A Bells & Becks woman is someone you know even without truly knowing her. She’s smart, savvy, put-together, accomplished—and doing it all with flair. These are the women we know, admire, and have in mind when we design. Featuring some of their stories here feels like the best way to celebrate all they’ve accomplished (plus, how they’re doing it with joy and great style). We hope they inspire you as much as they inspire us.
Lisa Mullan’s company Uwila Warrior arose from an age-old conundrum: Why does beautiful underwear not fit—and why is underwear that fits not beautiful? Lisa and her co-founder resolved that it shouldn’t be an either-or situation, and that at least as far as underwear was concerned, women could, in fact, have it all. The resulting line of super-soft, elegant underwear, camis and bras proves exactly that. “Women shouldn’t have to twist their bodies and lifestyles into underwear that only fits sometimes,” says Lisa. “They should have unapologetically colorful, beautiful, and comfortable underwear that fits every moment of their lives.”
We sat down with Lisa to delve into her inspirations—and challenges—as a female entrepreneur. Read on for Lisa’s career wins, ingenious parenting hacks, and fashion must-haves—as well as her mother’s best advice on budgeting for clothing (hint: it involves a pair of great shoes).
What have been some of the most notable wins while building your career?
Notable wins include:
- Becoming financially literate and then financially independent through my work as an equities investor early on. Understanding accounting, budgeting, forecasting from an early age has helped me in my personal and professional life, no matter what the role.
- Landing a job at HubSpot to help them through their IPO in between my work as an investor and later launching Uwila Warrior. I had great managers at HubSpot and very much appreciated the company culture and high GSD (get sh*t done) mentality from the entire team, no matter how senior or entry level the role.
- Launching Uwila Warrior with a strong co-founder, Natalia Martorell, a fashion insider with strong connections and understanding of how to develop Uwila Warrior’s product assortment in a thoughtful and meaningful way.
We believe in the idea that if you want something done, ask a busy woman. What are some of your best tricks or hacks for working through a busy schedule and keeping lots of balls in the air?
- Keep a weekly family schedule google document! Planning and communication in your family life clearly defines who is responsible for who/what and at what time, and allows me to offload that from my plate during the week.
- Try to do webinars, podcasts, etc while walking (or driving) to get some exercise while studying up on current events and industry .
- Have a wireless enabled iPad so that you can jump online anywhere (usually from your car if your kids are older) and GSD.
- Know that there is always someone out there that has the answer to a problem you cannot solve. Pivoting to find this person with the answer instead of studying to become the expert often is time better spent.
- Be an overly courteous driver, especially with kids in the car…always wave to other drivers in a nice way (I jiggle my fingers in a wave). Other drivers/strangers are more likely to yield to you or help you out in a tricky traffic situation.
- Always have a bag of snacks ready to grab for your kids. It might end up being their dinner.
- Always have a bag packed for the sports field (with hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, Tylenol) and a fold-up chair for the fields in your trunk. Take the thought out of being ready for your parental duties.
What are the best and worst parts of being a female entrepreneur?
The worst part is seeing the statistics on female founders getting funding. While sometimes you feel the tide is against you as a woman, it’s hard to quantify that this is really happening…until you follow the money. The best part of being a female entrepreneur is working with other female entrepreneurs to help us grow together—and creating a company culture that truly is welcoming to women in all stages of their personal and professional lives.
Founding Uwila Warrior and moving to run it full-time was a career switch for you. Why did you decide to go for it?
- When there was clearly product market fit for our line that was validated by new customer adoption.
- When the business was big enough that it consumed my full attention.
- When Free People found our brand and reached out to sell our line wholesale…we had not even entertained selling wholesale until that happened.
Which best describes how you shop for your clothes?
I shop both online and in person, with most of my in person shopping centered around smaller boutiques in my local neighborhood (Beacon Hill, Boston). Dress Boston (where I got the skirt in my photos!) and French & Italian are two favorite local shops. I focus on comfort and fit while looking for pieces that reflect my style, which is very casual most days. I value sustainability, so I often look for eco-friendly or ethically made clothing. Admittedly, I am a compulsive shopper but with an aim to invest in quality items that last.
What is your go-to outfit and why?
A comfortable midi skirt like this one from Mother Denim or this one I found at Dress Boston on Charles Street in Boston from the designer Suzi Kondi, paired with a Uwila Warrior better briefs camisole, and a knit cardigan like this one from Miu Miu. For a more casual look, I might layer on this Varley zip-up.
What is the thing about your wardrobe that gives you the most joy?
Comfortable first layers (underwear, bras and camisoles) paired with joyful and colorful shoes and handbags. I’d never purchase a black bag or black winter coat… they are both depressing. Color is happy and adding color into my wardrobe injects joy into my day.
How does wearing a great pair of shoes make you feel?
Like a million bucks! Wearing a great pair of shoes pulls the whole outfit together. My own mother’s advice on budgeting for clothing is to spend on shoes and handbags and look for bargains and sales for basics (and most everything else). Better to be in all black basics with a fabulous pair of shoes (paired with some nice earrings and a handbag) plus good underwear (so you’re not having a bad underwear day).
Uwila Warrior is making moves in sustainability. Why is that important to you personally and to the brand?
At Uwila Warrior, we’re in the business of manufacturing, but our focus is on creating high-quality products that are built to last. Over the years, we’ve learned that transitioning to more sustainable materials and processes doesn’t mean compromising on quality. With this in mind, we’ve made a major effort to re-engineer the styles our customers already love, using more eco-friendly inputs. A key advancement has been our partnership with CiCLO for the Better Briefs collection. Most intimates are made from nylon, polyester, and elastane—plastics that can’t be upcycled or recycled, often ending up in landfills where they take up to 200 years to biodegrade. Better Briefs, made with CiCLO, behave like natural fibers in landfill conditions, safely degrading in just 2-3 years and significantly reducing the amount of plastic runoff entering the environment.
Shoe Lightning Round
- Flats or heels? Small heel
- Brights or neutrals? Brights
- Trends or classics? Trends
- Pointy toe or round toe? Round Toe
Shop Lisa's Pick: The Greta in Red
