're able to fine tune our designs without the pressure of the fashion calendar. This change has made our business financially stronger which means the entire team is now back to full time employment.

Just prior to Covid you opened up an adorable retail shop in Fort Greene. Tell us about that experience.

On paper it was the absolute worst time to open a brick and mortar shop. And yes, it was really scary to close up just four months after investing so much into our build out and opening. But if I was to start over, I'd do it all again. Reopening the shop this past August was challenging but also wonderful in so many ways. Many of us had been cooped up for quite a while and going into a shop where you can talk to a human being, try on some clothing and just do something that feels a bit normal was really healing (granted we're all wearing face masks and sanitizing everything). I got to know some of our customers on a more personal level and it made me realize the importance of human connection. 

Business-wise it's been a good move for us. We absolutely love our location – I can't imagine our store anywhere else. We're on a quiet little block in Fort Greene with a coffee shop on one side and a zero-waste natural wine bar on the other – my two favorite things! It's more of a family neighborhood, not reliant on tourist traffic, which has worked well for us. We've seen a lot of support from the community – everyone seems to be actively supporting their local small businesses which has been really heartwarming. 

What do you wish you had done differently looking back at last year?

I wouldn't have been so hard on myself. I remember feeling badly that I didn't open our shop right away. NYC allowed retail shops to open as early as June and I decided to wait until the end of July. I personally just didn't feel ready and I remember feeling like I wasn't "working hard enough" because I took a longer time to reopen. The only advice I would give is to trust your gut, do what feels right for you and don't let the decisions of others fuel your insecurities.  

What's next for Kordal? 

We're really excited for our shop to be open for the spring and summer seasons for the first time this year! Our intention when opening the shop was to use it as a space to host community workshops and events. So we're really hoping we can continue some of that programming safely this summer. We've got a nice little outdoor space now thanks to the extended outdoor zoning the city put in place for outdoor dining. So stay tuned for some upcoming workshops once the weather gets warmer! We hosted a beautiful little jazz concert back in October and it was truly wonderful. 

I'm also so excited to share that starting this April we'll be offering styles in extended sizing from XXS - 4XL. It's something we've been working to implement for a while and we're finally getting there! Shout out to our design and production director Jia Yee for getting this project off the ground!

And last but not least, we've got a killer new style being released in just a couple weeks that's our *first* zero waste garment – we're so freaking excited! 

From books and films to simple everyday things, what’s lifted your spirits and kept you inspired recently? 

I recently visited the Whitney Museum (first time I've been in a museum in over a year!) and saw works by Ruth Asawa and Lenore Tawney in their ‘Making Knowing: Craft in Art’ exhibit. There was a piece by Lenore Tawney in particular that I really loved, it's a video piece featuring a dancer moving in and out of her woven artwork. I'm a sucker for dance and textiles so this was right up my alley. I was also really struck by the ‘The Photographers of the Kamoinge’ workshop – really creative photography by a collective of black photographers. Overall it just felt really good to be surrounded by art for the first time in quite a while. 

I've also been loving this show ‘Painting with John’ that my friend introduced me to – it's strange and wonderful and watching it feels like meditation. 

I just picked up the new George Saunders book and can't wait to dive in. I truly believe he's the most creative and imaginative writer. His new book is almost like taking one of his writing courses. You use prompts from his class to dissect some of his favorite short stories in Russian literature. 

And last but not least, just working with my hands. It's been really refreshing to build out my new studio, sometimes working in a completely different medium can really inspire me.  

Anything else to share for other brands and companies out there?

If you have extra capital or resources to share, spread the love! So many people are hurting right now and we've got to take care of each other. Reach out to other designers and business owners – they're most likely going through tough times too and it's so helpful to talk to someone who really understands. 

For more info visit: https://kordalstudio.com