Meet Molly Bloom

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Molly Bloom. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Molly, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
To be honest, I find new purpose often. Maybe too often. But, the “common denominator” purpose is to create. That drives all things. If I am not creating, which usually means I get to learn something new, I’m simply not myself.

From a super early age, my mother encouraged me to brainstorm and that “the best idea comes last.” So, most ideas that pop into my mind turn into challenges that I can’t ignore because I’m eager to prove to myself that it’s all possible. Lately, “the thing” has been cooking or baking (if it’s less than 20 ingredients, I don’t learn a new technique, or I don’t need new dishware / appliances, I probably won’t make it). The food itself or a slogan from the recipe usually inspires a new painting. And sometimes that art then inspires an entirely new product (like a fully designed handbag, light fixture, table, etc). I leave the kitchen with such a feeling of accomplishment, that I have triple the focus to execute on other projects, be it my own or a client’s. It’s this strange cycle I make a point to prioritize, and one where everybody wins.

I think that ability to freely create also built the foundation in me that it’s always better to try. I’ve had a few costly failures in terms of my career and personal life, but those learnings have been incredibly helpful as I take on new consulting projects. To speak from those experiences and guide similarly-brained clients towards success is equally as fulfilling as the personal projects I embark on.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My career started at 18 years old while I was still attending FIT in NYC. I was designing womens ready-to-wear and worked closely with manufacturers and suppliers both in NY’s garment district and abroad. I was styling for various editorial shoots and lookbooks whenever I could squeeze it into my schedule. At 20 y/o, I was hired to produce an entire runway show as part of NYFW’s menswear calendar. This exploded my network and kept me busy with castings, more shoots, event planning, all while keeping my design and production career moving at my full-time job. 7 years later, I burnt out! I opted to leave NYC for Florence, AL, pivoting into menswear with Billy Reid. I didn’t wear less hats during my 7-year tenure at Billy Reid, but it felt more manageable as my weekends weren’t spent on set, but in a kayak on the Tennessee River or road-tripping around the South instead. Leadership let me run wild with some pretty big ideas for their runway shows, collaborations and photoshoots and it’s fair to say I learned how to stay most organized in this era and was most exposed to the business side of fashion. These “extracurriculars” (I was a product developer day-to-day) were in-part voluntary, as I knew that *I* would be my next employer, and I wanted to learn as much as I could in this environment and with that type of support. But in this, I treated all of my roles within the team as if they were for my own brand. From an emotional / political level, I burnt out. It was time to devote all of that energy to my own ideas.

Cut to 2019 where I began development on MOLLY BLOOM, the brand. It started with 1 womens jumpsuit and 1 mens jumpsuit. 3 factories later and tens of thousands of my own dollars spent, I launched my brand in 2022. (Oh and I bought and renovated my first home in my hometown in WNY too! You can read about it on Dwell!) I would add a custom designed handbag (inspired by my Situ’s hummus recipe) and some custom-designed bandanas (inspired by the low-country crawfish boils I came to love in the South). I worked with amazing dye houses to naturally dye the jumpsuits a few different colors, and outfitted some pretty cool brands with customized jumpsuits. But, I also had 2 different factories flood (one in NYC, one in Italy) and another manufacturer in Morocco was hit by an earthquake. I lost so much time, and money. I couldn’t keep up.

Running out of money will change your priorities. Suddenly my environment was wildly important, and that was when I began painting objects around my home. I didn’t have an outlet to create because I couldn’t afford any new ideas aka manufacturing costs. I took to painting the top of an old 12’ft long pop-up lunchroom table. Then I painted another table. Then I made a blanket. Then another handbag design. A light fixture design.. all with this new food-inspired art. I did a pop-up in Virginia showcasing all that I had created in this strange year of discovery, but it cost me my final dollars to do it. Finally, I just made art. Painting on a normal canvas felt like a relief. I loved painting as a kid and teenager – why did I ever give that up? But, since last year, I’ve created about 20 concepts that I am actively painting one-by-one onto 36″ x 48″ canvases. I hope to have a show, make print reproductions, and am seeking out opportunities for art licensing.

I now have clients in the fashion, interior, hospitality and music industries and am looking to lean into more projects within the hospitality space. The absolute goal would be to design a restaurant with everything fully custom-designed. I’m talking wallpaper, seat cushions, the floor’s mosaic tile design, down to the napkin, sculpted crockware, menu design, and nothing other than branded jumpsuits to outfit the staff.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My advice for someone early on in their journey is to treat each job as if it were your own company.

Remain open, curious, and kind.

Study anyone’s career/life path that you admire and use their successes as benchmark goals for your own successes.

Ask for help when you need it, and return the favor when you can.

If I ever felt like I said “yes” to the wrong opportunity, or found myself in a role that wasn’t for me, I still tried to get as much out of that experience (even if it was to learn what NOT to do) as I could.

Learn how to say no.

And of course, have FUN.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am looking to collaborate with thoughtful business owners and project managers, specifically in the interior and hospitality space. I passionately feel an environment can change the human behavior, so I want to create inspiring spaces with thoughtfully designed objects, furniture, textiles, and art. Whether I’m creating the art itself, or transforming a 2-D idea into a 3-D object, I’m ready to explore it with you.

You can connect with me through my websites: mollybloominati.com or mollybloom.us, or through instagram at @mollybloominati.

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