Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allison Malenfant. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Allison, 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?
This is a really interesting question that I don’t think we’ve ever been asked as business owners. I’d love to share a bit about this for us as individuals and together.
For some context – my business partner, Connie DeMaio, and I own two equestrian apparel brands. We founded Redingote, an outerwear brand, in 2018. We later acquired a breeches company called FITS Riding in 2022. We are both horsewomen who are deeply involved in the industry through our businesses, but also outside our businesses as well.
Connie has horses in her blood. Her father was a standardbred trainer in Monmouth County, NJ. Connie and her sister would spend their days helping and playing in the barns, and their dad would throw them up on the standardbreds bareback. When Connie’s mom found out what they were up to, she figured they should have riding lessons. She started more formal hunter/jumper lessons, and eventually had her own horses at home after her family moved to Pennsylvania. She was very successful in riding and competing and was backing and training horses in her area by the time she was 16.
Connie moved to Long Island after high school and started training in barns in the New York area, where she built a successful career training horses and clients and catch riding. She has now returned to Monmouth County, where she owns and runs a small private facility in Colts Neck. Her 5-year-old daughter is her #1 helper with the 8 horses, 2 dogs, 2 birds, a cat, a pig, and a bunch of chickens!
I had wanted to learn to ride since I was a very small child but had had no exposure to it. Connie and I met through our husbands, and I started taking lessons from her in the spring of 2015. I took one lesson a week for about four years as it was all my NYC corporate job schedule would allow. I eventually left my job to work on Redingote, and then was able to bump my riding schedule to 2 days a week. It’s a slippery slope of course. I got my first horse in January 2020 and now have 2 horses and ride almost every day. It has become a total lifestyle for me.
Throughout this journey, Connie and I started becoming friends through my lessons and would occasionally double date. I was working in the athletic apparel industry at the time, and Connie eventually shared the idea she had for Redingote – reinventing the coverall for women to make it more technical and more flattering. I thought it was genius! She knew the equestrian industry like the back of her hand, and I knew (at least something about) how to get things made and run a retail business. We decided to partner up and never looked back!
All this to say – I think we were both destined to work in the equestrian industry. It’s more than an interest or a hobby. It is who we are. We are extremely passionate about equestrian sport and the horses themselves, and we believe that creating apparel that helps us and others do our jobs more effectively is an important part of our purpose as people. And the skill sets we developed throughout our lives led us here to fulfill that purpose.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Connie owned a vintage men’s insulated coverall that she found at a yard sale. She loved the functionality of having one piece that was warm and layered easily over her riding outfit. It eliminated the need for so many layers, while keeping her clothes underneath clean and presentable. She could wear it while teaching or working in the barn, and then take it off to ride. However, it was lacking in functionality – it wasn’t waterproof and didn’t have enough pockets. And it was aesthetically lacking as well. The men’s shape didn’t fit or flatter. Connie realized she had never seen a coverall for women before.
Everywhere Connie went in the barn or at horse shows, people asked her about it. They either loved it and saw the functionality of it, or they told her she looked like a mechanic. She knew there was an untapped market, and that there had to be a better to way to make a product like this than what was currently available.
Connie started thinking about a coverall that was warm, waterproof, had functional features for riders, and was designed to fit a woman’s body. She eventually shared her idea with me, and I told her I loved it. I went home and thought about it for a while and then asked her to meet me for dinner, where I suggested a partnership. I knew a bit about the retail industry and how to develop a product, while she knew the equestrian market. It was a great fit, and thankfully – she agreed!
We started working on the idea in early 2017. It took a lot of time to find an outerwear manufacturer that would work with a startup brand in a niche market. When we finally found a manufacturing partner, we could start developing prototypes. That process took about a year. There were lots of fit changes as we wanted to make it as flattering and professional as possible, while still offering plenty of warmth and freedom of movement. We went through a lot of mental and physical exercises and scenarios to determine what features the suit needed as to not inhibit any of the daily activities of a horsewoman. We also tested several levels of insulation to find the happy place between staying warm, but not too hot or having too much bulk.
I think nailing a product we believed in was really the first step. There was no brand if the idea didn’t work! We’ve worked hard and have grown Redingote substantially over the last 6 years and have even added another brand to our portfolio. We acquired FITS Riding, a beloved breeches company, in November 2022
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Having one partner familiar with the equestrian industry and one partner familiar with the fashion and retail industries was huge! I think it would’ve been nearly impossible for one of us to do it on our own. We also really live the lifestyle that informs all of our product and business decisions. Beyond that, we are resilient, creative, and we work hard!
My best advice to someone early in the journey is to just start! You will never know everything, or even know enough, to get started. Some things have to be learned and understood as you go. Know your industry, build your network, and ask for help when you need it. If you believe in and see a need for your product or service, that means others will, too – but it will take time. I think most things are twice as hard and take twice as long as originally expected, so be prepared for that! But think outside the box when needed and just keep going.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
This is a really interesting question as well. I have a few thoughts.
Go all in on your strengths either way. What you bring to the table is special, whether you’re flying solo or in a partnership with other owner(s). If you are really good at something – selling, marketing, accounting, business planning – invest heavily in those areas that you are good at because it will be instrumental in growing your business. And you can save money by doing it yourself.
If you are in a partnership, divide and conquer. For example, I focus heavily on project management. My partner focuses heavily on sales and marketing. But we do product development together because we both have important points of view.
Areas where you are not as strong – this is trickier. Not everyone has money to hire roles, in the beginning or even later. But keep an eye on what you don’t like to do or don’t do as well as other things. You may have to learn enough to get by, but those should be the roles that you hire when possible. By getting things you don’t enjoy or aren’t good at off of your plate, you will be able to focus on the things that drive you and your business forward. But by learning how to do these pieces that are harder and less comfortable will save money in the beginning and help you know what you are looking for when it’s time to hire.
For example, I personally hate dealing with anything related to accounting or financials. I am not good at it and I don’t enjoy it. I get a lot of help with how to structure our accounting needs and the higher level aspects of it, but have bookkeeping and reporting on my plate. This helps me stay close to the numbers, which is important for me as an owner even though I don’t like it.
Contact Info:
- Website: redingoteequestrian.com, fitsriding.com
- Instagram: @redingote_equestrian, @fitsridingltd
- Facebook: Redingote Equestrian, FITS
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-malenfant-5075a1b1/
Image Credits
Tara Moore
