What chemicals are in the ink of your clothes? What kinds of materials are your clothes made from? These are the questions that Kyle Smitley asked herself during the here first year of law school. She took an unpaid internship with a federal agency that works on historic preservation. She took a side job at a high-end clothing boutique doing research. During her research she uncovered that many clothing lines claiming to be “green” or environmentally friendly were outright lying. She saw the hole in the market place where she could make her mark. At 22 Kyle launched Barley & Birch to give parents and moms the ability to have truly organic clothing for their babies. With the knowledge that she gained researching for the clothing boutique she knew exactly what types of fabrics and ink she wanted to use. She hired a designer and started creating her children’s clothing line. She sent out the information for her line and expected to sell out in 48 hours. Well that didn’t happen. She went to plan B which was to contact mom bloggers and get the information out about other clothing lines as well as hers. The ones that were bad and then Barley & Birch. Her business instantly took off. In 2009 she earned $500,000 and this year she is expected to earn $1.5 million.
As a result of her internship experience, Kyle knew exactly the kind of fabrics she wanted to use. Barley & Birch’s clothing is 100% certified organic cotton and dyed with water-based inks so it doesn’t pollute the air and water with chemicals. Because the clothes are produced domestically, the company does not contribute to the massive amount of carbon associated with trans-ocean shipping. Socially, Kyle gives at least 15% of the profits to a variety of organizations working all over the world to improve the lives of others. Barley & Birch’s contributions have funded everything from educating rural farmers on sustainable agriculture to providing shelter to victims of abuse. -ladieswholaunch.com
She still plans to finish law school because she wants to use her brain to help people.
She had quite the eye on the “organic” clothing market, and was justly rewarded for being faithful to her customers and using quality materials. Thanks for sharing!
Barley and Birch is a great example of a unique company designed for a target audience. I appreciate how you described she moved onto her “Plan B” and networked directly with parents who would be customers. She also innovatively solved a problem she saw in the clothing industry.
I like how she noticed the dishonesty in the clothing lines and decided to do something about it herself. I also like how she continued on with her education even after starting this very successful business! It truly shows that shes interested in helping people and not just cornering the market with an opportunity shes recognized.