Louanna and Hilary Murphy: Today’s Notable Young Entrepreneurs

Dreamboat Lucy is a clothing and accessories company created by sisters Louanna and Hilary Murphy of Prince Edward Island with a Calgary connection. As finalists in the Mercedes-Benz StartUp program, we caught up with the duo to get the what’s what…

Elevator Pitch: Describe your brand in a nutshell.
Dreamboat Lucy is a brand that doesn’t take fashion too seriously. Our pieces are always bright and colourful, fun and feminine.

You competed in the Mercedes-Benz Start Up Calgary show a couple months ago; what’s next with the competition?
In October we will be showing our S/S 2014 collection at Fashion Week in Toronto along with seven other designers. 

Why did you start designing, what was the inspiration?
We have always been inspired by vintage fashion. Redesigning thrifted clothing is what we did for fun in high school. I think that eclectic feel that you get from those unique pieces is a trait that we try to evoke in our Dreamboat Lucy pieces.

What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
The best part is executing a design and being completely happy with it! The most challenging is trying to juggle all the different aspects of owning your own business and not being able to turn your brain off at night.

Where do you see your brand going in 5 years?
We would like to continue growing DBL across Canada and hopefully into the U.S.

What does success look like to you?
Our idea of success would be to have DBL be our full-time job. 

What is Notable to you?
Being chosen to participate in the MSBU program was definitely a notable moment for us. It gave us the confidence and drive to keep working hard a DBL.

Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
iPhone

How do you keep active, energetic, and vibrant?
We crank the music in our studios and dance and sing pretty much the whole time we’re working.

Where can we find your pieces here in Calgary?
DBL will be carried at Studio Intent in the fall.