Meet Christina McCarthy | Owner | Low Maintenance Lifestyle

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

Hi Christina, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I started working in fashion PR in 2011, immediately after I graduated college. I had studied public relations and print journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, so finding a job that merged my love of fashion and my major was really important to me.

I started as an intern and worked my way up to a manager position at a boutique agency. During this time, I learned the ins-and-outs of how the fashion industry worked. This was also the same time that Instagram and Facebook really started taking off as a platform for people and small businesses to launch their brands. Towards the middle of 2016, it became more obvious to me that I had outgrown the company I was working for, and I started looking for new ways to challenge myself. I finished the year out with that company, and I decided to start working freelance in 2017 so that I could pursue my own projects on the side.

That same year, I discovered a passion for fitness and began to seek out ways to live a healthier lifestyle. I started working out five days a week, both at the gym and also going hiking throughout Los Angeles. An old client of mine owns a production company that specializes in activewear, and I started thinking that creating my own activewear brand might be my calling.

I set up a meeting with my old clients, and after telling them my ideas they gave me the confidence that I needed to put all of my other side projects on hold and start creating my brand.

While I would love for Low Maintenance Lifestyle to become one of the biggest activewear brands in the market, I also want to make sure that it’s my customers needs and wants that come first. I want to make sure that the pieces, from the fit to the styles and colors, and everything in between, is created and designed for them.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

When I say Low Maintenance Lifestyle is a ‘small company,’ I mean I am the small company. I handle everything that there is to be taken care of from creating the styles, designs, and tech packs, all the way to website design, packing and shipping, social media, and customer service. When you are shopping my brand, you are supporting my dreams. I am beyond grateful to be surrounded by so many amazing friends and family members that help me out when and where they can to continue to support Low Maintenance Lifestyle.

I started working on Low Maintenance lifestyle in 2019, with plans to launch in 2020. Little did we know that Covid-19 would take over our world and change our lives forever. During this time, I also became pregnant with my first child. So here I am, trying to launch an activewear brand during a pandemic, when the world is shutting down, and pregnant. There were times that I wondered if I should continue with it, or put it on hold until things started to go back to normal. After many discussions, my husband and I decided that if not now, then when? There is never going to be an ideal time to launch a company. We have made it this far, and we shouldn’t stop now.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

First and foremost, San Diego is such a dog friendly town that I have to recommend we all bring the pups on this trip! One of our first stops would have be to Dog Beach so that our furry friends could also enjoy a day in the water.

One day will be spent bar hopping and people watching in Pacific Beach. We’ll start our morning at Breakfast Republic and bar hop the day through town, making sure we stop at PB Shore Club and World Famous. Another day, we’ll eat our way through Little Italy and grab dinner at Ironside. I also recommend taking a day or two trip to Coronado Island. This is such a family friendly town and super walkable. Hotel del Coronado is a dog friendly hotel, and it’s also great for kids too. Speaking of which, the San Diego Zoo is an amazing attraction to visit.

And of course, last but not least is boat day is a MUST while down there. We’ll charter a pontoon boat and spend the day drinking and eating on the bay. Boat days are the best days.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

First and foremost, I have to thank my husband Geoffrey McCarthy for supporting me with this adventure. When I first told him my crazy idea, he agreed that this was something worth pursuing as it brought my two passions together: fashion and fitness. He has been such a huge help with Low Maintenance Lifestyle and has been my right hand man during this entire journey, and my brand wouldn’t be where it is today without him.

I also can’t thank my mentors Emily Chou and Nelson Nunes at Sovereign Sky enough. They have held my hand throughout this entire process, and if it wasn’t for their belief in me and their continuous encouragement, I wouldn’t have been able to get my idea off the ground. Low Maintenance Lifestyle would not be here if it were not for them.

Website: www.shoplowmaintenance.com

Instagram: instagram.com/shoplowmaintenance

Other: www.instagram.com/christina_mccarthy_

Image Credits
Credit for the photos of Low Maintenance (not of the photo of myself): Kat Hanegraaf