Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Urban Sprout Clothing

A dear new friend of mine recently said that when she is trying to keep something inside, something her spirit is calling out for her to do, her body rebels. Illness and unwellness follow, a sort of pathetic irony of the body. Maybe that's what I was processing for these past months: the desire and the drive to create and to begin something, my attempts at fighting it pushing me to the point of spiritual unwellness and confusion.

Remember how I said that professional challenges have spurred our family to new opportunities? Well, this is mine. And it's pretty exciting, though a little daunting, to be quite honest with you. 

I'd like to introduce my new venture, my first Etsy shop.

Urban Sprout Clothing logo
18mo yellow cord swallow FULL FRONT
18mo yellow cord swallow CLOSEUP
12mo natural linen retro paisley bunny FULL FRONT
18mo green linen-cotton bunnies MODELLED
18mo green linen-cotton flower SIDE PHOTO

For literally years, I've had friends encouraging, urging, goading, and generally cajoling me into doing this. It's taken more than three years, an additional child, one move, one nerve-racking change of circumstance and much apprehension to finally get going. But now here we are, and I'm absolutely thrilled with this new opportunity.

The shop is still very new and not terribly full, but it's there, it exists, and I'm slowly going about the rather tricky business of building a name, a brand and gaining exposure. 

18mo green linen-cotton flower MODELLED

About the garments: currently I'm only offering dresses, though I have other plans in the works. The dresses are based on the idea that when we put a lot of time - or in the case of a purchaser, some money - into a garment, we want to really get our money's worth. A dress that is outgrown in a matter of months feels, to me, like a waste, so my dresses are designed and fit in such a way that they continue to be wearable and fit well for upwards of two years, possibly even more. The photos of the modelled dresses, for example, are 18mo size dresses worn by my 2 year old. They fit like a tunic, rather than a knee-length dress, and look great with leggings or jeans. She can even wear the 12mo size dresses as an apron top (and, toddler-willing, I'll manage to get some modelled shots of that someday soon). Longevity, comfort, and an uncommon sense of style are what I focus on for each and every garment I produce.

The blog isn't going to turn into one big advertisement for my shop, so not to fret about that. But since I write about our life, and this is now a central part of our family's life, I wanted to share. Urban Sprout Clothing has a Facebook page, as well as the Etsy shop: I am deeply appreciative of every follower we have. And if you follow me on Etsy, you'll get immediate updates whenever a new product is added to the shop.

18mo yellow cord swallow MODELLED

I can't even tell you how excited I am to have finally opened the shop, and I am so glad to be able to share that excitement with you.

2 comments:

  1. Brava! The clothing is lovely and so is the model.

    I believe the drive to create is innate in each of us and if we don't offer it an outlet it will have its way and create inner mayhem until we do. I am developing a workshop series to enable women to explore a variety of creative outlets, artistic and otherwise, in a fun environment. The exploration itself may be enough to satisfy the urge to create for some. If they find their passion for one outlet along the way, it's an added bonus. It's a way of bringing arts & crafts playtime back into our lives!
    I won't wish you success because you've already achieved that in taking the action to create your Etsy outlet. I will wish you joy and fulfillment as you unleash your creativity in this direction. EnJOY your day!

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  2. Gorgeous stuff! I'm excited for you - and excited to see how this idea grows, too. As my number two gets set for school uniforms next week (!), I'm going to be needing as much colour on number three as possible. So the question will be - what are you going to dream up for the boys?

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