# M.M.LaFleur

> M.M.LaFleur is a New York-based direct-to-consumer womenswear brand that coined the term 'Power Casual' and built its business around solving a single problem: getting ambitious women dressed for work without wasting their time. Founded in 2013 by Sarah LaFleur, designer Miyako Nakamura, and Narie Foster, the company pairs thoughtfully engineered professional clothing with a free personal-styling service called Bento that curates a box of pieces around each customer. After a near-collapse during the pandemic, the company was rescued by a syndicate of women investors and refocused on the wardrobe needs of a hybrid working world.

- **Founded:** 2013
- **Headquarters:** New York, New York, United States
- **Founders:** Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur (Founder & CEO), Miyako Nakamura (Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer), Narie Foster (Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~78-97 employees
- **Products:** Power Casual Collection, BENTO Styling Service, Showrooms & E-commerce
- **Notable:** Coined and popularized the term 'Power Casual' for modern professional dressing., Built a profitable, design-driven D2C brand without a traditional VC exit., Survived a 50% pandemic sales drop and a lender pullout by raising emergency capital from women investors.

## Products & services

- **Power Casual Collection** — Thoughtfully engineered professional clothing - dresses, the Jardigan, washable separates - designed to look polished and survive a full working day, the brand's signature 'clothing equivalent of work-life balance.'
- **BENTO Styling Service** — A free personal-styling service: customers take a quiz, are matched with a human stylist they can text, and receive a curated box of pieces (Essentials, Stars, and Accessories) to try at home and keep only what they want.
- **Showrooms & E-commerce** — Direct-to-consumer online store plus physical showrooms where customers can be styled in person, removing the friction of traditional retail.

## Achievements

- Coined and popularized the term 'Power Casual' for modern professional dressing.
- Built a profitable, design-driven D2C brand without a traditional VC exit.
- Survived a 50% pandemic sales drop and a lender pullout by raising emergency capital from women investors.
- Featured in Fortune, Inc., Fast Company and named to Inc. 5000 fast-growth lists.
- Founded by a team including a former Zac Posen head designer.

## Latest updates

- **2023-09** — Fortune profiled how M.M.LaFleur reinvented itself post-pandemic around the Power Casual dress code for hybrid work.
- **2023** — A syndicate of ~25 women investors provided emergency funding after the company's lender pulled out, keeping the brand independent.
- **2024** — Relaunched and expanded the BENTO styling service; revenue roughly doubled year over year to ~$11.9M.

## Links

- Website: https://mmlafleur.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/m-m-lafleur
- Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/mmlafleur
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mmlafleur
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmlafleur/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/mmlafleurnyc
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mmlafleur

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/m-m-lafleur
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-07