Today, we’re going behind the scenes with Kelly from As they are, a homegrown shop offering tokens of rituals we love honoring things as they are. As they are’s adorable gender-neutral kids clothes is making the world a better place for the next generation, with a percentage of their proceeds going to local children’s cancer and animal organizations. Let’s go beyond the typography as Kelly takes us behind the scenes with As they are!
Hi Kelly! Thanks for taking us behind the scenes today! Let’s start at the beginning– why did you start your business?
Finding gender-neutral kids’ clothing is both important to me and challenging! It’s hard to find cute quotes on kids’ clothes that are tastefully done. I set out to create wearable art, using typography as graphics – taking type apart and piecing it back together in fun ways. Sustainability is a BIG part of my interests and values so the tees I use are soft, durable, functional, and manufactured by an eco-friendly process in a virtually zero waste facility.
We love the products you create– they’re fun to wear and oh-so-comfy! Where do you find inspiration?
MY CHILDREN! They are the driving force behind EVERYTHING that I do. Our apparel needs to be functional and have utility and my boys can attest to the lifespan of our tees.
What a sweet way to create for them! We’re so glad you’re sharing your products with the world, too! Can you please walk us through a step-by-step process for creating your products?
I create when I feel inspired to create, or called to create. It may sound a bit woo woo but it’s the complete truth! You can’t force art and you have to lean into the times when you’re really feeling it – that’s when the best results come out. I start by sketching on my iPad and then I turn that into vector art within Illustrator. I have a production partner who helps order and print my shirts. I work with a family-run business here in Dallas. Keeping it small and local always!
Small and local is the way to go! What does a typical day look like for you?
I’m full-time with my 3 little boys (6, 3, 7 months) as well as full-time with my business. I have about 4 specific ‘projects’ I bounce between. I work in micro-moments, which means I have very small windows of time to get specific things done for each of my projects. I have a list of things to tackle for each project so when the moments to work present themselves, I pick which project I’m feeling called to work on and knock it out. I’m constantly jumping between mom-mode and biz-mode and it can be tough, BUT I am so dang blessed to be doing what I do from the comfort of my home – a place I never want to leave!
Sounds like epic time management, inspiration, and love are the drivers for all you do! We love sneak peeks! Can you let us in on any future products we can look forward to seeing on the shelves?
I place an incredibly high value on female collaboration, which is one of the reasons I connect with Katy so much. She’s done an amazing job of bringing women together. As such, I’ve actually been working on a few collaborations with 2 of the other makers at the shop: Frances Grace Design and Rachel Sun is Up! I can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on. It’s apparel for babies that offers a solution to a specific problem that no other product in the marketplace offers. I’m hoping the line will drop Fall 2021!
I’ve also been hard at work launching Fempowerment Sessions with Katy, Mosaic Founder, and Kaelin, Girl Talk Agency.
Your heart for collaboration is the true Mosaic Makers Collective spirit! We are so glad you’re a part of the MMC!
Want to learn more about our makers or shop As they are? Check out these additional resources:
- Visit our shop in the Bishop Arts District
- Shop As they are online
- Go Behind the Scenes with more of our Mosaic Makers on the Blog