Meet Camille Cotton | Designer of Magical Clothing, aka Fairy Godmother

We had the good fortune of connecting with Camille Cotton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Camille, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have been sewing most of my life, and over the years, a friend or family member would tell me that I should sell the things that I had created and sewn. My answer every time was that I enjoyed sewing for myself but didn’t want to have to sew for other people. Fast forward to when my daughter was born, and I started creating outfits for her to wear for our regular visits to Disneyland. I remember that, after Frozen 2 came out, stores weren’t yet carrying some of the outfits from the movie, and I made my own versions for my daughter to wear on a visit to Disneyland. Going through that process got my wheels spinning that I might not be the only one looking for inspired outfits that couldn’t be found in stores. I had so much fun dreaming up designs and bringing them to life and knew that I could turn it into a business. I put my own spin on them by creating Disneybounding versions of character outfits, which are outfits that evoke the characters but aren’t exact replicas of the outfits they wear. It was also important to me that every outfit was comfortable, durable, and would be easy for children’s with sensory issues to wear. Once I had my niche, starting a business a natural next step.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Castle Bound and Down isn’t my main profession–it’s my passion project and creative outlet. I launched my small business during a time when I felt I had more to give than what my day job wanted from me. I poured all of my extra ambition, talent, skills, and creativity into launching Castle Bound and Down, and it has been the most rewarding experience to run this shop in my spare time. I have a background in communications, an MBA, and I’ve had a front row seat watching my husband launch and run companies, and all of that translated into a pretty smooth experience in setting up my business. The biggest learning curve was researching the ins and outs of consumer safety and ensuring I am following all regulations for making and selling children’s clothing. My communications background gave me the skills I needed to establish my brand, as well as produce any graphics and imagery for my shop. I put a ton of time into connecting with the right audience on social media, as well as integrating into the online sewing community and establishing my expertise in my niche area. One thing that gave my small business an extra boost was that I launched it at the beginning of the pandemic. This might seem like a terrible time to start a business, but in that first year, many people were giving extra support to small businesses, and because I was established in the sewing community and in front of my target audience on social media, my shop saw great growth during that time. There have been ups and downs since then with inflation and the cost of living increasing for everyone, and I’m always working on how to keep my shop relevant and offer my customers the best quality items at the best value. My favorite thing is seeing pictures of happy kids wearing clothing I personally dreamed up and sewed with my own hands. If I can add a little magic to someone’s life, then I’ve done my job.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My daughter, Lorelai. She inspired me to start sewing Disneybounding clothing, she models my creations, and she’s the reason why 10% of every sale goes to support our local Down syndrome association. My husband, Jonathan, is my biggest cheerleader. He’s proud of everything I do and makes it possible for me to spend my free time on this little side business. He’s also my photographer extraordinaire!

Website: castleboundanddown.etsy.com

Instagram: instagram.com/castleboundanddown

Facebook: facebook.com/castleboundanddown

Other: TikTok: castleboundanddown