Buttercup

California based fashion brand, Buttercup, designs gorgeous and girly pieces for every-day wear. Inspired by the nostalgia of the naughties, founder Clara de Pretis has perfectly captured the essence of girly, 2000s slumber parties through the cutest organic cotton underwear.  

The 2000s were a defining era for fashion- embracing colourful and often whimsical clothing trends. Comfy and cute underwear sets were a staple in every girl's wardrobe and Clara explained that the inspiration behind Buttercup came purely from her excitement for being a girl, adding “I loved girly TV shows and pink and all that kind of stuff”. Now, her collection of bras and underwear exude all of the same fun and charm that she remembers from growing up. 

With a lifelong love for fashion, Clara always knew that she wanted to work in the field but explained that she “felt a bit embarrassed” that her ambition was not more academic or something viewed as a more ‘serious’ profession. It was not until a few years later that she began to realise that, for her at least, “fulfilment and daily happiness is more important than money or being impressive to new people.”

Upon realising this, Clara began to build Buttercup; a process that she described to be “much more challenging than I thought it would be” as “it takes so long to make something new.” However, the business has quickly caught the attention of shoppers online and has now accumulated over ten thousand followers on Instagram. 

Reflecting on her time as a business owner, Clara added “I love running a business! I find it really stimulating and fun,” but stresses that “it's definitely not for everybody- it's stressful and quite high stakes.” Advising anyone that is hoping to start up a business of their own to “start slow” and “spend a lot of time asking people for advice. Really important people will be down to help you if you just send them an email!”

Now, Buttercup is predominantly managed by Clara, though she explains that her younger sister also works alongside her as part of the brand. With warehouses in both California and the UK, Buttercup has grown massively and it is proving to be extremely popular amongst fans of playful, 2000s fashion. Whilst the business will most likely remain online for the foreseeable future, there is hope that one day there will be a physical store in Los Angeles or London.