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Q&A with Cat Chen, founder of Skylar Body

Q&A with Cat Chen, founder of Skylar Body

 

 

Mom, wife, feminist, dreamer, workaholic, and founder of Skylar Body (skylarbody.com) – a clean fragrance brand, Cat Chen is clearly a lover of hard work and continued learning.

She creates amazing products while making a positive impact on people. Cat strongly believes in the power of uplifting other women. She helps them in anyway she can on their journeys to realizing their dreams as she realizes her own—a belief that BURU is all about!

 

Please read our complete Q&A with Cat below & shop her curated #momstyle here.
 

I love that it gives me a better perspective about what’s important in life (and what’s not). I used to obsess and stress about a lot more things. Now I still do sometimes, but it’s a lot easier for me to let many things go and focus on only the ones that really make a difference at the end of the day.

 

It’s made me more compassionate as a person, both in my personal life and professional life. Having to juggle motherhood, work, and life is really hard and it’s a good reminder that everyone has things they’re juggling with.

 

My daughter’s name is Anne, and she’s 2 years old. She has a strong personality - confident, independent, and assertive. Her favorite thing to say these days is “I’ll do that” and her favorite movie character is Scarlet Overkill from Minions.

 

I did breastfeed, and to be honest I never found great clothes. I wish I knew about BURU back then. Most of the time I breastfed, I was on my maternity leave, and because nothing fit well, I was basically in sports bras, pajamas, and a robe most of the time. Not the most glamorous thing, at all. I would have loved something that was comfortable and stretchy.

 

Definitely simpler and more comfort-driven. T-shirts, jeans, and lots of athleisure. If I need to dress it up for meetings, I’ll do a blazer over t-shirts and jeans.

 

 

The Claude jacket - black + white plaid I like really simple pieces that are timeless, and I love coats. This piece dresses up and down easily.
 
Suri swing tank Versatile, can be worn in a summer day or under a blazer to an important meeting.
 
Mini me sailor tee So cute and versatile. I’d love to have this matching shirt with my daughter (when she’s big enough)
 
The knit painters tee So comfy, but the details make it able to be dressed up too when paired with some nice jeans or accessories.
 
Ashley blanket poncho Chic and modern (almost futuristic), yet comfortable. Also great to have for a cold AC day in the office.

Shop Cat's Tastemaker Collection >
 

Stretchy jeans, comfortable t-shirts that hold shape and can be dressed up, and lots of yoga pants.

 

After I worked at The Honest Company and had my daughter, I became a lot more aware of everything I put on my body, including perfume. I don’t wear much makeup, so perfume was always my go-to beauty item. When I realized that most perfumes contain phthalates, allergens, dyes, and do animal testing, I searched for a cleaner alternative but couldn’t find one that still smelled sophisticated enough for everyday wear. Then I talked to over 100 women about their perfumes, and 30% of them told me their perfumes are either too strong or they’re allergic to them. That confirmed just how big the opportunity and need is for a “better for you” fragrance, so I decided to go for it and create Skylar. Skylar officially launched in April 2017, and we’re offering 4 unique scents plus free sampling on our website skylarbody.com.

 
What is your favorite aspect about running your own business?

I like being able to take action and try different things very fast, and with e-commerce you get to see the results of these actions and fine tune from there based on data. What is your least favorite? I’m a workaholic and addicted to my phone, and running my own business has made this worse, because I’m always doing work or thinking about work. I’m trying to work on this and have clean breaks from work where I focus on my family. I think this will be something I’ll need to continue putting effort toward for a long time.

 

Since Skylar is a brand new company, I wear a million hats, which is fun. Here are just a few examples. I do a lot of outreach to influencers and potential retailers to spread the word on the brand. I’m lucky to be able to work with a super talented designer on all things product and website related. I spend a lot of time working with my suppliers to ensure the highest product quality and check in on all the moving pieces in the supply chain to make sure we have a good pipeline of products being produced. And I talk to customers to make sure I have a good pulse on what they think of the products and shopping experience. For example, we just launched shipping into Canada, and I talked to all of the first Canadian customers to make sure their experience was seamless.

 

I live in Playa Vista. I’ve lived here for 7 years and love this community. Over time, I’ve made many close friends here and it’s nice to have so many families and kids around to have fun with. There are about 10 parks and many pools in Playa Vista, so there’s always something to do for the little ones. We go to the farmer’s market in Playa Vista almost every Saturday. There are so many restaurants in Playa Vista that we pretty much go on a rotation. As you can tell, Playa Vista is my stomping ground. I really need to get out more, lol.

 

It means setting a good example for my kid. Now that I’m a Mom, I have a mini-me who’s always watching, observing, copying, and learning. She’s so impressionable and I’m one of her biggest influences, so it’s important that I teach her to be a good person by setting a good example.

 

mother: role model
wife: partner
business owner: hustler
product designer (tech?): perfectionist
friend: loyal

 

Bedtime Story: I love Goodnight Moon, because my daughter memorized many of the lines so it’s fun and interactive when we read that book.
Lullaby: The first song that my daughter learned how to sing was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Vacation spot: Maui. We took my daughter when she was 6 months old, and we can’t wait to go back now that she loves the pool and the beach.
Restaurant: Being a Mom, the best restaurant is the closest restaurant. So we go to Urban Plates a lot.
Children’s Brands: I love Jack and Lily shoes. They’re so soft, comfortable, and easy to put on.

 
 

Nothing quite prepares you like actually being a Mom, so just relax, do your best, and try to have fun.

 

“Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity” – Henry Hartman.

 

Thank you!

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