Mel Lay
In 2014, Mel founded SandiLake Clothing™, a unisex children’s apparel brand built on creativity and conviction. In its early years, she faced one of every founder’s worst nightmares—discovering a major retailer had copied her designs. She fought back—and won. Not long after, she stepped onto the national stage on ABC’s Shark Tank, proving she wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she built.
In 2016, Ryan Moor approached Mel with an idea: create a different kind of tee—one rooted in responsibility, transparency, and human impact. After hearing about his first trip to Haiti and the people behind the product, something shifted. Mel joined the founding trip to Haiti just months later. Standing inside the factory, seeing every set of hands that touched a single garment, transformed the way she viewed apparel—and her role in it.
By 2019, Mel made a bold decision. She sold her company to focus fully on sustainable fashion and to help raise the standard for how clothing is made. What began as building a brand became something bigger: building a movement. Mel currently resides as Allmade's Marketing Director.
