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Kristin Ruud is the founder of Northern Classics, an outdoor clothing brand that blends timeless, elevated aesthetics with high-performance technical outerwear for kids. A University of Michigan business school graduate, Kristin's career took her through financial consulting, hedge fund management, and commercial construction before an entrepreneurial spark and three kids under one and a half during COVID led her to launch Northern Classics. In this episode, Kristin shares how she identified a gap in the children's ski apparel market: technical gear that was either purely functional or purely cute, but never both. Kristin opens up about the challenges of building a brand from scratch with no apparel background, the power of community and customer feedback, and what it's like to see her designs "in the wild" on the slopes out west. As a mom of four (twins almost 7, a 5-year-old, and a 3-year-old), Kristin brings both personal credibility and infectious joy to everything she creates.
Notable Quotes:
"I always say I'm selling — I am my own customer."
"I try really hard to keep my kids at the forefront. I mean, they were the inspiration behind this brand."
Resources:
Email: info@northernclassics.com
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