We want you to know the fabulous people you support.This is part of our series featuring the people behind our favorite products. Many of them were creative moms just like yourselves who had a great idea they thought was important to share with the rest of the world.
In Kristi's case, it was a stylin' new way to babywear. Check out the world of Gypsy Mama, now known as Wrapsody.
Many of our favorite products were designed and/or made by parents. What was your “Ah-ha!” moment?Though I'd been introduced to slings before my first child was born, and had a "babywearing lifestyle," I didn't meet wraps until my third came. Tracy, from the Mamatoto project, sent me some gauze wraps as a gift, and I LOVED them. I thought, "Everyone needs one of these!" I talked with her about it, and
Gypsy Mama, LLC was born of that interaction.
A few weeks later, while showering with my new son in one of the gauze wraps Tracy had given me (cut in half and tied as a rebozo), I was lamenting about the rippiness of cotton gauze in water, and began conceiving of the Water Wrap and (now extinct) towel pouch. From there, things just grew.
Tell me about the Mamatoto Project. How did you hear about it, and what was the process?Tracy and I were on an EC (Elimination Communication) list together, and I was expressing my frustration at wet slings (I only had two, then, both Maya Wraps). She offered to send some wraps, and told me about the Mamatoto Project. The website was in its infancy then, but I thought it was brilliant! There was almost no online wrap instruction at the time -- only 3 or 4 carries Tracy had up, and Peppermint's instructions were readily accessible. TheBabywearer.com had one back carrying instruction. I loved watching Tracy grow the site and add carries, etc. Shortly after I "met" her online, she helped me start my business, helping with gifts of fabric and fabric loans. Without her help, Gypsy Mama could not have flourished as quickly as it did.
I notice that some of the patterns reflect the names of your children. Can you tell me a little more about that? How did you relate the two?When I first began working with the Balinese artist in designing wraps, I wanted each of my children to have a wrap. My children -- named
Morgaine, Orion, and Isaac, are, to me, the sun, sea, and stars.
Morgaine means "by the sea." I had previously designed a mermaid wrap to benefit Tsunami victims. I had loved that wrap, and wanted to design another
mermaid wrap -- it was a very natural namesake for my Morgaine.
Orion, my star child, bears the name of the Orion constellation, which stands beside the constellation of the river Eridanus. His wrap was kind of a reach, but he has my water-colored wrap, which connects via that river and his blue, blue eyes. No other wrap in my first set of designs suited him as a namesake.
My Isaac's name was suggested to me by a Joan Baez song, the lyric which runs:
And oh, Isaac
the light of all your days
will shine upon this mountain high
and never, ever fade away.
He is my shining sun, and I named Isaac after him -- a yellow wrap with orange tribal suns. It was not very popular, and I was sad that the first wrap I discontinued bore my son's name -- so later, I made "Isjoha," taking the first two letters of his first, middle, and last names -- a koi wrap. My Isaac is a Pisces, so
I tied it together like that. Unfortunately, that is also retired, but perhaps in the future I'll make him another.
I know that when you started Gypsy Mama/Wrapsody, you were a single mom. How did the company allow you to manage life?When I first started Wrapsody, my youngest was less than a month old. My marriage was struggling hard, but I did not become a single mother until two weeks after my youngest turned a year old. It was at that time that I moved from having a business-as-hobby to having the wraps manufactured.
My customers were extraordinarily supportive, and their support helped me grow the business quickly enough to remain at home with my children rather than joining the workforce outside the home.
I was able to provide them the support and stability of having their mother consistently with them during a difficult and rapidly changing time for them. In the year after their father moved out, they acquired with him a new stepfamily and a new baby brother, and I was happy to be able to stay with them throughout that process, as well as have the flexibility to adapt to their father's schedule until it became consistent (he works as a nurse).
Mostly, I was able to remain true to what, for me, is an important parenting lifestyle, including homeschooling, and to remain very present with my children, while staying afloat financially, even purchasing a home when the business outgrew our small trailer.
Tell me about your parenting/work balance. How do you homeschool your children and run a business? My kids are with their father for part of the week in a shared custody situation, so that sets the rhythm of our lives. We school in pockets during the week, at opportune moments, in the evenings, on the weekends, during shopping trips, etc. 2 to 3 days a week we focus on having a chunk of time for more "schooly" stuff -- writing, math, directed reading, fun projects. Often, the kids will work beside me while I am in the barn, and I take frequent breaks to help them with their work.
We also are involved with a great local homeschool group, so we have playgroup time carved out.
I do the bulk of my Gypsy Mama work during the days they are with their father. The flexibility of the business allows me to work anywhere, any time -- I carve out work hours during long car trips (when I'm not driving, of course), in the evening, first thing in the morning. I can pop online for 30 minutes throughout the day and catch up on a handful of things.
I think it's my lack of structured lifestyle that allows us to be successful at finding this balance between work, play, and family.
It seems daunting. What were the first steps in your career path, and how has the company changed over time?
In the beginning, the company was a way for me to earn extra income while expressing my creative ideas -- I dyed fabrics myself, designed appliques. The original Gypsy Mamas were very "patchie chic." Once my marriage failed, I had to focus more on growing and thriving, on increasing production and sales. I have learned a lot about running a business -- I had no real business skills when I embarked on this adventure.
Moving into international trade was a huge challenge for me -- there are so many laws to navigate. Once I received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security because I wasn't marking my wraps correctly -- that was really intimidating.
More recently, I have learned a lot more about labeling, during the hours and hours I spent researching the new children's legislation, CPSIA. Many of us get into business with a creative passion and gather the tools as we go -- I am definitely that way.
I have learned a lot about navigating crisis -- during our rebranding campaign last year, for example, I had so many problems -- a designer who was slow on producing and not as responsive to feedback as I would have liked; a knee injury and then problems with my vocal cords really affected the filming of my DVD; the economy tanked in the midst of all the delays -- there was a lot of problem solving that had to happen. I learned to coordinate teams of professionals, among other things.
More than anything, I think being an entrepreneur has had a huge impact on my self confidence.
I have this clearly marked path to reflect on -- a path that was not so clearly marked when I walked down it, but on which I have left many marks. It's neat to walk into my warehouse and see what I've created.
I love the fabrics you choose. How do aesthetics play, and who designs the 
wraps?
Most of the wraps are designed by me. Some are very specific -- for example, I said in the beginning, "I want a sage wrap, with dragonflies." "I want a turquoise wrap, with mermaids." That first batch of breezes, in 2005, were also influenced by Kristen DeRocha, who owns Hotslings. "Do a Hibiscus print," she told me. She was right -- Haumea continues to be one of my best sellers.
Sometimes, designs of other fabrics my artist has created inspire me -- this was the case with Isis. "I'd like that," I said, "but in blue and brown."
I love the design process.
Usually, I'll have an idea for a flavor or theme. Recently, for example, I designed two wraps -- a Celtic design and a leaf design. The Celtic design has been hovering for years in my mind. I took inventory of what color gaps I'd like to fill and decided on a brick, with grey background. Then I googled knotwork images endlessly, finally deciding on a pattern. My artist and I communicated using Pantonecolor numbers, then she sent me drafts. I shared the drafts with my customers and chose one.
For the leaves, the design was inspired by a fabric Jennifer Rosenburg designed for us to batik a couple years ago. I had originally mocked it up in brown and green -- but, I have two brown wraps in stretch, and two green. So I wanted something different, and I wasn't sure what it was. So, to google I went, googling leaf fabrics, leaf photographs, leaf paintings, and so forth, until I hit upon my theme -- leaves in the water.
After several mockups, I shared the images with my customers before arriving at the coloring you'll see on the final wraps, which will be available in late September or early October.
Tell me about the people who supply the wraps. Where do you source your material and the printing?
Our Bali line is manufactured in Bali, Indonesia. The owner of the company is, herself, a single mother, though her children are now grown. She provides housing for many of her employees, and others live nearby. She employs pattern makers, batikers, and sewers. The dyestuffs she uses are all manufactured by Dyestar, which has provided me certifications for their dyes, and the batiking is done outdoors, and is heavily dependent upon the weather.
I love working with the company, and the owner is a warm, wonderful woman. She has sent photos of her pet monkeys for my children when they have been ill, and even helped me design a quilt for a special friend of mine.
Our water wraps are made in New England at a family-owned cut-and-sew facility. The fabric comes from a New England company, as well as all our packaging. I take a lot of pride in sourcing locally wherever appropriate, and from quality, reputable companies with good work ethics when it is not appropriate to source locally.
Any advice for other mom-trepreneurs?
I think it's important to have a niche, to know your market. Do the research before you start -- be professional, but don't be afraid to take risks. I wish I'd known more about business before I started, but I'm glad I went ahead with the business anyway. However, it's been the research at each stage that has allowed me to take informed risks that have paid off well in the end.
I think with so many mom-trepreneurs who've been doing this a while, sometimes the tempation to rely on their research is hard to resist for new business owners. However, doing the groundwork makes you a stronger business person, IMO, and that strength is important during challenging times.
What is next for Wrapsody?
I have so many ideas -- but realistically, in our current economy, I am going to continue focusing on what I do well -- designing beautiful, quality wraps and getting them into the hands of the families that want them. I'd like to reach more and more families that can benefit from these products, and I think the way to do that is for even more boutique stores, like Nature's Child, to carry my products.
I am also expanding my international market, and beginning to learn about the complex world of sales reps. Currently, Gypsy Mama has reps in Russia and in Spain. I see
expansion into South America in our near future, and I'm very excited about that, also.
My oldest is very into fashion design, and I think there's a strong possibility that she'll be designing a colorway in the next year or two, and I know my new husband has expressed interest in doing a design, and he occasionally throws design ideas my way. Definitely I'm trying to bring the design influences of others into the business, to ensure a real variety of the flavors of wraps I offer.
Lastly, I've got new Water Wrap instructions and packaging percolating, and they should be available with the spring batch of Water Wraps, if all goes well. I'm looking forward to that -- I loved the packaging and branding process with the Bali line.
To check out Kristi's good works, go here. Her wraps are totally affordable baby carriers that last from newborn to big ol' toddler!
