Upcycle Today

A sustainable approach to Kids Fashion

Our friends, Julie and Camila behind the brand, Juni tell us more about upcycling clothing, vintage shopping around the world and how Brooklyn became an inspiration for their childrenswear business.

pP: Hi Kamila and Julie! Tell us bit about the Juni story and how it started.

J: We met in the schoolyard of our kids elementary school. Julie already had a line of bags called Goodship. I really loved the design and all the patterns she created and was begging her to do beach bag version. She finally said “OK, but let’s do it together”. We ended up hand dying bags out on my front stoop, bringing buckets of water up and down 3 flights of stairs. We hang a laundry line in front of my house to dry all the pieces of fabric. It definitely turned some heads and started a few conversations with a few passersby.

We figured out a lot out through trial and error. After setting out to design a tote with lots of features, we ended up simplifying it to some key elements. Keeping it simple worked. Our first collection pretty much sold out so we decided to do another. We started hand-painting the dyes directly onto canvas for the second collection and both of us really connected with that process, that was our next evolution.

pP: Tell us more about the creative process and sustainable mission of Juni.

J: The process is very organic. We learn from every mistake and evolve with every collection. Sometimes you just have to put brush to fabric and see what happens. Sometimes you fail and but then something sparks and you are back in. The more you work with color the more you understand color. Sometimes we look at a vintage item and we both know exactly what color and pattern it should be and other times it takes longer. It’s important to let things sit and not rush the process.

We're a textile studio more than a store, there is so much already out there and it’s important to reuse what we already have. We love the idea of rescuing clothing. Baby clothing is so short-lived, either it gets stained or outgrown. We strive to create a baby collection of vintage dresses that are not only beautiful and up-cycled but also something that you can put in your keep-sake bin for your grandchildren. We like the idea of tradition and passing things on from generation to generation, and if it falls apart, use it for a baby quilt or frame it and put it on the wall.

We carry this idea of making things that last to our bags and other products. We'd like to encourage people to buy less and buy thoughtfully.

pP: What inspires each of your pieces and what is your product range?

J: We hand-paint and dye all our pieces, this process gives us lots of inspiration. We both love vintage and second-hand clothing, the patterns are often very inspiring. We look at patterns constantly, whether it’s on the streets of Brooklyn, or the walls of the art gallery or found on Pinterest. Each piece in the baby collection has its own personality, they each have their own story. Sometimes we look at a baby dress and both know exactly what color it should be and sometimes we just hang it on the clothing rack and think about it for a few days. Inspiration is a funny thing, it can come from anywhere at any given time. Our eyes are always open. Our product line started with bags (an everyday size and a large carryall), then we added pillows, fanny packs and scarves. This fall we’ll release a women’s dress in hand-painted fabric. The up-cycled vintage is something new for Juni.

pP: Where can our petitePARADE readers purchase pieces from your kids collection?

J: We sell everything on our website junibk.com. Also, Gut in Park Slope is carrying some of our baby pieces, @gutnyc Instagram.

pP: We always love a good Brooklyn story. Tell us about how much Brooklyn has influenced your collection.

J: Brooklyn is definitely a very inspiring place, it has its own unique community. People here have their own style and are not afraid to show their individuality. It's full of creatives and it’s impossible not to get inspired. We’ve also found the Brooklyn community to be super supportive of our growing business, which means a lot on those days when running a small business wears you down.

pP: Lastly, but certainly not least, what are the best cities in the world for vintage shopping?

J: You can find great vintage items anywhere, from a church thrift shop to fancy curated vintage boutique. Whenever I travel I always plug in a search for vintage shops for every city I go to. For curated vintage shops, it would definitely be Manhattan, Brooklyn, Amsterdam, London. However, one of my favorite vintage shop is in Cleaveland OH, it’s called Sweet Lorain. It’s organized by year and the shop is packed to the brim with incredible vintage items. We have found amazing items all over the place, from Goodwills upstate to flea markets in Manhattan. Julie always hits the charity shops in small-town New Zealand and Australia when she’s back visiting family.

Photography by Laura Fontaine

Learn more about Juni here

Making Your Kids Wardrobe Sustainable with Juni