My Creative 7-Year-Old Daughter Is My Business Partner

My bond with my daughter is that of a mother, but also as a business partner. She views the world, and I uphold that perception through fashion.

My love and obsession with Fashion Design were born early. As a child, I’d cut all the extra pieces of fabric around the house that I could lay my hands on.

Sewing or pasting, whatever means I could, would be adopted to create dresses for my beautiful Barbie.

From sewing scrapes for Barbie, to a career in fashion

Obstinately refusing to let go, I pursued my passion and forged a career from it.

I believe my daughter’s love for fashion comes from watching her parents both in this profession. After my daughter’s birth, I restarted my fashion career in a new way.

I began designing prints for T-shirts and loungewear. A shift from my earlier boutique and customization work has been challenging.

As I sat long hours before my laptop – juggling time between the kids and work, I soon realized I was being watched.

Someone had her own notebook full of artworks!

My little girl had filled her art book with curly, wiry, curvy dolls wearing colourful clothes. Different dresses were being conceptualized and drawn. It was amazing!

It felt like I was in a time machine that had taken me to the past.

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I remember as a kid, I wouldn’t leave a bit of paper blank. All my books, notebooks, textbooks would be filled with sketches like these. I bought her a new art book and a box of glitter crayons.

She was ecstatic!

All little girls love wearing their mom’s heels and pretending they are strutting down the ramp. Mine is no different. Pouting her lips, hands on her waist, she sashays across the living room and poses.

Little fashionista!

We all laugh! It’s been a while now since I discovered her interest, she has since then developed it well.

My daughter keenly observes as I talk to clients and understand their requirements. When we put up a stall in the local shopping exhibitions, she loves to help.

I’ve taken ideas from her art book often, and created commercial designs from it. It was on one such day when I was stuck for a new idea when I started looking through her art book again.

Flipping through her art book, a series was born

A series of sketches depicting herself and her life-at school, with family, playing in the park, etc., caught my fascination. I took a page, with my daughter’s permission.

We scanned the doodle and enlarged it. Fine-tuning the lines, I added some colour to them. Then I digitally printed it on an oversized white T-shirt.

It looked great.

Born was a new business idea.

Working together, mother and daughter have created a file of doodles titled – my friends and I.

It’s a series of artwork depicting a little girl’s life as she plays with friends, her curiosity, her little squabbles, etc. It takes you through life from the eyes of a 7-year-old girl.

We will make a line of T-shirts for kids between the ages of 6-12. We don’t know how successful it will be. I have no idea whether it will be worth the effort. However, for now, the two of us are enjoying being “Business Partners!”

Image source: Josealbafotos via pixabay, free on CanvaPro

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About the Author

Meeta Chablani

Hi! I'm Meeta Chablanii- an animator, illustrator a freelance fashion designer and a full time mom to two little brats. My journey of bringing them up forms the backdrop of most of my posts. read more...

22 Posts | 16,116 Views

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