Josephine’s Creative Career Moms: Ivy of Bébé Fête

I met Ivy at a Toronto Yoga Mamas’ Shopping Social; I saw her bags from the Jolie collection and couldn’t help but stop, take a look and chat for a while. Ivy was pregnant at the time, and now almost a year later, she’s has an adorable baby boy, Mason, and another blossoming business inspired by motherhood. Ivy truly is a mama on a mission; her blog, luxury handbag collection and brand new baby fashion company, Bébé Fête, are a testament to her creativity and drive. Ivy and I clicked! She made me laugh out loud and her brand new clothing line keeps me laughing as her candid, off-the-cuff humour comes through in every t-shirt and romper. We met up again a few times this summer and had so much fun with our kids, Ivy’s mom and my sister doing the photoshoot for this piece. It was chaotic and crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way

Bébé Fête is a Canadian company inspired by motherhood and created with mama and baby in mind. The clothes are made of a locally knit bamboo cotton mix, which is organic and super soft. You really can feel the difference and your little one will too. The prints are adorable and funny in a “you’re a parent and totally get this” kind of way; featuring everything from nods to Drake’s lyrics to potty jokes and poo emojis. I fell in love with her new line and know you will too!

I am so thrilled to feature Ivy of Jolie, Prim and Pimp and Bébé Fête as this month’s creative career mom!

Ivy, you are the definition of a Girl Boss! You’ve started a blog Prim and Pimp, a luxury handbag boutique, Jolie and, most recently, after the birth of your gorgeous son, Mason, you launched Bébé Fête! What motivates you to keep creating?

Lol! I sometimes think I have ADHD I don’t know how to stop! I think my need to always be challenged is what motivates me to continue to create.

Let’s start with your blog. Can you tell us a little bit more about this creative outlet and how Prim and Pimp started?

My desire to start my blog started after watching Julie and Julia (the movie about this writer who vows to prepare all 524 recipes in Julia Childs’ landmark cookbook and then blogs about it). I totally fell in love with the idea of blogging because finally I had an outlet to document all of my outfits. As the years went on I went from blogging about fashion to cooking, interior designing, DIYs and now mommy related topics. It’s like an online diary (but for the world to see).

Your next big business venture was Jolie. Jolie is an absolutely stunning, but also very practical collection. As a bit of a “bag lady” myself, I am in love with the idea of an elegant handbag with the added bonus of wheels! Ok, hold on a second, these bags are off the hook! What gave you the idea to create what is truly the busy businesswoman’s dream bag?

The Isabella (my first design) was first sketched on a cocktail napkin at an airport after trying to get home from a long week of business meetings. I was so frustrated that day because the laptop bag that I had been carrying the strap broke and I had no more space to spare in my carrying on so I had to carry this bulky laptop bag (plus my purse) while trying to get to my terminal. I thought to myself all I wanted was a bag that I can stuff all of my crap into without breaking my back (and still look cute doing it).

After the birth of your son, Mason, you started a brand new, completely Canadian company that specializes in organic apparel for babies and toddlers called Bébé Fête! It seems like every new stage of your life is filled with creative fuel! Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind this new company?

Mason was born with jaundice (a severe case) and for the first week of his life he had to be kept in an incubator under a blue light. This than gave him a bad case of eczema and I had to resort to steroid cream to cure it. I had to apply the cream on him 3x a day and as a winter baby I had to put clothing back on him each time. This irritated his skin even more. After doing some research I found that bamboo cotton has antibacterial and antistatic factors, so I purchased pieces of the fabric and swaddled him. From that moment that’s when I decided to create something for Mason and other babies that go through the same thing. I wanted to design a cool clothing line that is also good for their skin. With the help of my business partner Marty (a very talented graphic illustrator) Bebe Fete was born.

Like all mompreneurs and business owners who are working towards creative goals, there is always the challenge of maintaining a work-life balance. In your case you are balancing two businesses and a blog; I think it’s safe to say you have a lot on your plate! What are some of the strategies that you use to manage your businesses, blog and family life?

I think the key of balancing your work life and family life is having a supportive family. I am lucky that my husband believes in me and is very helpful with my business, whether I am away for days because of a trade show or I miss putting dinner on the table because I have a late meeting, my husband never complains and always accommodates. Therefore I never feel bad and it gives me the motivation to work harder.

As someone who seems incredibly inspired by the different stages and aspects of life – career, motherhood and the everyday – what are some tips you would offer to fellow entrepreneurs looking to start their own creative business?