YYC FEATURE: Lemon Butter Babies
Silvia McDougall’s mission is to ‘dress dreamers of tomorrow with love’
Timeless and sustainable children’s fashion inspired by the 1950’s. This was Silvia McDougall’s vision as she set out to create a slow fashion brand that would create a positive impact on the world. As a designer, she aims to ‘capture children’s dreams’ within her clothing designs—in all their ‘wonderment, exploration and imagination’. Silvia knows that children are our future, and wants Lemon Butter Babies to contribute to cultivating a healthy planet for them. For this reason, her collections are made in small batches out of premium sustainable fabrics including organic cotton, bamboo and GOTS certified textiles. Everything is made in Alberta, and Silvia strives to use zero-waste designs to minimize her carbon footprint. She believes that slow fashion should mean producing quality clothing that can be passed down from child to child, and consists of pieces ‘that can be coordinated throughout the seasons’. Silvia is, without a doubt, a creative mind with a talent for capturing the attention of the mind and soul with her work, but her dedication to adopting sustainable practices as she creates art is equally as impressive.
Your clothing is beautiful— do you do all the design work yourself? What does this process look like? For example, how long does it take to design a garment start to finish? Are you sketching the designs by hand?
“Yes, each piece is designed by me. I sketched the design with just a pencil and a notebook. Designing clothes is my way of journaling motherhood, capturing those precious moments with my babies and sharing stories of my experiences. Since I was new to starting a business and had no clue what the manufacturer needed, I hired a clothing specialist— someone who specializes in making patterns to help bridge the gap between me and manufacturers. The process of making the first collection was lengthy as it was a huge learning curve— almost 3 years from start to finish. I wanted to ensure the ‘ingredients’ going into each piece met my standards: high quality, natural and sustainable fabric that are soft for the baby’s skin, and healthy for the environment. We took time on researching and testing the fabrics to ensure the garments were made of the highest quality.”
“Designing clothes is my way of journaling motherhood, capturing those precious moments with my babies and sharing stories of my experiences”
Why was it important to you that all your pieces are made right in Calgary?
“The idea of going overseas was scary for me, not only financially but also ensuring the manufacturer was operating ethically and sustainably…It gave me peace of mind that I was able to visit the manufacturer and the workers on a regular basis. I was able to work with the owner in saving all of our fabric scraps as well.”
Do you source from Canadian textile companies?
“Yes. We source from Telio and Kendor.”
You’re not only a business woman, but a mother— do you have any advice for other mothers who are thinking of starting their own business?
“Yes, I started this business with really young kids (I have a 4 yr old and a 6 month old baby). I was working a full time job, and taking care of my eldest, and trying to start a business with a new born baby, crazy right? Needless to say, I burnt out. My advice is to be realistic of your time, capability and expectations. I’m sad to admit that I don’t remember the last 3 years because I was constantly hustling and as a result, my relationship with my family became strained. I think starting a business and being a mom is wonderful, but you have to know that the commitment, time and energy of a new business is like a newborn baby, it can also keep you up at night (haha). I think if you’re able to do the business slowly and surely, to fit into your lifestyle without sacrificing family time is important.”
You’ve just launched, but what would you say in the greatest challenge or obstacle that you’ve had to overcome thus far in your entrepreneurial journey?
“It has been an amazing journey, but also a very bumpy one. I often catch myself thinking if I could go back, I would do it differently. The greatest challenge for me was the time constraint— I just had my baby and I was just overwhelmed with two kids at home. I’ve realized that my expectations was too high given my circumstances. Also, It can be really hard emotional when your business is not going the way you want it to. My biggest obstacle is to let go and not dwell on all the mistakes I have made but instead focus on listening, Learning and growing. It’s a fine balance between doing something you love and what the market needs. If you are different, then more time is needed to get your branding right and finding the right customers for your products.”
What is your hope for Lemon Butter Babies over the next 5 years?
“Since launching I now realized that I need to slow down and simplify my goals which in the end is more realistic of my current situation. A lot of my inspiration comes from my moments with my kiddos, I couldn’t have the business take away my time from them. So I’ve decided to pivot the business into a bespoke, made to order clothing brand. This will allow me to more creative with my designs since I don’t have to worry the limitation of the manufacturer and is more sustainable where I will not be making excess products. I think being made to order suits my business motto of slow fashion.”
What is a valuable piece of wisdom that has helped get you where you are today?
“Slow down and let go, focus on your purpose and what brings you joy. Spend time on understanding why you want to start a business. Initially I made the business too big, and a complete separate entity from me which was a mistake. But since launching I realized my purpose was actually because I wanted to fulfill my childhood dreams of being a fashion designer. As a mom, I want to encourage my children’s dreams and the limitless possibilities they can achieve.”
FIND HER AT: https://lemonbutterbabies.com/