With an MBA and years of sales experience under her belt, lifelong fashionista Bettina Benson wanted to help fellow professional females dress for success. “I’m thinking about that woman who understands the power of presenting her best self, and the power of a well-constructed, functional garment that helps her put her best foot forward,” says Bettina, the founder and creative director of Atlanta-based clothing company Chloe Kristyn.
She was well-established in her medical sales career when her daughter, the business’s namesake, was born in 2013. The self-taught fashion designer officially launched her first collection of dresses and other ready-to-wear apparel in 2016. Bettina initially offered a line of mommy-and-me styles, but she quickly shifted her focus to figure-flattering ponte knit pieces and other clothing geared toward working women in their 40s and beyond in sizes that range from XS to XXL.
Bettina Benson dreams up each Chloe Kristyn design for professional women who strive to look stylish while feeling comfortable and confident. She recalls growing up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and considering her grandmother, Betty Lou, the epitome of Southern style because she exuded “effortless elegance” through her outfit choices and her attitude. Every season, Bettina includes a leopard-print piece in the collection as an homage to her grandmother’s signature pattern.
She collaborates with her small, all-female team to bring each high-quality design to life, and every style is produced and manufactured in the U.S. from start to finish. As a woman of color, Bettina advocates for equality in her industry and works to bring minority designers into the spotlight. Ultimately, celebrating diversity and individuality is at the company’s core, along with a genuine desire to provide women with a timeless, confidence-boosting wardrobe. “We want to create a perfectly proportioned backdrop for a woman to tell her story,” says Bettina.
Visit chloekristyn.com for more information.
Text by Ashley Shaw
Photography by Katie Parker and courtesy of Chloe Kristyn.
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