Fashion designer Heidi Merrick didn’t have the most traditional path to creating her namesake fashion brand. In fact, it all came to fruition on her wedding day. In this week’s episode, the entrepreneur shares the untraditional path she took when starting her business, her tricks for keeping her creative juices flowing two decades later and the products that help keep her grounded, inspired and stress-free.

Watch the full video here. and check out the article here.

On The Unusual Way She Got Her Start

“When I got married, I made my wedding dress with my mom, and she was the seamstress. She was really great on a sewing machine. So I hand-basted everything, and then she would sew it. And then I ripped it and cut it and did all these crazy things. It was a gorgeous dress. But on my wedding day, a woman came up to me and said, ‘You’re wasting your life. You should not be doing what you’re doing. You should be making dresses.’ So I knew that I wanted to sort of be a craftsman. I knew that I wanted to master what a dress was, what sewing was, what construction was.

“I got married in October, and by that January, I was in L.A. [starting my business as a designer]. Right now, it is 20 years that I’ve been in business. I’m excited in 2026 to rerelease some of those pieces. I’m going to bring back some bestsellers.”

On Her ‘Work From Bed’ Philosophy

“I’ll definitely do a workday from bed. I have zero qualms of being like, ‘This is too much.’ I just think it’s good to admit to women that you can have a business on a sort of global level and put your family first and put taking care of yourself a little bit. And if it’s overwhelming, you don’t always have to show up and look amazing.

“I’ll get my sketch pad, lay in bed and grind it out. I have hundreds of sketchbooks—I have sketchbooks everywhere. My design pens have always been [the ones that] my dad used those when he was shaping surfboards. I’ve also used the same pensils for 20 years—the soft ones are great to sketch with.”

On Developing Her Signature Style

“I never pre-plan what I’m going to wear. It always has to be based on the feeling of the day. I’ve worn the same top six times for sure in the last two weeks. That said, if I’m bopping around town, if I’m being the carpenter version of Heidi, picking up from school and dropping by our apple farm, we have these Baptise pants. I wear those pants and a cashmere sweater—our Daily Sweater. The daily sweater is just a basic fit that is like what a fashion designer wears. The whole outfit I wear in black with tennis shoes or wellis. 

“When I’m traveling, I bring the Chaplin Pant along: It’s an oversized pant that’s waisted that will look good casually or dressed up. I never leave home without a bathing suit—I’m a water baby. By nature, I feel more comfortable once I’m in water.”

On Her Most Effective Stress Hack

“My stress hack" is always nature. I have the mountains or the ocean to choose from. My favorite thing to do, and the main thing I’ll do if I need to know myself, is go on a long paddle. So I’ll startstanf in the ocean and go up and down the coast. Sometimes it’ll be a three-hour ride. That is really the thing I like to do most in the world and the thing I do because there’s just the ocean and the sky. And there’s a world going on under the ocean, and there’s all the elements of the sky. And it just, for me, pulls everything out. And that’s when ideas drop in. That’s when I feel relaxed and able to hear and see what’s going on in my own life, what’s going on in work, in the collection.”

Heidi Merrick’s Tools For Success

Merrick shared some of the essentials that get her through her day and help keep her motivated and inspired.

• Her Morning Kick-Start: “My husband brings me coffee  in bed because he’s really amazing. I drink it with Leaner Creamer then I am ready to start my morning.”
• Her Brain Fuel: “I always have books as well—picture books and reading books near me. So my bed is surrounded by books, and I read just a chapter here and there. I’m always reading multiple books at a time. Right now I’m reading The Crowd and Tales of the South
• Her Single Beauty Essential: “I never leave home without a sunscreen or tint. Right now I have Saie , and it’s lovely.”