Digest columnist Kelly Kruger has launched a new activewear collection bearing the name of her blog, Madison Charles. “I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, let me start a clothing line,’ ” begins Kruger of the genesis of her new venture. “I never had that as a goal, but when I named my blog Madison Charles, I did think, ‘Oh, that would be a great name if I ever started one.’ ”
Courtesy Of Laura Morgan
It was during a conversation with hubby Darin Brooks (Wyatt, B&B) that a seed was planted in Kruger’s head. “We were talking one day and I said, ‘I work out every day, and I am very into spreading positivity and inspiring people. How can I kind of turn this into something where I can do both and just wear my own clothes?’ ” she recalls. “And when I was toying around with the idea, he was like, ‘You should just do it!’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah, down the road.’ And he said, ‘No, do it now.’ And here we are!”
Kruger describes her curated collection as motivational activewear. “Right now, it’s very limited pieces,” she explains. “I have three tanks to choose from, two sweatshirts, one zip hoodie, an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt, some leggings, sweats and hats.”
Courtesy Of Laura Morgan
Inspiring quotes play a big role in the message of her line. “I’ve been obsessed with quotes my whole life,” she notes. “When I was 12 years old, I had a journal with quotes. I had a really hard childhood, and I needed what I needed to keep me going and keep me inspired. [Later on in life,] I started painting quotes on 8×10 or 11×14 canvases, and I would put them on my wall in my office. Before I knew it, I filled up an entire wall of famous quotes that inspired me. Every morning, I would get up and stand in front of them and read the quotes, and that’s how I would start my day. It would keep me focused and motivated. I have hundreds and hundreds of quotes that I love, so the hardest part was picking my top three right now, so for this first run, it’s a little bit more motivational, fitness-wise. Moving forward, every month there’s going to be a quote of the month, and that specific quote on the tank or tee will only be available that month, and then once it’s sold out, it’s done.”
Quality was foremost in her mind when it came to getting the pieces made. “I thought, ‘How do I make it cost-effective enough that people can afford it and want to buy it but yet not have the quality suffer?’ ” she says. “Because, trust me, that was a big thing. If you’re going to work out in something, or you’re just going to wear it around, comfort and having good material are so important rather than terrible, itchy cotton. We’re trying to keep it as affordable as possible without having the quality suffer.”
Courtesy Of Laura Morgan
Kruger shares that she will also be donating some of the proceeds to charity. “I want to be able to help,” she explains. “We might do a different charity each month; I’m still working it out.”
As for Brooks, “He’s completely involved,” Kruger reports. “I downplay everything, like, ‘Oh, this is just a trial thing, let’s just see what happens,’ and he’s like, ‘No! This is amazing!’ He believes in it and me so much. He’s my biggest cheerleader. He really is very, very hands-on and coming up with a lot of ideas.”
Kruger is both thrilled and nervous now that she’s launched. “I’m excited and I’m a little vulnerable,” she admits. “I’m not really sure how people are going to respond to it. But Darin’s so proud and I’m so proud, and it really feels like an accomplishment, regardless of the outcome. The fact that I can get up in the morning and throw on this motivational T-shirt or hoodie that says Madison Charles on it, which is named after my babies, [dogs] Maddy and Charlie, it’s so meaningful to me. So I’m feeling everything, but I’m super-excited.”
To shop the collection, go to madisoncharles.com.
