It started as a vacation in a tropical hot spot. It ended with an idea that has taken two girls on an entrepreneurial adventure. Cologne Schmidt and Cammy Hebert were New Yorkers with a weekend off when they planned a trip to humid Miami, FL in the summer of 2009. As fashionable girls, they had suitcases full of options for nights out. However, they found they didn’t want to wear anything they brought along.

They found their clothes too constricting and uncomfortable for the ever-climbing temperatures. Instead, they wanted to wear tunics that were breathable and airy. “We needed a mini muumuu,” Hebert said. After speaking to a friend – the two girls became convinced that they needed to design this garment – and soon.
After arriving home in Manhattan, however, the women got distracted. It wasn’t until their cable got cut off for a few weeks that they finally got to work. Schmidt and Hebert took five of their favorite breeziest garments and combined the elements they liked to create a one-size-fits-all wonder – the mumu. Since those fateful two weeks, the girls have draped their television in mumus, to remind them to keep working hard.

Hebert, a former Georgian, didn’t plan on designing her own fashion line. But now, thanks to social networking – the duo has sold over 300 mumus through their website. With zero dollars for marketing, the roommates used their combined 8000 Facebook friends to publicize their launch. Viral marketing had to do “100 percent with our success,” Hebert said.

The girls’ business plan is as unconventional as their design. Essentially, when they run out, they make more. But as seemingly disorganized as their plan is, it’s working. “We do business by mumu rules” she added. “It’s the wrong way to do business but it’s totally right.”

With a wide variety of styles and a universally flattering garment, these roommates and business partners are on their way to the top. This past quarter the pair made their first profit. That said, don’t be surprised if someone asks you to “show me your mumu!”

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