
Katherine Kleveland’s Slowed-Down Designer-Mama Life
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Photographed by Nicki Sebastian
We’ve profiled business partners before on Mother (see Cary Vaughn and Jenna Wilson from Ace & Jig), but never business partners who are also sisters! This piece marks a first, as we get a behind-the-scenes look at the crazy/beautiful family life of Katherine Kleveland, a mama of two little boys (Wilder, 4, and Shepard, 2 1/2) and one of the designers behind the incredibly buzzy label Dôen, which she works on alongside her sister, Margaret Kleveland, as well as a small circle of women, many of them fellow mothers. Below, we get a peek inside Katherine’s Los Angeles home, her backyard studio (a.k.a. Dôen HQ), and hear about her slowed-down, Cali-cool approach to clothing and parenting.
- "When our older son, Wilder, was 6 months old, we left our Hollywood Hills Spanish bungalow for more space in a more tranquil neighborhood, Toluca Lake. We found our new home, a 1941 traditional house in a sunny setting, and fell in love. The home and neighborhood really feel like they are from a different era—a slower, sweeter time. For me, the nature and outdoor space is equally as important as the indoor space, and this home has giant magnolia trees, citrus trees, a grassy yard, and space for a garden." Shepard wears a Bobo Choses shirt, Wilder wears a Nico Nico shirt and Carhartt overalls, and Katherine wears Doen's "Prem" dress and vintage jewelry.
- "Our home is traditional, with original charm, and a good flow. Our furniture is eclectic, pieces we’ve collected over time. We keep things pretty sparse for various reasons—kids, clear mind, specificity, etc."
- "We collect special pieces that we feel emotionally connected to. I always cherish and hang onto the pieces that somehow feel sentimental, like the semi-circle couch in our living room that was the first piece of furniture my husband and I purchased (at the Rose Bowl Flea) together. I think homes tell a better story when they have been decorated over time, as opposed to one fell swoop. Because of this, our home has always looked like a work in progress."
- "My husband did an incredible portrait of our older son and gave it to me as a Christmas gift. I will always have it in my life and it will always be so special to me. I love the antique Spanish harp table that was passed down to me from my grandfather. My dad made me a console table from old railroad ties, I love the way it looks, it's very him and and I value the time he took to make it."
- "The kid stuff everywhere is a bit inevitable. They play in every room, however we try to keep all of their toys in their playroom and we have kept the décor of the rest of the common spaces adult. The reality is that there are little Legos everywhere I turn, but I’m at peace with it."
- "The boys’ room is my favorite in the house. It is just more fun to create a kid’s space. There is so much life, joy, and play in their space. They each have a tent/canopy above their bed, I think it provides a shred of privacy or maybe just fantasy that they seem to enjoy. I try to always bring a different novelty item home from my work travels for them."
- "I love the bright and colorful wall hangings on either side of Wilder’s bed. I got them in Peru from a hand-made festival, highlighting the different villages trades, crafts, and artworks. Each boy also has a special bear from the Polka Dot Bear Club. They remind me of my mom’s Steiff bear she has had since childhood."
- "They love getting in their swing together and looking at a book. I think they each like their beds, it might feel like the one thing in the house that is truly and completely their own."
- "You learn so much about yourself as a parent, things that have always been there, but never called attention to themselves before are suddenly glaring. The biggest good change has been the joy of getting to be in a relationship and in love with two incredible humans, and the daily rewards of that relationship. The challenge is being more present, patient, and peaceful. Before having children, my impatience served me or wasn’t a glaring issue. I worked quickly, chased my dreams quickly, fell in love with my husband quickly. After my older son was born it immediately became my goal in life to slow down. From how I physically moved around him, to how I am in every interaction, I seek patience, and try to be present."
- "It was the best decision we ever made. I always watch them play and take comfort in each other’s presence and I think to myself that giving them siblinghood at that age was the best gift I could give either of them in their lives. It was the right timing for our family."
- "In retrospect, I really think I found my confidence, strength, and power as a woman from becoming a mother. I think I became a bit of a feminist, realizing how much our society doesn’t support women in motherhood or in corporate America in general became an intolerable reality for me."
- "Waking up every morning to growing minds and bonds. I always wanted a little bit of chaos and a big family, and I feel like we are in it."
- "Natural disasters. I’m totally afraid of earthquakes and apocalypses."
- "Wilder Thomas Hollister is my oldest, at 4 years old. Thomas was my grandfather’s name and is my father’s middle name. Hollister is Colin’s (my husband) middle name and a family name. Wilder is just who he was when we laid eyes on him. Shepard Baxter is 2 1/2 years old. Shepard comes from a hymn my aunt shared with me during a time when any spirituality was welcome, and it connected back to her childhood with my mom and was a hymn they used to sing in Sunday School. Baxter was my mother’s maternal grandmother’s last name. Without intention, Wilder’s name seems to be symbolic of the male side of the family and Shepard’s the female."
- "I always dreamt of having daughters, but once I met my boys, they were exactly who I wanted and surpassed any dream or fantasy. I was shocked the day I learned Wilder was a boy, it was such a change in direction from what I had always visualized. The moment I laid eyes on him, he blew my mind and I fell so deeply in love with him. With Shep, I knew more of what to expect, and when I met him I got to fall in love all over again with another little boy."
- "It would look like us just hanging out at our home, swimming, napping on a blanket in the grass, and planting or picking something in our garden. Super simple days with no agenda always seem to be the most enjoyable."
- "There are so many similarities in my boys when I compare them to other children, but when I am in the bubble of my experience of the two of them, I am most aware of their differences. I make a concerted effort not to label them as I don’t want them to feel put in a box. I recently had the realization that there is something about the way Wilder socializes that I find really precious and unique. Wilder wants to engage and talk to adults, at the market, at a restaurant, on the street, anywhere, but it is the way he does it and what he seeks from it. He wants to exchange information and connect. He likes to share a little information, but then he also asks questions and wants information. He doesn’t seek someone fawning over him and attention, he wants to have a peer-level exchange. Shepard came to this world very chill and easygoing, and has brought our family so much peace and joy. He has a confident, casual energy, but also a fiery temper that passes as quickly as it comes, and he goes back to chilling."
- "My friend Deborah Carlisle Solomon, who is a childcare guru and author. She has been there with spot-on advice and guidance, and helped frame our relationship with our children. It is really nice to connect with a person who has the same values and perspectives on parenting, but who is also an incredible expert and has so much wisdom to offer. My sister is a newer mom, and I am constantly in admiration of her steady calm. And my mom, who loves us fiercely and has always been incredibly calm and patient."
- "Our parenting views are very similar. I think coming from a shared childhood has shaped a lot of that, a collective memory of what felt good, what didn’t, what was impactful, what wasn’t."
- "Really listen to your own instincts and try to connect to whatever makes you feel confident as the parent of your child. One size does not fit all, and what works for others might not be right for you, so try to be in touch with your own ideas and observations of your own baby. Know that the world is a big stimulating place and that you can move slowly and allow your child space to connect to their own desire to explore the world."
- "Baby Knows Best by Deborah Carlisle Solomon."
- "Takeout sushi. I’m not a good cook and don’t really enjoy it. I’ve learned a few things as a parent, but the reality is our nanny cooks the kids dinner, and I usually join halfway through when I am done with work. On the weekends, my husband does most of the cooking. I grow veggies and love making salads with fresh ingredients. I prefer gardening to cooking."
- "My husband and I love taking mini weekend vacations alone. It is the best time to reconnect with your relationship independent of your children. We go out to dinner about once a week—it’s nice to have time to laugh together and have long uninterrupted conversations. "
- "Yes."
- "Dôen is a women’s clothing line that is sold exclusively online on our site. It is owned and run by a collective of creative women based in Los Angeles. Our designs are inspired by vintage and our nostalgia for the California of past decades. The clothing is produced in India, Peru, and Los Angeles. All of our vendor partners are owned or co-owned by women and have initiatives to promote closing the gender gap."
- "Through our careers we have noticed how atypical it is for women to be included in equity and ownership in an industry that is not only serving women, but is also predominantly run by women. We knew that it would only add to our potential for success to include the most talented and hardworking women in our business in a real and meaningful way."
- "We had no expectations, as the exclusively direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform is relatively new. We are very pleased with the response, and love the feeling of building a community of women who speak the same aesthetic language as us!"
- "We're current headquartered from our backyard studio, but we will be moving into an office space shortly, which is bittersweet. It is completely necessary, but it has been such an incredible experience to start it all from home. We work with a lot of freelancers, and encourage our team to work from home when they feel it will yield a better product/efficiency, but there are still about six people in the studio on any given day and most afternoons there are about one to two naked boys running in and out!"
- "Partnering with Margaret on Dôen is such a gift because she is without a doubt the most qualified and talented person, and it is a dream come true to feel that way about your business partner. The added bonus is that this venture has strengthened our relationship and our bond as sisters tenfold. We have had to work through any conflicts as business partners, but in doing so have learned so much more about effective communication as sisters. "
- "I grew up in Santa Barbara, it was a beautiful place to have a childhood and we were allowed freedom to roam. We lived a few blocks from the Natural History Museum, and we would bike over and wander around and go play down in the creek. We played in the rose garden after school, and summer days were spent at the beach. It was magical and inspiring and definitely informed my aesthetic and created a powerful visual memory. School was never a natural environment for me, but when I went to FIDM for apparel manufacturing, it clicked. I still didn’t love school, but I loved fashion and working in it. While I was still at FIDM, I went from being an intern at Joie to a full-time employee, and shortly after I became the head of design. It was an exhilarating time and experience, it was right around the crash of 2008, and we re-directed the design and started growing the company with revenue increases at 30% annually. I got to work with incredible women and traveled the world. After I had my first son, it was the right time for me to make a change, and I left Joie and got pregnant with my second son, Shepard. I freelanced for 2 years and then woke up one day and knew exactly what I wanted to do, and then we started working on Dôen. Now we live in Toluca Lake, which is a small community in the Valley, that is a sweet, slow-moving place and perfect for our family."
- "Yes, I think so. I was always a fast worker, and pretty efficient, but now I think I am probably more efficient. I am a bit spazzy, hyper, and day dreamy, but working with a small team (and no assistants) I have to pull it together and be very clear and organized, which is a bit of a struggle for me. My memory is terrible, but that has always been there, just more amplified now. I have always loved my work, I still do, that hasn’t changed. I have to set boundaries about my work time, because I work from home and there are many office visits from the littles."
- "I have an incredible nanny. She is my village. She comes four days a week and she is part of the family. I value her love and presence with our kids so much. My husband works long hours during the week and I am starting a business. I am with the boys in the morning until they leave for pre-school, and then I usually pop in and have lunch with them after pre-school. I finish work right around their dinner time, and join them. Like I mentioned, we are moving into an office space in the next few months, so it will change the balance and dynamic, but will probably allow for my defined work time and present mom time. I'm grateful for the work-life balance of being present for them even though I'm working all day. And the value of them seeing me working hard and creating something."
- "Yes. My sister Margaret and her wife Brett live 10 minutes away and, although we are all busy, we are always available to show up when needed. My sister and brother-in-law live in Venice Beach and they are also a constant presence in our lives. They have 6-month-old son. The grandparents are in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara, which are fun places to visit and a short enough distance for them to come stay with us for a weekend."
- "Everything. I love designing and putting a collection together, it gives me satisfaction and exhilaration like nothing else in life. I get to dream and tell a story and draw. But I also really love the analytics and strategy part of what I do. It stimulates a different part of my brain, and makes me feel more connected to our growing community of customers."
- "We are completely focused on making Dôen a really well-rounded online shopping destination that serves our growing community. I want to keep making a product I believe in, evolving it, and expanding our digital presence."
- "Our neighborhood, Toluca Lake, feels very not L.A. It is almost always sunny and warm, the streets are flat and wide, lined with old homes on large lots. The boys can bike and scooter around the quiet streets and they have many friends in the neighborhood. We also spend many weekends in Santa Barbara, staying at our family’s beach house. I want the boys to feel connected to Santa Barbara, it’s such a special town."
- "We love going to Gjelina for brunch in Venice. We go to the Studio City farmers market on Sundays, and eat at Joan's on Third. We like taking them to LACMA, there are usually a few exhibits that are exciting for kids. We like hiking in Fryman Canyon. I love taking them to the nursery to pick out flowers or veggies, they love it and get excited for the activity, and it’s what I did with my dad growing up, so it feels familiar in a good way."
- "Yes. France."
- "Casual, nostalgic, definitely impacted by my upbringing in Santa Barbara. Irreverent to seasons and recognizing natural beauty and organic materials, colors, and lines."
- Katherine wears another dress by Dôen.
- "There was a shift in what I considered to be beautiful after becoming a mom. I definitely still feel connected to style and fashion, but my approach is a bit more inspired by women that dress for themselves and exude confidence and irreverence. I think women look their best when they aren’t trying so hard, but are natural, healthy, happy, and content with themselves. "
- "I used to steal my mom’s old 501’s in highschool, now I steal my dad’s that he wears from new to ancient, working on his ranch. I am in at least one Dôen item everyday, the pieces perfectly suit my lifestyle."
- "I’ve always respected and admired Phoebe Philo for her talent, for her business choices, for her family choices. I am inspired by antique and vintage fashion, there is so much character, technique, craft, and rich history, it’s an endless source of inspiration."
- "Minimal to non-existent. I wash my face with water. I wash my hair every few days. Drink water, take a million vitamins and supplements, drink tea, drink wine, be happy."
- "I love hot yoga, my sister turned me onto it. I do it rarely, when I have time. I am always up and moving, I can’t sit very long. I need to do more yoga. I need to meditate."
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