Kate Maurice & Heather Glover: From the Cockpit and the Hospital to the Forefront of Lingerie Innovation

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In this profound dialogue, we get an exclusive insight into the journeys of Kate Maurice and Heather Glover, the dynamic duo behind Skarlette Limited. This revolutionary lingerie brand seeks to empower flat-chested women and cancer survivors, providing a unique blend of fashion and function in their product line.

Coming from highly contrasting professional backgrounds – Kate as a commercial airline pilot and Heather as a nurse and two-time breast cancer survivor, they have navigated the transition to entrepreneurship with grace, resilience, and immense dedication.

Kate and Heather are not just ordinary entrepreneurs; they are women of extraordinary determination and vision. Their respective transitions from aviation and nursing into the world of lingerie design have been marked by tireless determination, creativity, and a desire to make a difference.

Balancing the demands of motherhood, work, and business, Kate exemplifies the modern-day working woman. Her skill in sewing brings a unique touch to the design process, making Skarlette a brand that truly understands women and their needs.

Heather, with her personal battle against breast cancer and her nursing background, serves as the heart of the brand. Her experiences drive the mission of Skarlette Limited, integrating a positive outlook and determination into the brand’s culture. Her passion for helping others and raising awareness about breast cancer are integral to the community aspect of Skarlette, providing a supportive environment for cancer survivors and flat-chested women.

Through the shared mission of Skarlette Limited, Kate and Heather hope to have a global impact. Drawing from their unique skill sets, they aspire to continue empowering women, helping them feel beautiful and feminine, regardless of their body shape.

Their dedication to making a difference in the lives of women is evident in their approach, signifying the beginning of a new era in the lingerie industry.

Join us as we delve into this inspiring conversation with Kate and Heather, exploring their journey, the birth of Skarlette, and the future they envision for their pioneering brand.

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Kate Maurice

With your previous experience as a commercial airline pilot, how have you found the transition to becoming an entrepreneur in the lingerie industry?

The aviation industry was a tough one to get into at the time I was embarking on my career. I encountered many setbacks yet was determined to get into that cockpit and fly. This taught me determination and resilience, which are much needed in becoming an entrepreneur. I’ve become less phased by challenges and work through them in a methodical and logical manner.

As a busy working mum, how do you balance your personal life with the demands of running a business-like Skarlette?

I’ve become more and more wise with my time. I set myself working hours for the week and shut down my laptop (or sewing machine!) at the end of my working day. This allows me time to drive our daughter all over the country for her netball practice or to visit our son at university.

How has your passion for sewing influenced the design and production process of the Skarlette bra?

It’s very much allowed me to express my creative side and try out new ideas before going to our manufacturer.

Could you elaborate on the challenges you faced while transforming the concept of Skarlette into a tangible product?

I had to fully understand the flat double mastectomy chest, the feelings and emotions of a person who had had breast cancer and had undergone surgery, and also learn how to construct a bra!

How do you envision the future of Skarlette, particularly in terms of expanding the product range or entering new markets?

We are extremely close to having our swimwear range manufactured, so that is our main concentration at the moment. We hope to extend into the clothing market and expand into our growing trans market.

Heather Glover

As a nurse and a two-time breast cancer survivor, what inspires you most about the mission of Skarlette?

As a nurse, I’m passionate about educating, empowering, and helping people. As a breast cancer survivor twice over, I am determined to turn a negative experience into a positive for all those who endured this disease with me, and I am extremely driven to raise awareness and support others who walk my path. Put all of that together in one person, and that makes me feel like a powerful force on behalf of Skarlette to help improve the lives and experiences of others.

Could you discuss how your work with the Boobee campaign influenced your approach to creating Skarlette?

I was brought together with many other women who had had, or were going through breast cancer. All of our experiences differ, but I met women who had undergone a double mastectomy, who hadn’t had reconstruction, and who preferred to stay flat-chested. We shared the same frustrations with the lack of choice in the lingerie market, however. A light flickered, and I felt compelled to try and find a solution.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in transitioning from nursing to becoming the founder of a lingerie company?

Nurses are caring and selfless generally. I’ve had to adapt to be more business minded. I tend to see the good in people and I’m not a sceptic and although I have a curious and questioning character, it’s very different when it’s related to health than when it’s regarding finances for example – it’s still work in progress!

How do you integrate your positive outlook and determination into the culture and values of Skarlette?

Honesty and openness with Kate and with our community are key. It’s always been important, from the start, to speak and act from the heart. Every day, week, month, and year that goes by, every health challenge I may suffer due to breast cancer—I’m still here, and I try to encourage others who may be struggling to take each hour and day at a time, and I hope that I give them strength and determination to be kind to themselves and to love themselves.

Can you share more about the community aspect of Skarlette, and how it supports women, particularly those who are cancer survivors or flat-chested?

Skarlette prides itself on sharing the stories of survivors as well as our own. There is an enormous amount of strength and healing to be gained by the sharer and the person reading that story, so we are always very passionate about encouraging this. Story telling cannot be underestimated; it has helped me and continues to help me, and I hope it helps and inspires others within our community.

Heather & Kate

Heather and Kate, Skarlette Limited is built on empowering flat-chested women and cancer survivors, with Heather’s personal journey with breast cancer being a key motivator. Can you share how your joint experiences have shaped the mission of Skarlette Limited and how you hope your products will impact women around the world in the future?

Our personalities and characters complement each other beautifully and have really helped Skarlette get this far. We have both faced adversity; we’ve navigated our way around challenges in both of our personal lives, not to mention the occupations we both have.

This has helped us when facing the many and varied challenges associated with a start-up business because we know we can dig deep and we have confidence and determination.

It’s this passion and determination, along with the purpose of our lingerie, that we are driven by to aim to provide the choice we offer to women globally and ultimately empower them to feel beautiful and feminine and to love the body they are in.

We have already seen and heard about the effect our lingerie is having in this new category. Ever since I (Heather) tried on the very first Skarlette, we have understood the emotional impact our sexy, lacy bras have on those that wear them. We very much hope to continue to empower our customers to love their new body shape and to feel feminine.

Both of you have professional backgrounds quite different from lingerie design – Heather in nursing and Kate in aviation. Could you both discuss the challenges and benefits of bringing your unique skill sets to this new venture? In what ways have your past careers informed the development of Skarlette Limited and the design of The Skarlette®? What advantages or disadvantages have they presented?

There are many benefits to launching our lingerie brand for flat-chested women, and I am a flat-chested woman myself.

Everybody has their own individual experience, but it is invaluable to have had a similar breast cancer or surgical journey myself, as I am able to empathise with and support our customers and community from personal experience. That, together with my 30+ years of nursing experience, provides many benefits when interacting with people, with communication and compassion being crucial and always strong aspects of my nursing roles.

That is double-edged, however, as our customers really have my heart. Their stories and experiences often provoke tears. I would also just love to give our lingerie to the women who desire and need it because I know just what they’ve suffered and how cancer impacts finances, and that clearly wouldn’t make good business sense!

Kate has had a completely different experience in her male-dominated career, and this really embeds a confidence to confront and challenge, which I really appreciate! The math required to become a pilot is a fantastic benefit that Kate brings to our business, as it’s my least preferred area!

We both have very different skill sets and very different personalities, but these have greatly enhanced our working relationship and our brand.

Heather’s nursing career has helped her to be very customer-centered, and her breast cancer experience enables her to be very much in tune with like-minded people’s emotions. Kate’s attention to detail and methodical and logical thinking have helped in the design and development of the brand. We work through our challenges together, which really helps us as individuals.

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