I suppose my daughter was my main inspiration for the brand. As I mentioned before, I just wanted to dress her the way I dress (mostly jeans and tees) and couldn’t find cool, simple basics on the market. I figured I couldn’t be the only one looking for these items. Emi was also a big barfer for the first 2 years(!!) of her life so I pretty much had to put a bib on her all of the time to prevent her clothing from getting destroyed. I couldn’t find cool, simple looking bibs anywhere either. Everything had prints or cheesy sayings or graphics on them. So she was definitely the inspiration for our ‘bliss bib’ (still a best seller to this day). 
From the get-go I knew that if I was going to manufacture clothing, I wanted it to be organic or eco-friendly and made in Canada. I wanted the business to leave as little carbon footprint as possible. I really believe in local manufacturing and supporting your local retailer as much as possible. One of the things we say in the ‘mini mioche way’ is ‘made for kids, not by kids’. |
| photo via small fry |
as a parent, i make constant efforts to enjoy the moment. this does not come easy. i have to frequently remind myself to gather those i love the most, focus my attention towards them and just play. to be acutely aware of one another. to relish our differences, our similarities, and our time together:
allow me to digress for a moment and share with you, one of my passions. i have always had a deep admiration for art and architecture from all time periods. my heart favors contemporary buildings and design, yet i stand in awe of the great, old castles and cathedrals around the world. i can not comprehend the endless hours that were invested in some of the worlds most astonishing buildings and art.
...you can't name the names of the people who built the great cathedrals. .the builders are unknown. they completed things not knowing that anyone would notice. they gave their whole lives for a work, a mammoth work, they would never see finished. the workers showed up, day after day. some of the cathedrals took over a hundred years to build. that was more than one working mans lifetime. day after day. and they made personal sacrifices for no credit. showing up at a job they would never see finished, for a building their name would never be on. one man says no great cathedrals will ever be built again because so few people are willing to sacrifice to that degree.
i recently heard this analogy from Nicole Johnson in her invisible woman message. and it was exactly what i needed to hear. this message gives a fantastic visual of how much time and endless work goes in to the art of a family.
greatness is not achieved overnight. you must sacrifice, work hard, be humble, and be patient. day after day.
and, please don't forget: to relax, be silly, have fun, and maybe include a whole lotta sidewalk chalk!
you are building a great cathedral. it will not be finished in your lifetime.
we can all experience the art of... family.
***
warmly,
Jane
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