Entrepreneur & Mother
"I love being a mum and I love being creative, so I allow myself to be both"
We were lucky enough to have Aniella and her beautiful daughters Aggy and Effie join us to shoot our newest Autumn/Winter 21 Collection. Aniella is an absolute inspiration for all women. Not only does she manage a household, she runs three businesses.
We enjoyed learning more about Aniella and her life, and were so humbled by her strength and transparency about motherhood and self-identity.
Firstly, tell us a little bit about yourself...
Had you asked me this a couple of months ago, I don’t think I would have been able to answer it. Post baby number two, I had a minor identity crisis. I felt more “mum” than I did “Aniella” and for some reason I felt like I needed to rush into finding my old, pre-baby self, however after taking some time to slow down, be more kind to myself and not put so much pressure on the questions around “who am I?”, I came to realise, that “mum” is just a part of who I am, it doesn’t define my whole being, and I now feel so much more happy and confident in who I am. I love being a mum, and I love being creative, so I allow myself to be both.
So, first and foremost, I am the mother of two beautiful girls, Aggy and Effie. I am the wife of the most caring, generous and talented husband, Sam. Together we own a coffee shop, Aggy’s Corner. I also have an online store, nuage, catering to babies, mothers and home, and recently I added Civil Marriage Celebrant to my skillset (this is what I am MOST excited about!). For over a decade, I have sung at weddings and events all over Sydney with my wonderful friend and guitarist Simon. I love to sing. I live for time with my family and friends, and have a (major) soft spot for beautiful interiors and am fashion obsessed!
Being a mum of two beautiful girls and an owner of three successful businesses, how do you balance your work and home life?
Balance is the key word here. Some days I absolutely nail the juggle, and other days I just can’t seem to get it right, but I am learning to be ok and surrender to the fact that there are always going to be days when things don’t go to plan, and allow myself the time to reschedule and find the best way forward. I always ensure I am giving my girls 100% of my time and energy, so I try to get my work done around them.
We value your careful curation of sustainable brands for Nuage and would love to know what sustainability and longevity in products means to you.
Thank you for saying so. The idea behind nuage is centred on the journey towards creating a more refined and edited life. We want to encourage mothers to shop more consciously, subscribing to a less-is-more philosophy. We focus on essentials for everyday living, in the finest, durable fabrics.
When you invest in high quality, sustainable products, you are investing in longevity, meaning you don’t need to buy as much, which aids in reducing textile waste and saves you money, long term. We have even taken it one step further by ensuring our curation is gender-neutral, to promote the concept of passing down loved pieces from child to child, family to family. Small acts that can have a big impact!
Anya wears new Clay in our Waffle Sweat and Waffle Pant available to pre-order.
At Cloth & Co. women’s empowerment is at the heart of what we do. Having two young girls yourself, what is a piece of advice you would give them to ensure they feel empowered and enriched in life as young women.
Being a mother of girls is something I do not take lightly. Each and every day I try to ensure that they know they are loved, appreciated and heard, for it is these values that I want them to carry with them for the rest of their lives, so that they too can feel strong, empowered, independent, and free.
My advice to my girls is, and always will be, to stay true to themselves, and what they believe in. To stand strong with other women, and encourage each other by supporting each other, and lifting each other up, not tearing each other down. I want them to feel confident in self-expression, and so for this, I will always validate and encourage their individualism. I truly believe to live a happy and confident life is to live an enriched and empowered life.
Cloth & Co. x
Sources
Images - @aggyscorner & @nuage