The Double D Ranch Story
Since 1989, Double D Ranch has gone from nonexistence to prominence in the world of western fashion, and family togetherness has been a big part of their success. Starting from a make-shift office in a garage, this ranching family of Doug and Margie McMullen and their three daughters, Cheryl McMullen, Hedy Carter, and Audrey Franz, have put their brand on a whole new kind of clothing operation. Today the company is an internationally known fashion house with a corporate showroom in Dallas and representation in Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and High Point. They keep five factories humming with the work of cutting and sewing designs.
McMullen, the family member responsible for new designs, has demonstrated a flair for finding vintage styles that can be adapted into contemporary offerings. She's quick to admit she was not trained as a fashion designer. Asked how she arrives at her award winning designs, she offers a simple explanation: "Maybe it is because I don't know I can't use certain colors or textures, then I do it-and it works!"
The company's startup was just as unconventional. On a family ski trip seven years ago, McMullen suffered altitude sickness. Instead of spending her days on the ski slopes, she took to the local shops, where she purchased a Navajo blanket, which she later made into a long coat. At that time, McMullen and Franz had a small interior design shop. On their annual trek to Dallas market to buy gifts for the shop, McMullen wore the coat. The two could not shop without being hounded by admirers wanting to buy a coat like it. When they told their father of the interest in the coat, he suggested they attempt to market it. They did, and the volume of orders they received astonished them.
The early going brought some learning experiences. Says Doug McMullen, with a laugh: "I know we paid retail-plus for some of our first supplies." But the family quickly found the suppliers it needed. One early trip took the McMullens to Taxco, Mexico, in search of silver. One of the Mexican buses they traveled in was filled with locals going to market, carrying produce, live chickens and small animals. Such expeditions have since been eliminated as the company has been making many of its own fabrics and adornments. Other supplies, such as leather, are plentiful locally. In fact, Double D's headquarters city - Yoakum, Texas - is known as the leather capital of the world.
Once full-time ranchers, the family still ranches part-time. But now their other responsibilities are significant. There are more "hats to wear" and more challenges to meet. For instance, all three beautiful, dark-haired daughters have been called on to model the fashions. Although the daughters' husbands have maintained their individual professions, they are highly supportive. The five grandsons like nothing better than going to the ranch with their grandfather. Says Margie McMullen, "We are so blessed that the family can work together and enjoy it so much."
