Heather Wallace: Tell me about the first time you and Connie met.

Allison Malenfant: Our husbands work in the New York entertainment industry and often collaborate. We met occasionally, and Connie told me about her equestrian background. I always wanted to ride, but had no exposure. Connie agreed to teach me, and we became friends through weekly lessons in Brooklyn. And double dates!

HW: Were horses a childhood obsession or an adult passion?

AM: I took one lesson a week while working a corporate job in the athletic retail industry. Once I left to start Redingote, I increased my riding two days a week. It’s a slippery slope, of course. I bought my first horse in 2020 and now have two. I hunter pace and fox hunt, but also travel and compete. It has become a lifestyle.

Connie has horses in her blood. Her father was a Standardbred trainer in Monmouth County, New Jersey. She started hunter/jumper lessons and eventually had her own horses at home. She was very successful in riding and competing by age 16. She now owns and runs a small private facility in Colts Neck, N.J.

HW: What sparked the idea of Redingote?

AM: Connie owned a vintage men’s insulated coverall she found at a yard sale. She loved the functionality of a one-piece. She could wear it while teaching or working in the barn, and then take it off to ride. However, it lacked waterproofing and enough pockets. Plus, the men’s shape didn’t flatter.

People asked her about it wherever she went, loving the practicality or thinking she looked like a mechanic. There was an untapped market for a similar product that was warm, waterproof, and designed for a woman’s body. She shared her idea with me. I knew about the retail industry and the development of products, so I suggested a partnership.

HW: How did you come up with the name Redingote for your business?

AM: A redingote is a fitted outer coat with a cutaway front. It’s a French derivative of the English phrase “riding coat” from the 18th century. We came across this word while trying to name our brand, and it was a perfect fit, since we were reinventing the riding coat for the 21st century rider!

HW: What was the first step in launching your brand?

AM: Nailing a product we believed in was the first step. There was no brand if the idea didn’t work!

We started working on the idea in early 2017, sourcing an outerwear manufacturer that would work with a niche startup brand and develop prototypes for a year. There were many changes with the focus on flattering style but offering warmth and movement. We tested several levels of insulation to find the happy place between staying warm without bulk.

HW: What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

AM: The horse industry is traditional, and people are skeptical about new products. A technical performance coverall for women was a completely new idea.

We are a small, self-funded business. Marketing was and is very grassroots. We wear our jumpsuits, driving to barns and horse shows to pass out flyers. It was fun to see the idea catching on. We’d sell one to somebody in one barn, and then their barn mates would order.

Marketing a business our size in a niche market is still a challenge, but our brand recognition has grown wonderfully!

HW: How do you work as successful partners?

AM: Business partnerships are like marriages, and each person has different strengths. I think this has been the foundation of our partnership. We’re very different. I am hyper-organized with a retail background. Connie is a dreamer with an equestrian background. I am better at project management. Connie has a sales and marketing brain.

We agree with a lot of things, but we navigate any disagreements. I think we’ve learned a lot about each other over the years—just like a marriage!

HW: Have the challenges changed over the years?

AM: They just get bigger! I say that with a sense of humor, but it’s true. The bigger the business, the bigger the challenges. The challenges stay the same (i.e. marketing, staying competitive in a growing industry, funding, supply chain, et cetera) but the scale grows.

HW: How has your business evolved?

AM: It’s amazing to look back on the way Redingote has grown. Our winter insulated jumpsuit is still our No. 1 product, and new customers are discovering it all the time. We are always innovating. Redingote has launched winter outerwear separates, a schooling collection, rainwear, and our signature one-piece for men and kids. We have a new scrim jacket coming out this spring so we can stay protected in the summer while still enjoying short sleeves.

We’ve even added another brand to our portfolio, acquiring FITS Riding, a beloved breeches company, in November 2022.

HW: Where do you see Redingote going?

AM: We have a big vision! Our highest concentration of customers is the Northeast U.S. English market, where we live. Ultimately, we have some exciting projects and collaborations in development. We plan to expand across all equestrian disciplines, markets, locations, and into other sports—we have many clients who use our outerwear for skiing, sailing, fishing, hiking, camping and more.

This article about Redingote appeared in the May 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Meet the Founders of Redingote appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Leah Kaufmann’s horse obsession developed at an early age. She grew up in Seattle, but her mother passed on a passion for horses, driving Kaufmann to her weekly Sunday riding lesson starting at age 6.

Kaufmann dabbled with dressage, but ultimately became hooked on eventing from her time spent in Pony Club. Those early experiences bonded Kaufmann to the equestrian lifestyle, carrying her admiration into adulthood.

The T-Shirt That Started Her Equestrian Brand

Like most new ideas, Dapplebay was launched when Kaufmann discovered a void in the market. She was on a quest to find cute horse shirts representing her favorite disciplines.

Creative by nature, she always loved to draw horses and make crafts, even before she received her degree in design at the University of Washington for visual communication design. She used her expert eye and whipped up a t-shirt that read “Live Free & Jump XC” with a horse jumping across the center.

Kaufmann casually posted the shirt on Facebook, which received an explosion of comments. The now-retired design was quickly featured online in Eventing Nation, giving Kaufmann exposure to like-minded customers. Based on the feedback, she began screen-printing more shirts, and Dapplebay was born in 2011.

A Hobby Turned Career

Professionally, Kaufmann had a successful career as a designer working with a marketing agency. She maintained her professional job in the beginning, while Dapplebay was on the side. She put energy into it as she felt like it over the years.

“It was a creative outlet that allowed me to have something that was my own outside of client work,” Kaufmann explains. Fast forward to the pandemic and the world changed, including Dapplebay. Kaufmann shifted her focus on becoming a profitable business instead of just a fun, creative venture.

With a change in mindset and sales, Dapplebay was thriving, allowing Kaufmann to leave her full-time job behind.

“2020 was a great year for e-commerce, and I grew a lot without intending to,” she says. “I took that momentum as an opportunity to decide that this could be my full-time thing.”

Community & Connection

While Kaufmann spends most of her time working solo, she enjoys having the opportunity to connect with customers whenever she sets up a booth at an event.

Having a booth at The Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover in 2021 was a career high and emotionally moving weekend for Kaufmann. She promotes retired racehorses with her apparel and owns two off-track Thoroughbreds, Pie and Ranger.

Dapplebay also made its first appearance at Land Rover Kentucky in 2022, which was another special moment of growth for the brand.

“I’ve met so many amazing women from having this little pop-up tent with cute shirts,” she says. “I quickly realized this wasn’t just about the t-shirts, it was about meeting people.”

In 2022 Kaufmann also launched The Barn Aisle, a Facebook group, with the intention of being a supportive online space for customers and fellow equestrians. The group celebrates a love for horses and creates a dialog online.

“People post when they have a great ride, when they have a question, when they’re struggling—the way the group responds is incredible,” she says.

The Brand’s Popular Equestrian Products

Dapplebay offers a unique selection of apparel, accessories and lifestyle products from stickers to journals. As a designer, coming up with ideas for new products is the exciting part of the job.

Kaufmann focuses on creating unique prints, patterns her customers can’t find anywhere else, and sizes for all equestrians. Recently, matching sets, including saddle pads and bonnets, have become popular.

“My goal is to create things that people love that they can take into their own lives and wear with their own style,” she explains.

When Kaufmann isn’t busy working, she spends time with the horses she keeps at home in a beautiful barn her husband built. Her dedication to the brand, her horses and a positive mindset has allowed her business to thrive.

“I think the hardest thing is remembering to enjoy it and enjoy the process,” she says. “I’ve been so caught up in working hard, I think it’s easy to miss the journey. Sometimes I wake up and I look around and realize we live on the property I dreamed of 10 years ago.”

Shop Dapplebay here.

This article about equestrian brand Dapplebay appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post The Rise of Equestrian Brand Dapplebay appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Inspiration & Action

Growing up, Barratt moved several times. Each new home offered her mother an opportunity to redecorate. Barratt always recalls being captivated by the prints and fabrics selected for curtains and trimmings. Fast forward to adulthood, when Barratt married and settled down in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, with her husband, Tom.

Whenever she browsed through equestrian clothing and apparel at a tack store, she felt like something was missing. She’d envision bold printed collars and vivid colors. Barratt didn’t have a background working with fashion or fabric, but one day she expressed her ideas to her husband.

“My husband gave me $500 and bought me a new computer to give it a shot,” she says. “I set off to do what was in my head and try to make it come to fruition, which was a total trip because I didn’t know anything about clothing fabric.”

Initially, finding the right clothing manufacturer for her equestrian-inspired vision wasn’t easy. Many companies wouldn’t talk to or help Barratt since she didn’t understand the manufacturing language or have a design background. There were a lot of clicks and hang ups as the search persisted.

“Once you think about something like starting a business, it takes on a life of its own and becomes an obsession,” says Barratt. “You eat, sleep and breathe bringing something out of thin air and actually making it happen.”

One day, she began looking into companies making men’s form-fitting shirts for executives. She finally found a company online that agreed to make her samples, only to realize they were based out of Thailand. Determined to create the clothing she had envisioned, she jumped through frustrations of language barriers and communication to bring her shirts to life.

“I ended up having 18 samples made because I didn’t know anything about manufacturing clothes,” says Barratt.

Armed with her gorgeous new sample shirts, Middy N’ Me’s first debut into the world was at the Chagrin Hunter Jumper Classic. Her friends excitedly invited Barratt to be a vendor when a booth turned up empty.

“I got a mannequin, I ironed my shirts, and I went,” she says. “I didn’t even bring anything to write with. It never dawned on me that anyone would actually buy my shirts. We had a very successful show, and that’s how it all started.”

Meet Middy

Middy N’ Me is appropriately named after Middy, Barratt’s beloved Belgian/Quarter Horse mare. Middy is boarded close to home at a large estate in Hunting Valley. It’s the perfect property for the fox hunting duo to spend their days riding through the expansive acreage.

“I bought her sight unseen, and she didn’t even have a name,” she says. “I named her Middleburg because I’m a fox hunter and I love Middleburg, Va. My husband started calling her Middy.”

Middy is a beautiful buckskin who happens to be a PMU rescue and an unexpected heart horse; Barratt describes her as an angel.

“She had never been handled and was very aloof and distant—emotionally wounded,” she says. “But she and I became very good friends, and she’s the horse of a lifetime. She’s taken care of me. There are no words to describe how much joy she has given me.”

Building a Brand

Middy N’ Me celebrated 10 years of business last summer. The brand has evolved and grown over the years. Initially, Barratt thought she would be designing shirts for women to ride in, but it turned out, women want to wear the shirts in everyday life, too.

“Equestrian style is a universal desire—people like it—it’s very pretty,” she says. “We don’t position ourselves as an equestrian company, but a lot of equestrians wear our shirts.”

Barratt’s true passion shines when she’s designing behind a computer screen. She loves fuchsia, kiwi green, turquoise, yellow and bright colors paired with ginghams and solids.

Every shirt, skirt or dress is made to order. The fit is an important part of the style and overall look. Every shirt is cut, sewn and made in the United States. After Kimberly’s wild ride making samples, she was able to find the factory in America she had searched for to produce her clothing.

Kimberly’s days are spent designing, keeping in contact with her factory, working with customers, and tackling her never-ending to-do list.

“It’s not for the faint hearted, but I love every minute of it.”

◆ Middy N’ Me website
◆ Middy N’ Me Instagram (@middynme)
◆ Middy N’ Me Facebook

This article about Middy N’ Me’s success in creating equestrian clothing and beyond appeared in the September 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Middy N’ Me: Equestrian Clothing and Beyond appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.