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Humble Journal

Humble Beginnings

Humble Beginnings

Hi, I’m Petra, the founder and owner of Humble Children. Since our shop’s inception, I’ve received many questions about how and why I got started. I’m more than happy to share my story with my lovely customers, so I thought the best solution would be to create a special space for all the answers. This is how the Humble Journal began. This is more than just our story; it’s the start of something new.

Let's Go Back to 2020... or Rather Not

I’m sure most of you will agree that 2020 was an unexpected and unusual year. It will always be an unforgettable year for me, as it’s the year I became a mother. My son Oliver was born in February, just before the world as we knew it would be turned upside down. Adjusting to the new normal came with extra steps for me as a relatively new Canadian expat in London. I suddenly became a mother with little support in the midst of a global pandemic.

A Career Change

Prior to moving to the UK, I had a fast-paced career as a wedding and event planner. I had expected to slowly start accepting clients in the autumn of 2020 for the following year, but the world had other plans for me. With the pandemic still going strong, the entire wedding industry was in limbo. After some careful consideration, I extended my unofficial maternity leave and decided to put the idea of accepting event clients on hold. This didn’t mean that I wasn’t ready to work at all though. I wanted a flexible role where I could work in a part-time capacity, which is where the idea of creating a baby shop first blossomed. 

Early Thoughts on Baby Clothing

The pandemic changed my previous shopping habits. Like many others, I found myself shopping for baby clothes online when brick and mortar shops were closed. Making the switch to online shopping made me discover some frustrating realities about baby clothes. I found myself constantly encountering the same issues:

  • High street shops were easy to navigate online, but they lacked modern baby clothes
  • Boys clothes were quite unappealing, often covered in dinosaur or car prints
  • Many of the affordable baby clothes were made with terrible quality, often wearing out after only a couple of washes
  • It was difficult to find brands using high quality fabrics like organic cotton and linen at reasonable prices
  • International brands I was familiar with from the US, Canada, and Europe took weeks or even months to ship to the UK 

    Shopping for baby clothes online made me realize two very important things: there were better options out there, and I couldn’t be the only one looking for them. 

    The Start of Something New

    I started my research and realised there was definitely a niche in the UK market for modern, stylish, and gender neutral baby clothes made from high quality, sustainable fabrics. I started finding brands that aligned with these values and began to source an adorable product range. I received samples of the softest organic cotton basics, bamboo pyjamas, and gorgeous linen outfits. Finally came the website design and branding, which I had the pleasure of designing myself. Next thing I knew, I had a baby shop!

    Naming Our Shop

    Like many parents, when Oliver was born we discussed all of our hopes and dreams for him. ⁠⁠

    What will he grow up to be? ⁠⁠

    Will he study business or science? ⁠⁠

    Maybe he'll be creative and artistic?⁠⁠

    Will he be extroverted or introverted?⁠⁠

    Grow up to be tall or stay on the shorter side?⁠⁠

    Will he have his mother's eyes or his dad's chin?⁠⁠

    ⁠⁠While we jokingly disagree on whether our tall genes mean he should be a professional athlete or not, there is one thing we do agree on. Whatever he grows up to be, we hope he will be confident, but at the same time stay humble. We hope he is respectful to others and kind to the earth. ⁠⁠

    This is how we found our name, Humble Children. This is how we started the #HumbleClub

    The Next Chapter 

    I am so excited that the Humble Children shop officially launched in May 2021. This small business is so precious to me and I’m absolutely thrilled to put all of my efforts into it (when I’m not busy being Oliver’s mum, of course!). I’m beyond grateful for the enthusiasm and support we have received so far. Every time we receive a purchase I have to run to my husband’s makeshift office in our spare bedroom and do a little happy dance.

    Thank you for taking the time to shop small and support a humble mama’s dream. The best is still yet to come.

    humble children_signature 

    Photography by Miriam Caterina Wahl

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