Jenny Knoepfle remembers the first time her kindergartner, Lila, put on a suitable pantsuit.

“It was for a father-daughter dance,” Knoepfle said. “And when she looked at herself in the mirror, her whole demeanor changed. … The smile she had on her face. I wanted that feeling for more kids.”

Finding dresses uncomfortable, Knoepfle’s daughter decided to ditch them and try out pantsuits. Finding one was difficult. Knoepfle ordered a boxload from Amazon, only to send them all back because they were boring or stiff. She asked “Annapolis moms,” a Facebook group with over 26,000 members, for advice. They had nothing.

That quest made Knoepfle realize she could start a business to serve a need: offering dressy pantsuits for little kids. She started LilaPants — named for the daughter who’d inspired it — a few years later, in 2020.

The customizable, stylish and machine-washable pantsuits include satin-lined jackets and pants or shorts with pockets and hidden elastic waistbands. They come in bright colors and floral patterns, with detachable sequin lapels. Adult sizes are available, too, so that kids can match their moms.

It’s a family business that the 54-year-old Knoepfle runs out of their Arnold home in Anne Arundel County.

Lila and her sister, Georgia, both now in high school, and their father all help brainstorm designs and are co-owners.

The clothes are manufactured in a factory in China before arriving at Knoepfle’s home, where they’re lined up by color and size on multiple racks.

Her pantsuits hit the big leagues: Some members of popular singer Chappell Roan’s band glittered in LilaPants outfits at an Oscars event this year. Knoepfle said she was giddy.

How did you launch LilaPants?

Jennifer Knoepfle: When we first started, the business plan was how a Roomba [robot vacuum] goes until it hits a wall and then it turns around and goes another direction.

I’ve never done anything in fashion. I was in advertising for 10 years and went into pharmaceutical sales. I didn’t know how to have fabric made. I didn’t know where to start. That’s the beauty of Google and asking a lot of questions. I’ve got a big mouth so I would ask anybody I knew, “Do you know anyone who is in this kind of business?”

[A friend of a friend] made me a blueprint for having clothes made that showed every measurement, pattern, button, zipper, fabric, every detail — and that is what goes to the factory and is what they follow to make your prototype.

How have customers reacted to your pantsuits?

It’s sort of like a power suit, right? A lot of people buy them for their bat mitzvahs because they’re standing up in front of a congregation. It gives them a sense of confidence and power.

We had a field hockey coach say, “Gosh, this will be great. Our girls get their legs so banged up playing field hockey.”

A portion of our clientele are LGBTQIA+ and have really loved our floral suits because they want to wear something a little more fun. We had somebody reach out whose kid was in a wheelchair and this was much easier than trying to deal with a dress.

It really is solving a problem that is unique to each person who buys one. It’s fascinating to me, all the different reasons people might want to buy a pantsuit.

What does a day at your business look like?

It varies. We’ll have a quiet 10-day period, and then all of a sudden I’ll be sitting in a carpool line and I’ll have three dings go off on my watch that there’s orders. I’ll go home and fulfill those orders: ship the pantsuits in a branded garment bag, send stickers and write handwritten notes.

It’s not all glamour. I do paperwork, write bills and just count inventory, and then count again.

I’m watching my inventory nervously. We tried hard to have the clothes made domestically, but it was unfortunately too expensive, so we manufacture from China. But now, tariffs are giving me nightmares. Our most recent shipment came before the president started to speak about tariffs.

We haven’t had to reorder more clothes yet. The tariffs will eat up our entire profit margin.

[My husband and I] raise the girls and get them to and from places, and help them with chemistry. When we first started, the girls were heavily involved. They picked out our tags and flyers, helped design the logo and they checked that the clothes were a good fit.

What’s something you wish people knew about your business or the fashion industry at large?

In 2024, when Kamala Harris was running for president, and the whole pantsuit thing became front and center, why assume that a girl only wants to wear a dress? Women get to wear suits.

I mean, you look over the red carpet, and women are wearing suits to the Grammys and to the Oscars. Why isn’t there an option for kids who want to dress like Taylor Swift who looks like a boss in a pantsuit?

How did Chappell Roan’s band get to wear LilaPants?

I checked my email, and it said time-sensitive, and that I would be dressing the “entertainment” for Elton John’s afterparty after the Oscars.

I said, “This has got to be another scam right?” They needed the suits in Los Angeles by Thursday, and this was on a Monday. I’m in New York at the time.

I called my neighbor to go into my house and showed her how to package it up to be shipped that night. And she did. We sent a bunch of colors and sizes. It made me glad we didn’t give up.

What’s your next biggest ambition?

We’d rather invest in our product than a storefront right now. The overhead cost is too much.

I want people to associate us with “suits for girls” and get on the “Today” show or “Good Morning America” to have a national reach so people can see us.

Kids get to middle school and girls, especially, kind of lose their voice. The confidence really falters a bit at that age. When I saw Lila put on that pantsuit, I could tell she felt not just like herself, but her best self. That’s the feeling I want people who buy our pantsuits to feel.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.