Both born and raised in Chicago, we met during our law school orientation and instantly connected. We were close friends and roommates throughout law school. We’ve been fortunate to experience so many of our milestones together. Celebrating weddings, growing our families, supporting one another through moves and career changes. Then eventually, starting a business together.
We are both moms of two amazing little girls. While nursing and pregnant with our oldest daughters, we experienced similar struggles . Then we were pregnant again and already anxious about trying to breastfeed and pump again. We had tried to find a bra that we could nurse and pump in. There was not a good option that both functioned properly and was comfortable enough to wear all day and night.
Undressing and redressing in and out of bulky pumping garments several times a day was both time-consuming and stressful.
We were also both prone to mastitis. Anything that did not allow us to easily massage our breasts while nursing and pumping only made the clogging worse. We needed a simpler, more comfortable way to nurse and pump that could alleviate these issues. Neither of us had any experience in the apparel industry or manufacturing. We took a methodical approach to learning the field and decided to dive in to create a solution.
We obsessed over all the details. Then the first prototype arrived to Maggie the same day Katie went into labor with her second baby. From there, we created focus groups of other nursing and pumping moms. We even tested the designs ourselves while nursing and pumping with our youngest daughters. The result was Larken’s innovative line of essentials for pregnancy, nursing, hands-free pumping and beyond. This officially launched in January 2019.
In particular, our patent pending “Larken X” is the first all-in-one discreet nursing and hands-free pumping layer without any irritating elastic, snaps, zippers or other cumbersome hardware.
It is made with flatlock seams and a moisture-wicking fabric. It has excellent stretch and recovery so that it can adapt to mom’s constantly fluctuating chest size. The bra allows easy access to massage the breasts while nursing or pumping, and is extremely breathable. We particularly love it during the fourth trimester when you are extra sensitive and often engorged. It can be worn all day and all night so you never have to waste time undressing or changing into a different bra to pump.
We also launched our Signature Tank, designed to take you through pregnancy and beyond with simple pull-down nursing access. It has an incredibly soft micro-modal spandex blend. The tank is also tag-free, elastic-free and hardware-free. 
We want to do more than design ultra-comfortable, easy to use nursing and pumping apparel. We are on a mission to support and elevate all mothers. Larken is a name meaning “fierce”. We chose this based on the recognition that motherhood is beautiful, but it isn’t always easy.
We have been inspired by the many mothers who we have met along this journey. Those who have struggled not only with breastfeeding challenges, but also infertility, loss, postpartum depression, life-threatening deliveries, and all of the everyday challenges motherhood brings.
We aim to shine a light on the beautiful, sometimes messy, honest motherhood moments. Creating a supportive community of women helping other women.
Katie Blouin and Maggie Phipps, Larken Co-Founders
