About Katie May
Established in 2012, Katie May was developed by Katie May Neu through her passion of design and fashion. Neu decided to take on these pursuits and turn her love for design into her own company. Everything is developed and produced with high quality materials in Los Angeles. We are primarily online, but we also have products in established stores around the world such as Nordstrom and Revolve. If you are not happy with your purchase, you are more than welcome to return it. We are committed to making our brides feel the most confident in who they are, using our dresses to express their true selves.
How Katie May Flourished in the Fashion Industry
How one dress started an empire business
Katie May Neu, CEO of Katie May and Designer, Image courtesy of Locale Magazine
It all started with a single Pinterest post. In 2012, Katie May Neu decided to help her younger sister design her dream wedding gown, where the vision was to create a modern gown with a unique twist. Once completed, Katie posted the dress on Pinterest; where it became viral the following day. With the dress’s success, Katie May’s brand was born.
As a little girl Katie always knew she wanted to become a designer. Throughout her college career she worked in retail to gain experience in the industry. Initially, Katie’s business didn’t have a robust team, it was just her and her husband. They dealt with everything from order inquiries to manufacturing.
The company grew to 25 employees, and partnered with big companies like Revolve and Nordstrom. It was then featured in magazines including Vogue and Refinery29. Nonetheless, Katie encountered difficulties establishing her business. The learning curve for managing people and creating an enjoyable work environment didn’t come easy to her. Katie learned all of these by forging through it. Even though she hasn’t completely mastered all of those things, she’s been able to grow from them.
When it came to deciding upon the theme and name of her brand it rooted back to her family and aesthetic. Growing up Katie would spend hours with her Nana, playing dress up in her closet with clothes from Italy and France. In addition, her Nana taught her about fabric and drape. "Truly, it all started with my Nana," said Katie. "It started with the time she gave me and what she taught me."
As she established her brand, she gleaned a variety of things along the way. Katie has key advice on how to break into the industry. “I really encourage people if they have a network to get a mentor, someone who’s in the same industry can help you build your framework.”
Breaking into the industry is difficult, but with that comes sacrifice and staying true to who someone is. From Katie’s experience she’s learned that keeping her values are important when it comes to finding success.
“You have to love what you do but if you’re not really sure if you want to put in the time or work, I wouldn’t do it. You have to go in one hundred percent to really see the success you want.”