Ep. 93 - Sundial Show Clothing's Kaitlin Lorman
Kaitlin Lorman is the creator of Sundial Show Clothing which marks the first guest to be on the show that produces directly for the competitors within the arena. While we have had guests like Trent Greeley from Greeley Hat Works and Tara Trask of Molly & Gidget on the show, this one is unique and we loved diving into all of the things! Kaitlin is also a 2021 COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 Recipient.
East Coast Living
Living in an urbanesque area, Kaitlin didn’t grow up that way - she grew up in the city and even went to college directly in the city. “I am not really from a rodeo background - I have been obsessed with horses, literals since the day I was born, and nobody knows why because I don’t have a horse family,” says Kaitlin. In fact, her mom even tried to talk her out of horseback riding because she was afraid that she would end up like Christopher Reeves.
There was no rodeo community where she was at in Ohio, the “land of the Quarter Horse Congress.” Starting her brand, Sundial Show Clothing until 2015 and releasing her first items in 2018, Kaitlin’s first few customers were rodeo contestants and she had no idea about any part of the culture and background.
“First and foremost, I am a horse person at heart… I have a degree in equine studies … horses are the main thing in my life,” says Kaitlin, who then asked herself, “how do I make horses the main part of my life - to make them my job?”
Launching a Fashion Brand
“I don’t really have a background in fashion design, but as a kid I was obsessed with magazines, looking through them and cutting out pictures of clothes,” says Kaitlin. But, as a child, she had no confidence to be into fashion. “I was teased for being tall - it wasn’t like ‘you’re so tall and beautiful,’ it was a ‘you’re tall and a weirdo.’”
A fan of America’s Next Top Model and runway shows, Kaitlin never realized just how much she liked fashion as well as horses. Her mother was a role model, buying and exchanging designer items, which gave Kaitlin a slight introduction. Attending a local college that specializes in equine degrees, Kaitlin did an internship at a farm and there she realized that teaching people how to ride or dealing with people that own horses was not for her. “Maybe this isn’t right for me? I liked training horses but I didn’t like training the people that went with the horses.”
“I needed to find a way to pay for horses, college and everything else,” says Kaitlin. “The best way to work was the restaurant business, which is a crazy business!” Working full time, she decided to “get a big-girl job,” and interned with a local fox hunting equestrian fashion group. Dressage, fox hunting, and more english world is a big deal on the east coast and it was a whole world on its own.
From that internship, Kaitlin got connected with a woman who is a professor that taught fashion design at a local college. This woman taught her fashion design information, in fact, Kaitlin still networks with her and gives speeches to her classes and help grade projects.
While the current internship wasn’t great, Kaitlin did learn valuable skills in what not to do and how to treat your contracts. It also gave her the chance to make industry contacts that would prove valuable down the road.
“I am really prideful, I have officially never quit a job. The only way to get rid of me is to fired me,” says Kaitlin sheepishly. “I will show up and keep getting sassier - I have too much pride to quit a job!”
Entrepreneur
From the start, Kaitlin knew exactly how hard it was going to be to be an entrepreneur but what was even harder for Kaitlin was to pick one thing when she had so many interests. Being an entrepreneur allows her the opportunity to do everything and to fill her cup that way. Despite always referencing her company as a “we” it’s really mostly just her. Kaitlin’s team consists of a production manager, two seamstresses, and herself.
“I am terrified of failure! I am ‘Mrs. Safety Net,’” says Kaitlin, who still waits tables one day a week to make sure she has a safety net in case her horse gets injured and she needs an emergency fund. In fact, she’ll give herself random challenges that make her life extremely hard but she thrives on the adrenaline of it.
Whether it’s saying she’ll pay all of her bills without touching her PayPal or saving a certain amount for a side account that she can’t use, Kaitlin says that she’s always been a competitor and an athlete. Right now, she doesn’t have a horse that can compete right now, she thinks she manifests that competitive side of her personality in finance. Part of that competitive part of her life was fed by powerful women growing up that helped make Kaitlin a strong woman - something she really appreciates now.
Sundial Show Clothing
The original plans for Sundial included posture support in the garment which was part of why it took so long to get her pattern rolled out. When she originally took the brand to market, she partnered with another company that had already had developed some of the technology. People didn’t really care about it so instead of spending on research and development, she continued to cater to this newfound industry of rodeo athletes that wanted her product.
Working a lot in New York, Kaitlin has worked with the Miss Rodeo New York program, there’s not a whole lot of rodeo going on. In fact, when she got to visit the Wilderness Circuit rodeos this past summer, it was nothing like she had ever seen.
“Every year, I try to get a girl for the NFR, and I strike out every year because the big brands throw money at them,” says Kaitlin. “I don’t take it personally because I am sure I would do it too if I were them.”
Marketing
Booking artists before they break out such as West Desperado Shaley Ham, Western Sage, Ja’Daiya Kursch, and other models before they become something bigger. “I love just being a part of someone’s story and I eventually hope that I get taken for that ride too. I just like helping people growing into themselves and that’s really what I am all about,” says Kaitlin.
“When you look back at pictures of me when I first started the business….” I would t-shirts, jeans, comfortable jeans - just whatever. Someone once told Kaitlin that “No one will buy a $300 shirt from you if you don’t look the part or that you just fell off a turnip truck.” Embracing the thought that she had to dress like a fashion designer and act like a designer.
“You have to look the part of your roll and you have to feel that self-confidence,” says Kaitlin who spent the first few years really hunting down other people to wear her clothing for photos. In fact, her first business cards didn’t even have a picture of her on it. People started asking her why she wasn’t the photo on the business card or modeling her own clothes and it was because she didn’t think she was pretty enough to do it and thought that her marketing would do better if she had someone prettier or more unique on it.
“I just started doing stuff! I started modeling and if you look back at my original modeling clothes, oh my goodness!” Says Kaitlin. A big part of her growth was staying at a house of influencers at the National Finals Rodeo, she learned a lot about acting the way that you want to feel and that was an amazing thing for her behind-the-scenes mentality.
During the pandemic, when Kaitlin couldn’t travel, and her husband, who is a chef, was in the first line of businesses that were shut down. Nervous about what to do, she started hosting Facebook lives. The original ones show her in her house as you would find her daily. Now you’ll see her dressed up with a ring light. The change for Kaitlin was the realized that her low production live show out of her studio, she’ll sell the same amount as if she was heading to an convention or expo or event.
Unhealthy Relationships
Another big change, was a relationship change from a toxic relationship. When she first founded Sundial Show Clothing her partner told her that her dreams were stupid, it would never make money and it was a waste of time. Inside, all she could think was “why am I with someone that doesn’t believe in me?”
Facing failures at work and at home, it was extremely hard on Kaitlin. Thankfully, she is resilient and a tidbit support. “If someone ever says that to you, especially a romantic partner, you need to get rid of him. If he doesn’t believe in you, get rid of him - BYE!”
It also goes for friends that don’t believe in you - they don’t need to be your friend.
If you have family that doesn’t believe in you - they don’t need to be your family.
Sometimes it can be hard to get yourself out of a rut and be the person you want to be. The importance of video these days, there is so much that you need to be doing showing up for yourself and for your business to find success.
“People love the behind the scenes and authentic, you don’t always have to be done up,” says Kaitlin. “In a western aspect, we all decided to do something that people will always need which is labor.”