Female Founder Interview

Interview with Mamarella founder Petra Bedford

To celebrate Mamarella's 20th anniversary, we would like to give you a special insight into our team Give it a try! For two decades, Mamarella has accompanied you on your journey through pregnancy and Breastfeeding Time , with extensive collections that are not only functional but also meet your demands for modern style and fashion. As part of our anniversary celebration, our founder and CEO, Petra Bedford, will share her experiences as a female entrepreneur and our passion for maternity and breastfeeding wear.

How did the idea for Mamarella come about?

In 2001, I returned to Germany from London completely inspired and brimming with business ideas, eager for a more self-determined professional life. E-commerce was already booming in London, while online retail in Germany was still in its infancy. I was fascinated by this way of selling, not only because it required excellent marketing skills, but also because it allowed me to sell my products worldwide. I quit my job to dedicate myself fully to my ideas. It was during this time that I became pregnant and realized the scarcity of attractive maternity wear available in Germany. I also realized that at that time, mothers in leadership positions were extremely rare in most companies, and the concept of working from home and flexible hours was unfortunately still largely unheard of. Since I wanted to combine a demanding career with sufficient time for my children, self-employment was the only way for me to achieve this lifestyle.

How did you come up with the name?

I wanted a global brand name that would be understood worldwide. Then, at some point, it *clicked*, and everything I wanted to express was united in this one name: Mamarella. We have since expanded our brand with the line PA/PA by Mamarella expanded. It is extremely important to us to support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as your partners in their new role as parents. Our PA/PA by Mamarella line Our range includes practical babywearing jackets, bonding shirts, and matching gift sets, specially designed for new fathers. This way, both parents benefit equally from our high-quality and functional products, something we are very proud of.

And why maternity and nursing wear in particular?

That was my world at the time of its founding. And although my children are now out of infancy – and with Mamarella Despite the growth of our business, maternity and nursing wear remains my absolute passion. Even after more than 20 years, I'm still learning, and our maternity and nursing wear is 100% based on regular fashion, meaning it's constantly evolving and thrives on new trends and ideas. Our strength also lies in truly listening to our community and incorporating your feedback into our collection development wherever possible. Our [missing information - likely a specific team or group] also helps with this. Showroom Customers from whom we receive feedback, so to speak, live on site, regarding fit, selection and quality.

Was the leap into self-employment difficult for you?

Quite the opposite: it was wonderful to finally be free and able to make independent decisions. No more hours-long meetings where too much talk and too little action is taken. I'm someone who likes to "do" and experiment, then optimize. No dry strategies, but "learning by doing" instead of discussing the pros and cons of an idea for months. In that respect, the dynamic world of e-commerce was perfect. You get immediate feedback from your customers and can experiment much more than in the analog world. I started small, without a team, from a tiny desk in what was then our bedroom. It was simply fun!

Was there a specific moment when you knew that Mamarella was a success?

It arrived very quickly, just 20 minutes to be precise, after the shop went online. That's when we received our first order, from a customer in the USA. She was ordering for someone in Germany. A gift for the birth . That was a wonderful feeling and immediate confirmation that Mamarella truly has the potential to establish itself as a global e-commerce provider. Not long after, it quickly became clear that we should focus primarily on our Maternity and Nursing wear to meet a need that was absolutely in demand then and remains so today.

How does it feel to look back on 20 years of Mamarella? What highs and lows have you experienced along the way?

Wow, 20 years! Since our founding, we've weathered all the ups and downs and had an incredible amount of fun along the way. We're now the go-to brand for... Maternity and nursing wear It has become an indispensable part of the market. We listen to you and will continue to passionately create beautiful and sustainable maternity and nursing wear. We develop them because we love it!

How exactly has Mamarella managed to be successful for 20 years?

We've always grown organically, meaning we haven't taken on any investors or other external capital since our founding. This has meant slower growth, but also more sustainable growth. This bootstrapping approach has allowed us to remain independent to this day, enabling us to consistently maintain our values ​​and quality standards. Therefore, our goal has never been growth at any cost to satisfy potential investors, but rather to develop into a healthy, sustainable company that is still run by mothers and women. We also all enjoy our work and have a truly fantastic team that is now incredibly well-coordinated and works together seamlessly.

You can already look back on 20 years as managing director. What is the best thing about your job?

The variety and flexibility. No two days are the same. I've always been able to flexibly manage my time and energy, be there for my children, and simultaneously build a business I wholeheartedly believe in. My absolute favorite area is product development. Working with our team to develop new styles and select fantastic fabrics and prints is simply a lot of fun. We often have a good laugh when a colleague briefly puts on a fake baby bump to test our latest designs. We take the fitting of our designs very seriously. Since most of our styles can be worn both with and without a baby bump, we fit them not only on different pregnant body shapes but also on a non-pregnant silhouette.

What are your personal favorite pieces? Which Mamarella styles are you particularly proud of?

I am actually very proud of ours PA/PA by Mamarella Collection with their new branding and packaging. It's incredibly important to us that we also empower new fathers in their new role and enable them to actively participate in their baby's life. Both parents should be equally supported by our high-quality and functional products during pregnancy and in their new everyday life with a baby.

Otherwise, our Maternity wedding dress with lace bodice and pleats One of my absolute favorite styles, and I'm incredibly happy that the dress is also so well received by you and has become a successful bestseller.

How do you see the future of Mamarella in the coming years? Are there any new projects or developments that our community can look forward to?

The future of Mamarella I see this as very positive and exciting. We will continue to focus on improving our collections and developing new, innovative products that meet your needs and expectations. We are constantly working on new designs using sustainable materials to offer you the best possible quality at an affordable price. Furthermore, we want to explore new, more efficient processes and also utilize specialized AI tools for our e-commerce business. So, we will continue to advance in terms of sustainability and digitalization to make Mamarella even more modern and customer-friendly. Here's to the next 20 years! It's going to be exciting!