Back when I was pregnant, I was really excited about telling everyone about my pregnancy. I really wanted to find some cool onesies that paid homage to my culture since I'm a first-generation American, born to an immigrant family. I couldn't find any! I was surprised but knew we could make clothing that wasn't generic about an Aunty or Grandma -- my child was going to call her Aunts "Khala" and "Teta" and her Grandmas "Nani" and "Baba."
That's how Jasmine + Marigold started. I knew that my child's cultural identity would be an important part of her life. Her dad is Macedonian, and she'll likely also identify with that side of the family. But I am Pakistani and Muslim, and unfortunately representation in 2016 did not exist for Muslim children in the US.
I couldn't find any cute onesies or pajamas celebrating my daughter's heritage. Sure, you can find options for people celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah—but what if your family celebrates two holidays at once? What if you're a Muslim child and you want to celebrate your holiday and culture?
As I got deeper into designing items, however, I realized that there were so many needs to be met: 1. There were no clothing lines that celebrated Muslim holidays. 2. There were no clothing lines that were modern in their design yet still culturally-relevant (i.e., it's fine to have a ton of moon and star items, but not every item you design has to be plastered in moons and stars). 3. There were no Eastern kids' clothing lines that offered products in quality, sustainable fibers.
We launched at the end of May 2016, just two weeks before I returned to work full-time from my maternity leave, and we have evolved ever since then. We've been featured on Buzzfeed and a few other online media!