Paola studied Communication at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) because she dreamed of being a chronicler. During her student days she collaborated in some emerging projects, magazines and blogs. However, her destiny would lead her down another path and instead of make up stories through the lyrics, began to make lingerie as a way of earning income to support her twins and at the same time foster self love of women and their unique bodies.
In January 2015, Paola Alonso became a mother at the age of 22 of the twins Ariadne and Leahand she had to face the difficult challenge of motherhood, of continuing to study and of looking for a way to have an income, since the relationship with the father of the little ones would soon come to an end.
Thus, at the end of 2015 he undertook A&L Handmade, a company that makes handmade lingerie. This entrepreneur is part of the new labor trend known as gig economy, mainly made up of entrepreneurs Y freelancing, who, according to a survey carried out by the international consultancy EY, appreciate flexibility, work from home and seek to have control over their professional future.
A&L Handmade: Clothes with self love
She received the news that she was pregnant when she was still a university student and what worried her family, as well as her, was her career, since she was diagnosed with a threatened abortion, so they asked her to have absolute rest.
“The news of the pregnancy was very strong, but knowing that they were going to being twins was a shock. The first thing I thought was how I was going to do with school because I wanted to continue studying ”, Paula remembers. However, her grandmother and her mother taught her a lesson: don’t be afraid, your life doesn’t end because you have a child, everything is going to be fine and we are going to help you.
For a time he worked in a co-working in the area of communication, but “for leisure I began to experiment with fabrics”, explains Paola. It was thus that this concern led her to explore this market and with it start your own business.
“I didn’t want to be a designer, but everything happened together: work, school, motherhood and the brand,” she recalls.
Her mother taught her the main stitches and lent her her sewing machine, with which she began to make bags. At first it took a full day to finish one, but with constant practice and word of mouth from people he knew, he began to make more products, such as kimonos, cosmetic bags, skirts, among others. “Everything started to flow and I thought: if it’s working, why can’t this be part of my income,” explains the entrepreneurial mom.
Although at that time she still had the support of her daughters’ father, in December 2015 she started A&L Handmade, a company dedicated to the handmade manufacture of women’s intimate apparel. A short time later came the definitive separation of her father from her twins, so she had to direct the course of her life alone, her little ones and her business, which she formally started in 2016 .
“There was a spark or luck, because people began to like what he was doing,” he says.
The fashion of bralette, type of bra without cups, rings or brooches, led her to start in lingerie, she designed one in black with lace and ribbons, “and that was the boom, all the people started asking me”, she remembers.
The advantage was that during that time when this trend in clothing arrived in Mexico, there were not so many brands that offered this type of lingerie or they were only available abroad. The demand of bralettes grew her business As time went on, she discovered a need that was not being met by the big brands of women’s underwear: standard sizes.
“Many had wide shoulders and little chest, many wanted something nice, but to their measure. I offered them a plus with the confidence of giving them what they were looking for according to their needs”, he explains, “that’s how the brand’s philosophy arose: no matter the shape of your body, you don’t have to adapt to the clothes, but the clothes can be tailored to you.”
A&L Handmade knows that each body is unique and with different needs, which must be met, with this, the company’s objective is to offer clothing to promote self-esteem and care. “I want to offer them the possibility of accepting and loving themselves just as they are,” explains Paola.
After two years, Paola sees her effort and ideology materialized in the messages that her clients send her. “I became an option for XXL girls and extra girls. I have gone against the social pressure on the body of women and that is my greatest personal satisfaction, ”she assures.
an octopus mom
“I am the octopus of the brand,” says Paola, since she is in charge of buying the supplies, taking the orders, the designs, the preparation, making the deliveries and running the Instagram account, which today has more than 9 thousand followers. “I haven’t opened more social networks because I don’t have time and I couldn’t do it alone,” she explains.
She attributes her creativity to the fact that it is in her blood. “My family is made up of strong and independent women, my grandmother always made her own clothes and my mother is the queen of crafts, I grew up seeing that, I didn’t need to study to make and have ideas,” she says.
Not only did her natural gift of creativity help her continue with the business, observing clothing in general and using digital tools such as tutorials on YouTube and social media have helped her become professional and spread the word about the products she makes. . With that, the results began to be noticed with the increase in followers, customers and sales.
The initial investment for his business was of $300 pesos for the first batch of bags, but for two years, there has been no mass production, everything has been made to order, especially tailored for the person who is going to buy it. His investment until today has been gradual, according to the orders of his clients. What has allowed him to be independent.
“The girls, the house, my expenses, the doctor, my whims and theirs are paid 100% of the brand,” says the entrepreneurial mom.
Paola works in a workshop that she adapted at home, on a monthly basis, makes around 80 garments, with variations according to the month, and it takes, on average, two hours per garment. However, it has not been an easy task, since she fulfills three roles: being a mother, a housewife and an entrepreneur, at the same time and in the same place.
“Maintaining balance is very complicated, without going crazy. People think that motherhood is pink, but it’s a bit of a hassle, especially when you’re mothering alone”, she affirms while her daughters shout and she smiles.
The prices of their products from 280 to 650 pesos, and within the products offered are bralettes complete sets, bodysuits, pajamas and bathing suits. His brand delivers nationwide, through Fedex, and personally in Mexico City twice a week. It also handles rush orders. Among his future plans is to open a web page, continue with the professionalization of his brand, have a s how room and hire people.
Paola considers that challenge you face It is being in a “society that judges you, criticizes you, where you have three times more work than everyone else because you are a woman and a single mother,” she says. But she recognizes that the satisfaction is directly proportional to how difficult it has been.
“My daughters do not depend on anyone, more than their mother. They have seen that I have been strong and have struggled with all the pressures and difficulties. In the end you end up crying, you feel vulnerable, but you can’t break. Today I think motherhood has empowered me”