M.M.LaFleur CEO Sarah LaFleur: 'We have this opportunity to rewrite the rules' of workwear

Workwear was different when CEO Sarah LaFleur launched M.M.LaFleur, her fashion brand targeting working women.

“Dresses were the majority of our business [in 2013],” she said on the Glossy Podcast. “We didn’t even have pants until 2016.”

But now that working from home has become the norm, the brand has fully embraced casual wear. “The Power Casual category [that includes joggers, hoodies and tees] was probably 15-20% of our business going into 2020. But Covid hit, and -- boom. It's now over 50%,” she said.

Tackling change is a growing trend for the brand. In late February, it will introduce M.M. Second Act, a peer-to-peer resale program that’s been on the backburner for years.

“I always saw M.M.'s purpose in the clothing world as being not just about selling, but also about showing women how to wear it. And actually teaching women how to take care of their clothing. The final piece in clothing's journey is retiring that piece, if you're not wearing it,” said LaFleur. “It wasn't until recently, when the technology really caught up with this brand value, that we've been able to lean into [resale].”

LaFleur also discussed how Slack is fueling the brand's community and why now is the time to redefine the workwear dress code.