Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Lee.
Hi Melanie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
My name is Melanie Lee, but many people call me Mel and I am the Founder of MMEL AND ME. I am 23 years old and a first-generation Hmong American. In 2020, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree(s) in Business and Marketing Education and Human Resource Development. After graduating, I became clueless about what I wanted to do and it was even harder with the pandemic. The only thing I knew for sure was I wanted to empower others to love and take care of themselves. I also created MMEL AND ME because of my love for pajamas and sleepwear. When I wear them, they make me feel happy and I hope to help others discover that feeling as well.
So you must be wondering, what sparked the idea of self-love pajamas? Well… Growing up as a Hmong woman I was never taught to put myself first. Traditionally in our culture, women are taught to take care of others before themselves and to sacrifice their happiness for the sake of the family. And as a child, I saw many of the women around me go through this. For example, when attending family events, many of my older aunts and cousins including my mom were always running around making sure everything was ready such as the food, the cooking, the cleaning, and they always ate last. Then when I would visit them, I witnessed how they looked after their kids and in-laws with no help from their significant others most of the time and it made me a little sad. In my eyes, they couldn’t dedicate time to themselves and that’s a huge part of the reason why I created this brand. To remind and help people see how important it is to rest, relax, and take care of their well-being.
Then when I was younger, I never really had pajamas. I didn’t get my first set until I was eighteen. I vividly remember in elementary school there would be spirit week. For pajama day, everyone would come in dressed and I always felt left out. My friends would ask me why I didn’t have any and I couldn’t give them an answer so I guess you can also say that in a way, MMEL AND ME is also inspired by the desires of my inner child and sorta healing her.
On top of that, I learned a lot from my past relationships. Regardless of whether it was a partner or friend, a pattern I noticed in my life was I always lost myself in loving others. I would put them before me and it never ended well. Many of these experiences led to the darkest times of my life and I got hurt. There were many endless nights of crying for sure which is also why I selected pajamas, but as I slowly worked on overcoming the trauma and embraced my imperfections, I finally realized I am more than enough. That I deserve to heal and to be the best version of me for ME.
I hope MMEL AND ME can truly connect with others and allow them to be kind to themselves at the end of the day. I believe pajamas is a form of self-care and I hope they can help people put their mind at ease and most importantly, spend time and be comfortable with themselves. I believe everyone deserves to feel worthy, beautiful, and confident in their own space.
And the best part about MMEL AND ME is that 5% of every transaction goes towards mental health.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are always going to be ups and downs. I think being a small business owner can be very lonely sometimes because you really have to hold yourself accountable and pick yourself up when you fall. Everything you do and every decision you make is up to you and only you so it can be overwhelming.
I remember I almost quit when the negotiation with my first manufacturer failed. We couldn’t come to an agreement so I decided to part ways with them and my morale was at an all-time low. At that point, I started questioning everything and wondered if it was even worth it to keep going. Because initially my first collection “The Healing Collection” was supposed to launch in February of 2021, but because of the delay it didn’t launch until May and when things don’t go as planned, of course, it doesn’t feel good. The biggest lesson I learned from this was, do not put all of your eggs into one basket. Make sure to always have Plan A, Plan B, and CDEFG. But even so, it was all worth it in the end. The crazy thing is I believe it was meant to happen because when I launched in May, it was also Mental Health Awareness Month so everything ended up working out perfectly.
Then when it comes to my self-esteem and confidence, it was definitely a back and forth battle. Some days would be full of positive vibes with me hyping myself up, but others weren’t as great. And what I’ve come to learn though is I have the power to decide how I feel. I get to choose and I choose happiness. No one can take that away from me.
There are going to be a lot of obstacles and challenges, but always remember why you started and that you have control over your own purpose and who you can become. I always say this to myself; “It’s not fair to the future me if I don’t work on myself now. She deserves all of me and deserves to live the best version of me.”
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Honestly, if you asked me this question years ago, I would’ve answered I never considered myself a creative person. Even today, who would’ve thought 23-year-old Mel would have her own pajamas? It still feels surreal to me.
MMEL AND ME is well-known for self-love pajamas and the secret messages within. Each set has a secret message to remind the person wearing them all kinds of things. For example, “I deserve happiness” “I deserve to heal” and many more.
Funny story, I also remember one night when I was wearing the “I deserve happiness” set, I was crying so hard. I don’t recall what exactly happened, but all I could remember was when I looked inside the pocket, it read “I deserve happiness” and all of a sudden, the negative thoughts disappeared. Reading that really helped me get through a hard time and cheered me up.
I would also like to take this time to say thank you to my older sister Sam and brother-in-law Nyia for helping me. Because of their help and support, I was able to develop this idea beautifully.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
In 2021, MMEL AND ME packed and shipped 100+ orders across the country and raised a total of $401.70 towards mental health. All of the funds were donated to their 2021 partner organization Walk-In; a nonprofit organization located in Minneapolis where they provide free, easily accessible mental health counseling to people with urgent needs.
A special message from Mel:
“Thank you to my parents, siblings, and friends for not giving up on me. Thank you to all of my wonderful supporters. Because of your continuous love and support, I was able to share this incredible journey with you all and believe in myself. Thank you for trusting in me and inspiring me to become better every single day. Love and appreciate you all.”
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@mmelandme.com
- Website: www.mmelandme.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mmelandme
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mmelandme
Image Credits
Nyia Xiong
OnlyDiane Photography
