It’s time for another installment of Conversations with Designers! My aim with this series is to inspire and encourage fellow creatives — and either introduce you to talented people you might not have otherwise met, or help you get to know your favorite creatives even better.
Today, we’re talking to Ieva from the gorgeous brand Mummymoon about the clothing business she runs alongside Vėjūne. Ieva lets us take a peek at her creative process, and shares how she’s influenced by her children, the country of Lithuania, and trends — or the lack thereof.
Welcome, Ieva! Let’s talk about your clothing brand. What prompted you to start Mummymoon?
Boredom. I am very active in nature, I have to be busy 12 hours a day – it makes me feel complete. After I had my first baby, when I got used to being a mother, I came to realize that I struggle with just being at home all the time. As she got older, I found it difficult just being at home or playing outside with my daughter. I started to express myself here. I always wondered what I would do when my children get older. Maybe back to making films, or interior designing or even photography? But it happened, when another life was growing inside me, I felt a desire to start sewing and making clothes for little people. It was only one example of this kind of business in Lithuania at the time – MUKU, so it was hard to imagine it will grow into something big one day. It was more like a hobby for me, a way to express myself. However, looking back now, we have our distributors and agent in Korea, Japan, have a little shop in the capital of Lithuania – Vilnius. We have teamed up with other 6 designers and opened a YéYé store in Paris. So I can firmly say – don’t be afraid to dream as dreams come true!
Nuobodulys. Esu begalo veikli, turiu buti uzimta aper diena 12 val. ir tik tada jausiu pilnatve. Kai atsirado pirmas vaikas, kai apsipratau su motinos role ir supratau, kad paagus dukrai man darosi anksta buti vien tik namuos ir lauke kartu su vaiku – emiausi realizuoti save cia. Iki to laiko masciau, kur eisiu, kai vaikai paaugs. Ar atgal prie kino, ar prie interjeru, ar..fotografija? Bet taip nutiko, kad pastojus ir pradejus glausti pilvelyje antraji vaikuti Rapola – mane kazko pradejo traukti siuvimas ir mazuju rubeliu kurimas. Lietuvoje tokio verslo pavyzdziu buvo tik vienas – MUKU, tad buvo ganetinai nedrasu svajoti apie kazka daugiau, nei hobis. Bet siuo metu mes turime distributorius Korejoje bei Japonijoje, turim parduotuvele Lietuvos sostineje Vilniuje, bei kartu su 6 dizaineriais ikureme Paryziuje YéYé store. Tad…reziumuoti galiu drasiai, kad svajoti reikia! Svajones pildosi!
Walk me through your creative process — I guess you could call this the “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” question. Do you have a finished product in mind from the start, and then execute a series of steps to achieve this? Or do the ideas evolve and take life as you go through the creative process?
Sometimes the egg comes first, sometimes the chicken. Creation is like life, it falls into how you live the time. Our creative process is based on our children’s moods or if we simply have time to create or not. It might not sound very interesting but you would not like to hear a fake, made up story, would you?
You can never know how one or the other item of clothing, a detail, a shade will come into life. I always sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper when I get a chance. The desire to create…it is always there, it never goes away. Sometimes I get angry with myself for not making more time for this but I want to give myself to my children first and then to other part of my life – mummymoon.
Kartais nuo kiausinio, kartais nuo vistos. Kuryba kaip ir gyvenimas. Kiekvieno susidelioja taip, kaip pats gyveni. Musu gi – viskas pagal vaiku nuotaika. Yra ar nera laiko. Skamba labai neidomiai, bet ar jus norit pagrazintos istorijos?:)
Niekada negali zinoti, kaip atsiras vienas ar kitas rubas. Viena ar kita detale. Vienas ar kitas pustonis. Sedu prie popieriaus ir piestuko kai tik yra tam laiko. O noro…jo yra visada, jis niekur nedingsta, kartais pykstu ant saves, kad nepasidarau jo daugiau, bet norisi atsiduoti vaikams, o tik tada savo gyvenimo kitai pusei – mummymoon.
At one time or another, all creatives experience that “hitting a brick wall” feeling, where the ideas just stop. How do you deal with creative slumps and roadblocks?
Children. Before I had them, I had loads of time and did not how to use it purposefully. I would experience that feeling that you describe quite often. Now, when I do not have time to do anything else, I find time for everything. And that time is so productive and creative, I jsut keep getting ideas. Me and Vėjūne simply do not have enough hands but loads of ideas. I am not even sure if life will be long enough to make them all a reality. I really hope so!
Vaikai. Jei nebutu vaiku, butu pilna tuscio laiko, kurio as nemokedavau tikslingai isnaudoti. Atsirasdavo duobes labai daznai. O dabar, kai nera laiko beveik niekam, tu randi laiko viskam. Ir tas laikas yra toks produktyvus ir kurybingas, kad spek gaudyti idejas! Mes su Vejune neturim tiek daug ranku, kiek noretusi. Bet ideju…apstu! Nezinau ar visas per gyvenima igyvendinsim, tikiuos, uzteks tam laiko!!
Let’s talk trends. How do trends impact your design experience?
I would not say that trends have an impact. If we would like to follow trends or to adjust to them, it would take up too much time. Therefore, we just trust our instincts and follow our intuition. I think that intuition is the only thing we follow. It is very strong and has not let us down so far. There are lots of styles, designs and fashion trends. You only have to choose a suitable one and follow it. We have only one fashion trend – freedom. Freedom to the creative process, freedom to the daily routine – it makes you feel free inside and liberates you.
Kad nelabai, visko nesuspesi. Jei noretusi kazkur pataikyti ar prie kazko prisitaikyti, tai atimtu per daug laiko. Tad lieka pasikliauti intuicija. Ir siaip, mes man rodos tik ja ir pasikliaujam. Ji pas mus labai stipri ir kol kas nenuvyle. Juk svarbiausia vientisumas ir nuotaika. Stiliu, tendensiju ir mados krypciu apstu. Belieka issirinkti sau tinkama ir keliauti kartu su ja. Musu mados kryptis yra viena – laisve. Laisve kurybai, laisve dienotvarkei – kai tu jauties viduje laisvu.
You lived for a while in Norway, before returning to your native Lithuania. Can you share how Norway influenced you as a designer? How does Lithuania influence you now?
One of the positives about Norway was that I did not have any close people round me apart from my husband and daughter Domicele. That constant need to communicate and share thoughts and ideas with others rather than my husband or daughter was the urge and stimulation to create. Another positive about living there was the unbelievably beautiful nature around us. We lived on a fiord almost isolated from others and that in itself forced certain creative elements in me that I have quite enough of them for my future creations. Memories and photos from that period will always influence the creative process of mummymoon. I should also mention the people there. They are quite different, so much more independent and free in themselves. This experience gave me a lot as a person. It made me realize that things can be different.
Lithuania while has its drawbacks, has its own advantages. One of them is having close people and family beside you. Another one, is to see young artists and creators seeking their way so eagerly and strongly. There is much less support and opportunities here for them. But their desire is much stronger. At the moment there is no opportunity to get funding for your studies in Lithuania or to get support for young artists. They have to seek their own way how to survive. A lot of them have to fighting their way through. If you do not do that, you have to go look for the opportunities somewhere else, even abroad. Some of them have to forget their principles and change their profession just to have a job. I am glad that there are lots of talented people in Lithuania. If you receive everything on a silver plate, you lose interest. I get the drive from this. These are real life experiences.
Norvegija turejo savo didziuli pliusa, ten nebuvo nei vieno artimo zmogaus, apart mano vyro ir Domiceles. Tas nuolatinis trukumas papildomo bendravimo ir dalinimosi mintimis apie kuryba ir kitus dalykus, kuriu su vyru ir dukra neaptarsi – priverte ir skatino. Kitas didziulis pliusas – nepaprastai, nezmoniskai grazi gamta. Mes gyvenome ant fiordo, vos ne vienkiemyje ir tai tiesiog sprauste spraude i mane visokius kurybinius elementus, kuriu esu soti ir dabar. Atsiminimai, nuotraukos is to laikotarpio visada itakos mummymoon kuryba. Dar norisi pridurti zmones. Jie ten kitokie, kur kas laisvesni. Tas irgi daug dave, pradziai man, kaip asmenybei. Pamaciau, kad viskas gali buti kitaip.
Lietuva gi, turedama savu minusu, turi ir daugybe pliusu. Visu pirma artimaisiais. Kitas svarbus dalykas, matyti, kaip stipriai ir noriai kabinasi ir eina savo keliu jaunieji menininkai ir kurejai. Cia daug maziau galimybiu ir palaikymo. Bet uztat noras pas daugeli yra kur kas stipresnis. Lietuva kol kas neturi labai daug galimybiu finansuoti mokslu, padeti pacioje pradzioje jaunam kurejui, tad reikia patiems ieskotis kaip gyventi ir isgyventi. Daugelis tai praeina. Ir jei neprasimusi, tenka vaziuoti laimes ieskoti kitur, arba pamirsti principus ir keisti profesija. Dziaugiuos, kad Lietuvoje yra daug gabiu zmoniu. Kaip sako..jei padeta ant lekstutes, tampa nebe taip idomu. Mane tai labai veza. Realus gyvenimiski pavyzdziai.
What is the most challenging thing you have faced in your creative career?
Personally for me – numbers. Making up costs, prices, budgeting and other non-creative processes.
Man asmeniskai skaiciai. Kainu sudarymas, biudzeto darymas ir visi kiti neKURYBINIAI procesai. Vejune, kaip tau?:)
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to fellow creatives?
To free themselves from all fears and trust their instincts. We follow this principle maybe it will help the others too. It would be nice to have the opportunity to meet them and have a chat.
issilaisvinti is visu baimiu ir pasikliauti savimi. Tuo mes vadovaujames, gal pades ir kitiems. O siaip, mes labai noretume su visais susipazinti ir susitikti paplepet.
Thank you so much, Ieva!
Readers, be sure to check out the latest collections and follow along with Mummymoon — and don’t miss Ieva’s beautiful blog!
Mummymoon Shop | Mummymoon Blog | on Facebook | on Pinterest
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