A Chat with Michele McCoy (Creativity Over Coffee)

Grab your coffee or tea because it’s time for the next installment of Creativity Over Coffee and I can’t wait to share my chat with Michele McCoy creator of Coastal Brahmin! You are in for such a treat today!

I’m such a big fan of all of Michele’s designs!

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Creativity Over Coffee

Meet Michele founder of Coastal Brahmin! We have been friends since last year and it is really fun seeing Michele’s business grow and she has the sweetest pop up in Mashpee. I shared more about her pop up in this post. You can see us twinning in her lovely quilted blazer 🙂

She is a talented designer and has such a great eye for designing clothing and homewares but also a magic touch mixing antiques and modern finds her shop. I think you’ll find her story so interesting and I’m so excited to share more about her and Coastal Brahmin with you. Meet Michele!

A Chat with Michele McCoy

Thank you so much for deciding to join me for coffee and chat about your creative process. When I had just graduated from film school in London and couldn’t find work, I found inspiration through the many biographies I read from the library. I used to go there each week and take out more.

Many people believe they are not creative. I hear this all the time. It is my hope with these conversations with my talented friends that I hope to inspire my readers to believe that they truly are creative. That creativity is just sitting inside of them waiting to bubble over.

Hi Michele, it’s such a pleasure to have you on the blog. Can you share more about your creative path with my readers?

Michele – Hi, thanks so much for having me here. My path started in college. I majored in Film and TV Production with a minor in Writing. I went into the film business in Miami right after college and stayed in it for about 5 or 6 years and somehow moved into Marketing for BankBoston’s Global Trade Department. After that I took time off to raise my kids with part time jobs including one at the Boston Design Center where I sold French antiques. This job helped me get into the Interior Design business in Osterville which led me to my love for beautiful fabrics. In 2020 I decided to go out on my own and design my own fabrics which also led me into creating linens and clothing.

Can you share more about Coastal Brahmin with my readers? What made you start the company?

Michele – Coastal Brahmin delivers artisan made clothing and linens with a coastal flair. I started Coastal Brahmin because my oldest is a senior in college in Los Angeles and my youngest is about to graduate high school. I needed to figure out what’s next for me when we become empty nesters. I wanted to do something creative and I wanted to travel. The designer Job Robshaw was a huge inspiration. I love how he travels to India and other countries and designs fabrics and brings them back to the US. Since then, I learned about so many women already doing this. It’s kind of this weird phenomena, all these women having a calling to go to India and create linens and clothing. I had no idea when I started.

I love your company’s name – Coastal Brahmin – can you share more about what’s behind the name?

Michele – Coastal is because we live on Cape Cod and Brahmin is a play on words, referring to the Boston Brahmin who were members of Boston’s upper class in the 1800’s. Oliver Wendall Holmes came up with the term calling Boston’s elite “the Brahmin Caste of New England.” He was referring to the caste system in India where the Brahmans are the highest and most spiritual.

When do you feel most creative or happy?

Michele – I feel the most creative when I travel or right when I come back and I am most happy when my two kids are with my husband and I, even better if we are all traveling together.

I feel exactly the same! Who or what inspires you?

Michele – Cape Cod and the ocean inspire me. All of my designs are made with Cape Cod in mind. Whether it’s a dress that will flow just perfectly with the ocean breeze or my linens named after one of Cape Cod’s towns.

Do you have a favorite product or a favorite collection?

Michele – I love our Chatham Collection designed with artist, Clara Clough. It was a huge success and we had a lot of fun promoting it. I love The Bootsie dress and The Yulia kaftan the most so far.

What’s your favorite color?

Michele – Blue, of course!

My readers love to hear more about the process of making and creating. Can you give us a peek at what it’s like to run your company?

Michele – It’s a bit chaotic, lol. I am learning as I go along. I launched May 2022. That year I was so clueless and had no idea what I was getting into. As the saying goes, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” now I know what I should be doing and it gets harder and harder if you want to grow into something big.

Any must have things that make your life easier being a creative entrepreneur?

Michele – I think the best thing a creative solo entrepreneur can have is a good peer network. It’s so nice to hear what works and doesn’t work for others. It’s also great having a supportive husband who is also an attorney. John helps me with those things that I really don’t want to deal with plus he helps me carry heavy things lol. Same with my daughter, I can’t do markets without her!

Your products are hand block printed in India. Do you need to travel there or how does that aspect work?

Michele – I started during Covid so I wasn’t able to travel there. I did a lot of investigative work to find ethical and reliable companies. When it was time for me to pay them and for them to ship my products, I wired the money and crossed my fingers! Luckily it all came. I find India to be a very honest country and I love working with them. My husband and I are traveling there this October. I can’t wait!

Wow! That’s so exciting! What’s been the most challenging and what has been the most rewarding aspects of owning your own business?

Michele – Working with India is also the most challenging. It’s hard with the time difference and the language barrier and just not being able to work with each other in person. I believe the most rewarding aspect will be going there and meeting with everyone. Also being my own boss is very rewarding and seeing my creations come to life.

What’s on the horizon? Any new collections or launches coming?

Michele – I have an exciting season coming up. I have 3 new clothing collections coming. I just received the Coastal Garden Collection which is a collaboration with chinoiserie artist, Heather Graham. In June we will launch the Coastal Bohemian Collection, my biggest yet and right after will be The Coastal Nights Collection with 2 black dresses. And then I have a surprise collaboration in July launching and I am very excited about that!! Plus artist Betsy Barry worked with me on our new linens, The Brewster Collection which will also be out in June.

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps or who would like to start a creative business?

Michele – I think it’s best to do your homework for about a year and figure things out first, especially financially and logistically. Reach out to women in the business and ask advice. Most women are very supportive of one another even if you are doing the same thing. It’s a big world and there is room for everyone.

Growing up I was a huge follower of INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO. At the end of the program, they would ask the interviewee these questions:

What is your favorite word? Family
What is your least favorite word? How about my least favorite phrase instead, “You can’t do that!”
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Creatively, I’m inspired by fashion, nature, and different cultures. Spiritually, I find inspiration in mindfulness, connecting with nature and being my best at attempting to be a good person. I believe God is in everyone and everything so we need to be respectful of All. Emotionally, I’m inspired by stories of resilience, diversity, and individuality.
What turns you off? negativity
What is your favorite curse word? Fuck
What sound or noise do you love? The ocean and children laughing
What sound or noise do you hate? People eating loudly
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Archeologist
What profession would you not like to do? Submarine Captain
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? You were a good person and you treated everyone with kindness. And then my dad and the rest of my family who have past will meet me, along with all of my pets!

Don’t you just love Michele’s outlook and all of Coastal Brahmin’s beautiful products. A huge thank you to her for sharing so much of life and journey. As a special bonus, Michele is offering my readers a special 15% off on her online shop. Use the code FINDINGSILVERPENNIES15 .

Be sure to follow along with Michele:

If you’d like more Creativity Over Coffee you can read the full series here.

Photos courtesy of Michele McCoy / Coastal Brahmin

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