HOW THE FEMALE FOUNDERS OF DÔEN ESTABLISHED ITS CULT FOLLOWING

HOW THE FEMALE FOUNDERS OF DÔEN ESTABLISHED ITS CULT FOLLOWING AND DREAMY AESTHETIC

When Santa Barbara-bred sisters Margaret and Katherine Kleveland decided to leave their corporate design jobs and start their own brand, they knew exactly what they didn't want to do. They'd both worked at big contemporary companies that relied heavily on high quality wholesale clothing and observed how catering to buyers had tainted the design process and homogenized the entire market. There were also frustrated by the fact that most big fashion companies were women-led, but male-owned. They wanted to build a brand that, from the outside, told a story and felt personal and, from the inside, was run ethically and democratically by women.

Dôen, a direct-to-consumer womenswear brand of easy, feminine pieces with a distinct aesthetic, was born in Los Angeles in early 2016. The brand has since amassed a cult following for its flowy, printed blouses and maxi dresses. They're staples in many a New Yorker's summer-in-Montauk wardrobe and in LA, it's difficult to spend a day in Silverlake without seeing at least a handful. The brand also has one of the most beautiful and cohesive Instagram aesthetics I've come across — one of the strongest assets a brand can have nowadays.

As an all-female collective — the Klevelands emphasize that the company is run collaboratively, as a group — female empowerment is an integral part of Dôen's ethos, and increasingly, that comes across in its imagery.

"I really felt like this had to be a group effort, and I think that that's one of the main things that's lead us to be successful, because it wouldn't have looked like this, if it wasn't like that," says Katherine. "We wouldn't have reached the customer base we did." Motherhood is often celebrated — the brand's more oversized dresses and tops are apparently favorite among pregnant women — and the summer 2018 lookbook (pictured above) even featured a woman breastfeeding. Both Klevelands are mothers, as well.

"I think it speaks to one of our biggest hopes for this company, is not to have the extreme rigidity of what we experienced in our corporate jobs," says Katherine, referring to strict rules around maternity leave. "I think we want to put it out there as much as possible. We're being shot for the LA Times tomorrow. I'm like, 'I will be breastfeeding.'"

We sat down with the very cool, inspiring sisters along with Phoebe Dean, the brand's content director, just ahead of the launch of Dôen's fall 2018 collection — its biggest yet — to learn more about their direct-to-consumer model, how they tell stories through imagery, their dedication to women-run factories, plans for brick-and-mortar and more. Read on for the highlights (and for a sneak peek of the fall pieces shot in Washington's Orcas Island).