This week, I wanted to highlight a few stand-out brands I’ve discovered recently. I think I have Digital Mums to thank for this as I’ve been glued to Twitter for the course and consequently have uncovered a whole world of amazing mums out there creating awesome things. Being a mum myself, I find these women so inspiring in the way that they manage to wear so many hats at once; mother, wife or partner, chief dog-walker, entrepreneur, project manager, social media manager, photographer, PR exec, stylist, blogger extraordinaire, family chef etc etc etc…. how do they do it all AND raise a mini human???
Sometimes I see women like these classified and put in the ‘mummy blogger’ box but I really feel that this is doing them a great disservice. This label has now been thrown around so often that it’s almost become a ‘dirty word’, as though some mums have nothing better to do but sit around and write all day but to be honest, even if that were the case, why should anyone else judge them for having a creative outlet? In this day and age, it’s finally become acceptable to admit that parenting is HARD and that the importance of self-care is crucial to providing a healthy environment in which to raise a child.
Blogging or designing are both fantastic, creative hobbies but it’s not easy to turn them into a money-making business in their own right. Neither is juggling childcare around getting orders out or promoting your products or creating them in the first place let alone the hours spent on social media ‘being seen.’ Talk about time management. These women are not sat at home playing Lego all day, they are adapting and providing, creating and delivering, managing and conquering. That’s seriously impressive. Is it so wrong that a woman would like to feel able to care for her children AND create something for herself, maybe even providing for her family? And what’s more, several of the brands I have focused on here today are also giving back to society in some way, either by donations or by generating change, which means they can also add ‘social-enterprise’ and ‘think-leaders’ to that hat pile. I really think we should cut mothers some slack, lose this narrow-minded concept we have of a ‘mummy-blogger’ and get behind this wave of inspirational, entrepreneurial women who are leading by example, changing the way we shop and challenging the way we think.
Is it so wrong that a woman would like to feel able to care for her children AND create something for herself, maybe even providing for her family?Click To TweetSo, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to 6 of my current faves…
Zoe x
www.lambandbear.co.uk –Why should you know this brand? Because Alex is the mum responsible for all those #CoffeeandConquer and #TeaandTriumph sweatshirts you’ve been seeing all over Instagram. I particularly like her real blog too. There are no minimalist house shots of white furniture and pristine stationary arrangements. There are however some sweet articles on the trials of breastfeeding and being a shit friend which make you realise you’re not in this ‘I’m-a-mum-but-what-am-I-actually-doing?’ bubble alone…. https://www.lambandbear.co.uk/where-do-i-belong/
Selfish Mother www.selfishmother.com
Land on the ‘About’ page of Selfish Mother and this is what you’ll read; “This isn’t a site about how to look after your kids. It’s a space to share what us parents are really thinking; a world away from that image of ‘perfection’ the media would have us striving for. Think of Selfish Mother as an online tête-à-tête with likeminded friends – some of whom might be on the other side of the world. This site is a chance for us to breathe a sigh of relief and say ‘Phew… I’m not alone.’” Enough said. Plus, you can also head to their shop www.thefmlystore.com and buy one of their slogan #goodtees or sweatshirts. Donations from each sale go to various charities too so you can feel good as well as look good. Molly’s also just launched an ‘Instazine’ – 9 squares of inspirational goodness on Instagram every week. Love this concept and it’s a great way to digest bite-sized little articles/images when you’re a busy mum on the run…
Black & Beech http://www.blackandbeech.com
This is another brand I discovered through Twitter and began as a one-woman-band handmaking teething jewellery. This has since developed into a whole range of products from pins and prints to clothing and keyrings. There’s a strong thread of female-empowerment and feminism running through the site, with slogans such as “A mother’s place is in the revolution” and “Liberté,Egalité, Sororité” but males are also catered for with the brilliant series of ‘Rad Dad’ goods. Products on the site are designed to provoke reaction and contributions are made to a wealth of charitable organisations, such as the Abortion Support Network and Samaritans. If you click on the ‘About Me’ page, you’ll learn that Stacey is also a fashion lecturer and suddenly understand exactly where that keen sense of style comes from. I’ve just bought a sweatshirt, of which “five pounds will go directly to The Abortion Support Network, a UK-based charity providing financial assistance and accommodation to women from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and The Isle of Man seeking an abortion in the UK due to the fact that this procedure is illegal in Ireland and IOM.”
Scamp & Dude http://www.scampanddude.com
A brand founded by an amazing woman named Jo Tutchener-Sharp after a life-threatening brain haemorrhage provided the catalyst to start her brand. Aware of the strain on families, of children being separated due to circumstances such as hers, and with a wealth of experience in the fashion and beauty industries, she created Scamp and Dude, “a brand that helps children feel more secure when apart from their loved ones.” There’s a brilliant podcast interview featured on Not Another Mummy Blog you can listen to and find out more if you click here. You can buy a hero cushion to keep your child company and watch over them and for every cushion bought, Scamp and Dude will donate one to another child in need of comfort. Aside from the funky children’s clothing, there are also some great adults’ sweatshirts which are perfect for being comfy and feeling stylish so you need never succumb to your husband’s old uni hoody again. They come in beautiful colours and distinctive prints and you can also choose t-shirts and tote bags. The tagline “A superhero has my back” runs through all of the kids’ line, reminding them to have confidence because someone is looking out for them. Now if THAT doesn’t make you feel like a hero, I don’t know what does…
Cult of Youth – https://cult-of-youth-jewellery.myshopify.com
A jewellery brand born in London and created by silversmith Kelly Seymour. Her style is all rock so you can expect plenty of skulls and lightening bolts but once she entered motherhood, her line took on a more family as she added ‘Mama’ necklaces to the mix. Pieces are all handmade to order and you can also follow along her rock-chick Istagram feed.
Mère Soeur – https://meresoeur.com
One tattoo-ed mother creating an empowering female brand out of totes, slogan tees, pins and mugs and most recently completely ripped off by Old Navy with their exact copy of her “Raising the Future” slogan tee-shirt. Shame on you big bully brands for trampling over a small business like that. There’s no ‘About’ page to accompany this website but you can find out a little more about Carrie Anne and Mère Soeur’s beginnings in this blog post https://meresoeur.com/blogs/news/first-post . What I love most about this brand is that it challenges traditional perceptions of that typical (fake) ‘advertising’ motherhood which we are so often subjected to via the media. Watch the mini-video on the landing page to see a bunch of fashion-forward, inked-up women who are paving the way for mums to show their identities beyond the label of ‘mother.’
