Local online boutique focuses on small batch, sustainable clothes for women, children

Not that long ago, Nicole Narayanasamy wasn't finding what she was looking for when she shopped for clothing for her infant daughter. And she already was horrified by business practices around the world that include garment workers making just pennies for each hour of work. Looking for a better way and better options, she launched Nila Jade, an online boutique that features small batch, sustainable and ethically sourced merchandise for children and women.

"We opened in early 2020 and it's been such an incredible adventure," Narayanasamy shared. "The pandemic hitting around the time that we opened definitely made things difficult, but I'm extremely passionate about my business, and it's been so amazing to watch my dream become a reality."

I checked in with Narayansamy, who lives in Morrisville with her husband and their young daughter, the shop's namesake, to learn more about the shop and her goals. Here's a Q&A.

Go Ask Mom: How did your business get its start. What was your aha moment?

Nicole Narayanasamy: Working in the fashion industry had long been a dream of mine. Upon graduating college, I worked in retail management and learned as much as I could, while daydreaming of opening a boutique. As I got older, I started to notice a problem in the industry. It was largely unethical. I became more aware of the world around me (and the not-so-glamorous side of fashion), horrified to learn how the vast majority of textiles are made. I knew that I wanted to change that, and when I got pregnant with my daughter, I realized that sustainable and ethical choices for children's clothing, in particular, needed to be more accessible. Things that were both functional and beautiful, that people would want to save and reuse, that would be of high quality and built to withstand the test of time. Soon, both my daughter and the idea for my shop were born, and we have been working hard to grow and raise awareness about conscious fashion ever since.

GAM: What all do you offer?

NN: Our selection changes all the time. The items we carry are small-batch to begin with, and we often stock only a few of each piece in order to keep our style fresh and unique, and bring on new items as often as we can. When we launched, we carried sizes from newborn to 14/16 (in children's), and had things for infants, toddlers, boys and girls, along with baby gear and accessories.

In the spring, I decided that we needed to expand our offering and began to reach out to size-inclusive womenswear brands. We offer a few styles for women of all sizes right now, but in the coming months, we will be growing our options exponentially. We just ordered tons of fair-trade jewelry and accessories that we are waiting on, along with women's dresses and jumpsuits (some up to a size 6x), a larger selection of infant clothing, and matching sibling sets for boys and girls. In addition to clothing, Nila Jade also sells baby gear like woven wraps and toys. In fact, one of our best sellers has been a collection of certified fair-trade, organic mermaid dolls.

GAM: What are you looking for as you're working to fill your boutique with items? How would you describe the aesthetic and style?

NN: When I'm curating our collections, I look for things that bridge the gap between trendy and timeless. I don't want things that are a passing fad. My style is understated and elegant, but I also want the pieces to be really fun, and things that my customers are excited to wear. I remembered how frustrating it would be when I was trying to shop for my daughter before launching Nila Jade. Everything was either covered in cartoon characters, adorned with slogans, an adult design cut in a child's size, or just plain drab and boring. It was really difficult to find what I was looking for.

I strive to bring in pieces that have minimalist elements, but with fun twists. For example, a dress may have a really classic cut, but we will offer it in a fun bold hue or a print. We try to also offer a lot of traditional solid wardrobe staples that can be accessorized in a variety of ways to increase sustainability and functionality. There is a heavy Desi influence in our shop. We want to share the South Indian heritage of our family, and we really try to tell a cultural story through the scope of our brand, as well. I love buying beautiful hand-carved block prints, traditional Indian silhouettes, and pieces that combine the stylistic elements of East and West.

GAM: What do you love about what you do?

NN: I love that every day I'm able to wake up and live my dream. I love that I'm teaching my daughter to go after what she wants in life, even if it starts on a small scale. And I love that I'm bringing awareness to the darker side of the fashion industry as I teach my customers about slow fashion and how to make changes in their buying habits.

GAM: What's your hope for the future of your business?

NN: We have been working to create my own designs since shortly after my business started. When the pandemic hit, it really slowed down that process. My dream is that as my business grows, we can eventually produce our own in-house brand. It's such a huge dream of mine, and I can't wait for the day I get to see my designs come to life! I also envision that we will eventually have a storefront.

If nothing else, I hope that my business can make others more thoughtful about their footprint, and inspire them to learn more about where their clothing comes from and who makes them. I urge everyone to check out Fashion Revolution and the Who Made My Clothes movement. The average garment worker around the globe is paid between 5 and 12 cents per unit, with those working in the worst conditions making only 3 cents per HOUR. It's really disgusting, this ugly truth behind the gross violation of human rights that holds up the fashion industry behind the scenes. I want to educate and bring awareness while working to create a more conscious consumer. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness."

Go Ask Mom features local moms every Monday.