Several years after a husband and wife immigrated to Montgomery County, they fulfilled their dream of entrepreneurship by launching a direct-to-consumer sustainable apparel brand, which they’re now looking to grow.
Julia and Fyodor Ustinov launched Moon Mountain last September, several years after coming to the U.S. from St. Petersburg, Russia, in search of new opportunities for their family.
The decision to launch an apparel brand was a stark departure from their backgrounds. Julia – who was born in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, before her family relocated to St. Petersburg, where she later met her husband – previously worked in child psychology, while Fyodor’s background is in economics.
Despite their disparate backgrounds, both knew that with the fresh start in the U.S. they also wanted to create something of their own. The result is Moon Mountain.
“This business that we’re doing now, it’s a new area for both of us to explore,” Julia Ustinov said in Russian, relayed in English with the help of a friend acting as translator.
The pair immigrated about five years ago, landing in Plymouth Meeting, where their business is based. In the lead up to the launch, they spent several years researching textiles and the industry as a whole before deciding on their concept. Moon Mountain is a sustainable brand using cotton and linen in its bedding, towels and apparel lines. The business also has a small selection of home goods, such as candle holders and cotton aprons.
The overall goal was to create a brand that brought comfort and quality into the many aspects of home life.
The choice to focus on natural fabrics, and linen and cotton in particular, was made for several reasons. The pair wanted their pieces to be comfortable and sustainable, something they felt both fabrics offered, and to not shed microplastics. Microplastics, the small particles of plastic that come from all manner of products, are increasingly ending up in water sources – and now in people’s bodies.
In addition to not producing microplastics, the natural fibers are generally longer lasting than syntehtics and retain their shape and appearance better, Julia said, noting that both cotton and linen are also biodegradable.
The couple source materials that don’t have chemical additives, with linen coming from Europe and cotton from Vietnam.
The choice of natural fabrics was something instilled in both from a young age and Julia picked up some sewing skills from her grandmother and mother, who tailored garments for their family from time to time and sometimes made simple garments, as well.
Creating comfortable pieces was a key for the brand and the pieces which have looser fitting silhouettes that are not too restrictive.
“We care a lot about the comfort for our home, for our bodies and ourselves,” Julia said. “The majority of our inspiration comes from the comfort of everyday life.”
Moon Mountain’s apparel line includes an array of dresses, shirts, pants, shorts, loungewear and robes. Prices range from $34 for select tops to upwards of $289 for the top-end dress. Of the apparel line, the bathrobes and shorts sets are their best sellers. Clothes are primarily geared toward women, though some items, like the robes, are gender neutral.
The Ustinovs design the pieces themselves and are then manufactured in China, though they are looking to move production to a Turkish company.
The first collection came out when the brand launched last September and they recently debuted a second line this summer.
In addition to apparel, Moon Mountain also offers a selection of OEKO-TEX Standard 100-certified duvets ($59 to $70), as well as sheets ($69 to $89) and towels. A set of three towels is $64 while a set of six runs $119.
Currently sales are exclusively direct-to-consumer within the U.S. and are evenly split across their three business segments. Women are the primary demographic and they’ve seen sales across the country, though have concentrated upticks in California and Florida.
Going forward, their goal is to remain an e-commerce brand and to expand to a larger variety of clothing and household goods. They are now undertaking initiatives to grow brand recognition and further determine the needs of their customers.
“Even though we have our vision, we also want to serve our customers and know exactly what they want from us,” Julia said.
Both are all in on the new venture, which they’ve self-funded and made their full-time jobs.
