Full Name: Leila
Wylie
Age: 26
Currently Residing: Richmond, VA
Currently Listening to: Mostly Lucero,
Drive-By Truckers, and Neko Case.
(The round items are bottle openers and pocket mirrors)
You
know what makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Knowing people are
relishing in success. I love to hear about a rags to riches story and
I love to hear that people are happy doing what it is they love to do.
Take me for example..me... I really don't like my job. I do it because
I need to have one. I have yet to find the deciding factor in what it
is to have a true calling. Then on the other hand there's Leila Wylie,
mother of one cute toddler. Not only is she raising a child, but she went
from working in a restaurant and going through some financial woes to
having a very fulfilling life and a very happy family. So, I have to say
that, to me, Leila is a true survivor. She is also quite talented in the
baby accessories business. Mamie Originals is a start-from-scratch business
Leila started a few years ago and has really taken off and now she is
becoming Cherry Momma. She is providing young mommas and papas with very
cool babywear and we all know how important it is to see our children
dressed in our likeness! Down with pastels!
How did Cherry Momma come
about?
Cherry Momma's actually a break-off business from my first business, Mamie
Originals, which ended up being much more mainstream than I had intended.
I had started Mamie Originals because I couldn't find the perfect diaper
bag and so I decided I had better make my own. A few weeks later, I had
taught myself to sew and was the proud new owner of a black tattoo print
diaper bag! After several months, I realized I was catering more to the
preppier, more conservative crowd than I had intended. I really wanted
a venue to be able to indulge my love of rock, tattoos and baby clothes!
So I started Cherry Momma and have never looked back. Now I can offer
all sorts of fun things for children and the adults that love them with
baby accessories, children's clothing and some fun stuff for mommas and
daddies, too. I hope to be able to close Mamie Originals by the end of
the year so I can focus on Cherry Momma and a side web design business.
How do you go about selecting
fabrics?
Buying fabric is hands down my favorite part! Figuring out what to buy
is both the easiest and hardest part, too. It's easy because I buy what
I like! But it's hard because I like a LOT! I have to try very hard to
limit myself to a workable amount of fabric. I literally have a solid
WALL of
fabric...one wall of my studio has shelves from floor to ceiling jammed
packed with fabric. It's a little silly.
The types of prints I gravitate towards are usually pretty rock n roll, rockabilly or indie. My favorite prints are tattoos, skulls, flames, casino, sushi, Frieda, Fiesta de los Muertos and the like. Anything that sparks conversation.
Are you working on expanding
the line and if so with what?
I'm always coming up with things I want to add to the Cherry Momma line.
I already offer several things at shows that aren't on the website yet,
so that's the first plan of action. In addition, right now I'm working
on expanding the children's clothing line to include pants, two new dress
styles and more appliquéd t-shirts and onesies. I hope to add adult
t-shirts by the holidays. I've got a bunch of ideas in my head that I
just need to sit down and design. I'm also getting ready to get into talks
with my favorite tattoo artist about making some designs for some shirts
and other products, so hopefully that will come to fruition!Other than
clothes, I have several designs for house wares that I'm looking
forward to offering. I mean, you shouldn't just have to WEAR cool things;
you should be able to decorate your home with them as well!
Where can people find your
wares?
I do a lot of indie craft shows all up and down the East Coast (check
my website for an updated list) and I also vend at Richmond's weekly Farmers'
Market on Thursdays. If you see a tattooed mom running around after an
18 month old with a skull print dress on, you'll know it's me.
I'm getting ready to start wholesaling and am planning
a PR blitz to stores around the country, so hopefully you'll be able to
find Cherry Momma near you! If you live in Richmond, you can find a selection
at World of Mirth in Carytown.
What item sells the most?
Right now I'd say it's a toss up between the kids' t-shirts/onesies and
my new line of bottle opener keychains and pocket mirrors. Everyone really
seems to love the t-shirt designs, but not everyone has a kid in their
life. But who doesn't need a bottle opener or a pocket mirror??
Tell us about your Charity
items.
Giving back is very important to my family. My husband and I actually
met working together at a social service agency while I was an AmeriCorps
volunteer. We have several designs of key fobs, including several pet
designs and a pink ribbon design. 50% of the proceeds from the pet key
fobs
go to the Richmond SPCA and 50% of the pink ribbon proceeds go to the
Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. They should be on the website very
soon.
I'm also getting ready to offer a special line of charity
baby blankets and loveys. I'll be using proceeds from the sale of these
blankets to make blankets for children in the pediatric section of MCV
(a local hospital). Those kids need and deserve comforting more than I
can imagine and I hope a fun, cheerful handmade blanket can give them
a measure of comfort and make
their world a little brighter.
What's in your diaper
bag?
Oh man, what ISN'T in my diaper bag? Today was a Farmers' Market day,
so we have an assortment of foods from lunch (black beans, rice, empty
yogurt cup, peanut butter sandwich remains, etc), a sippy cup, a few cloth
diapers and wipes, a "wet bag" with a few dirty diapers ready
to go in the wash, a couple books, my water bottle and my daughter's favorite
black hoodie, which she insists on wearing EVERYWHERE.
For More Info on Leila and her wares, visit these sites: