Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Zelaya Iturregui.
Hi Claudia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
That’s a great question. My story is really quite interesting as it resulted in me doing something that I never expected that I’d do. It all started during my pregnancy. At the time, I was working as a registered behavioral technician and gearing up to take time off of work during my third trimester. I began perusing for baby clothing as I looked to build my soon-to-be son’s wardrobe. Quite frankly, I did not like very much of what I saw. It looked so commercial and repeated, I wanted something a bit more unique. When I was a baby, my mother dressed my brother and I in gorgeous pieces, some of which I would end up reusing with my son. They had stood the test of time and were still functional. I wanted that for my son.
By chance, I went to Madrid with my family for a quick vacation and, obviously, did a bit of clothes shopping (SUMMER SALES!) while there. I found the type of luxurious, affordable, and heirloom quality baby/toddler clothes that I had been looking for. Without missing a beat, I began collecting the information of the stores, many of which were very much mom-and-pop shops, while continuing to explore new brands. I returned to Miami and thought to myself, “this is really what the people I know are looking for.” I reached back out to many of the brands whose information I had written down, and gained their trust. I told them that I wanted to help bring their brands to the United States, specifically Miami. They were enthusiastic! Having this vote of confidence in hand, and with the support of my fantastic family and husband, I went about starting Mi Petit Pois.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth roads exist only in an entrepreneur’s dreams! The truth is that having an online boutique with such niche products lends itself to high fluctuations in sales. Sometimes our social media engagement can buoy us in ways we didn’t expect, other times it falls flatter than a flat white. Much of our sales are by happenstance, we’re still calibrating our selling strategy and running tests to see what works and what doesn’t. Mi Petit Pois is still very much in the toddler stages of development, teething on just about everything we can get our hands on.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mi Petit Pois. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Mi Petit Pois is an online clothing boutique for babies and toddlers, specializing in heirloom quality, hand-knitted apparel that is both luxurious and practical. We strive to bring classic styles to our customers at an affordable price. We also know that prices, even when relatively affordable for most, can still be prohibitive for others, which is why we’re ALWAYS running sales, giveaways, discounts via our instagram (@mipetitpois).
Our differentiator and what we’re most proud of is our unrelenting focus on quality. We would much rather place an order for a limited amount of pieces while ensuring quality of materials and production than the opposite. Our brand means everything to us and we’re keen on maintaining exceptionalism at every opportunity; this is the least we can do for our customers.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The next big trends in our industry over the next 5-10 years are likely to focus on sustainability. Increasingly, consumers buying baby and toddler clothes are demanding organic materials sourced from reputable producers that are later manufactured at sites that use creditable labor practices. It should be mentioned that these attributes should all have been table stakes in our industry, though it still brings me joy to know that the industry is trending in the right direction. At Mi Petit Pois, we knew from the very beginning that these would be principles of ours and that it would be our small contribution toward making the world a slightly better place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mipetitpois.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mipetitpois/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mi-Petit-Pois/61573189464464/#
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-m-iturregui-zelaya-038292140/
