Five months after my first daughter was born, I returned to my job at a progressive, supportive technology company where I was lucky to have all the necessary accommodations to pump at my office. I was struck by how awkward I felt bringing such an intimate activity like breastfeeding into the office while joining my new mom identity with the professional identity I had known for so many years. I felt uncomfortable in my postpartum body and wanted to show up looking like the professional I was without calling attention to my curvier-than-usual body. I quickly became frustrated by my limited clothing choices: I could try to squeeze into my pre-baby clothes which had the right look but didn’t fit well (if at all) and didn’t enable efficient pumping, I could wear my maternity clothes which didn’t fit well because I no longer had a human growing inside of me, or I could wear nursing clothes which were casual and didn’t enable me to project my desired look.
Fulcrum Apparel is born directly from my experience. As an engineer, I knew I could design a better solution for elevated, functional apparel for mothers. I also wanted to create a brand with a fierce commitment to empower women in the workforce, not only by providing attire that fits their life circumstances, but by relating to women as both professionals and mothers. With the lines between work and home increasingly blurred, women need solutions that speak to the complexities of working motherhood in a post-pandemic world and enable them to move seamlessly between their commitments.
Today our passion is serving working moms so they can chase after all their dreams without having to sacrifice the personal for the professional, or vice versa. My sincere hope is that our garments bring you confidence and efficiency so you can focus on what matters most to you and accomplish all of your goals.
-Kathryn Wepfer, founder
