Meet Margaret and Katherine Kleveland, sisters, Santa Barbara natives, and founders of DÔEN, a fashion and lifestyle store that just opened its newest shop in the Montecito Country Mart:
Q: Tell us a bit about your business.
A: DÔEN is a digitally-led, multi-channel fashion and lifestyle brand that connects directly with our consumers. We founded the brand in 2016 with a Collective of amazing women with the mission to create lasting, beautiful collections while supporting individuals in all aspects of their organization, supply chain, and community. Our collections celebrate womanhood, thoughtfully designed for women and the bustling, busy, and beautiful lives they live in their clothes. The pieces are meticulously crafted to be passed on for generations, evoking a timeless whimsy and unapologetic femininity. We work with domestic and international partners who share their values and commitment to gender and social equality as well as giving back by partnering with foundations that directly benefit their employees and surrounding communities.
Q: Why did you start your business?
A: Informed by our years spent in the fashion industry highlighting the lack of representation of women at the helm of fashion brands and the noticeable absence of an accessible, inviting and beautiful brand that spoke to, empathized with, and listened to the customer, we were inspired to create something different. We were new moms and our paths to motherhood really highlighted the incredible power we have as women and gave us confidence in our ability to build, nurture, and sustain this brand we'd only been dreaming of. We channeled this newfound confidence into conceptualizing what DÔEN is today. With the partnership of the women in the Collective, we continue to build the brand with the intention to celebrate all women and the lives they live in their clothes, to build an entity that empowers a leadership that challenges conventional thinking, and establish an intimate connection with the community who cherish the pieces.
Q: What makes you the most passionate about your work?
A: We both take so much pride in building something with such an inspiring, smart, and strong group of women. Watching our team and the business grow as a result of the collective passion and dedication to building something we believe in is incredibly special.
Q: What are some of your favorite projects/products?
A: Designing and collaborating on this Montecito project with the Nicky Kehoe team has been really magical – they also were the creative force behind our Brentwood Country Mart location, and it’s always inspiring to watch the team create beauty in these jewel box spaces.
Q: Connection to Santa Barbara, why do you work/live here?
A: We were born and raised in Santa Barbara, and the coastal California lifestyle is an ever-present aesthetic inspiration as we build the brand. The collections are designed with a keen reverence for the landscapes of growing up in the area – grazing oak groves and orchards and looking out on the serene, soft hues of the oceans. Our first shoot was up in Jalama Canyon and celebrates our love for the area. Santa Barbara is, and will always be, an important part of our story.
Q: Describe your perfect day in Santa Barbara.
A: The beautiful Jalama State Beach for a camping trip or a perfect long beach day, followed up by a casual early dinner of wood-fired pizza at Bettina.
Q: Store location
Montecito Country Mart
1016 Coast Village Road
Montecito, CA 93108
Q: Contact & social media
Instagram: @shopdoen
Phone: 877-756-7353
Email: [email protected]
