Working Parents // The Dinamic Duo Behind Achantus Apparel

A few weeks ago Luca and Azul had the pleasure of modeling a couple pieces for Achantus Apparel we have been fans of the line for about a year now so when Alyssa ask me I immediately say yes and my kids love it and they also LOVE the shirts.

Alyssa and her husband Joshua are the brains behind Achantus Apparel and they also became parents seven months ago to the most beautiful baby girl Isla, I have meet Alyssa a few times now and I just have tremendous admiration for her so I ask her to share a little about Achantus and their little family, I hope you guys enjoy her answers as much as I did.

Tell us how Acanthus started?

Acanthus started as a hobby. About 9 years ago there were some trendy boutiques popping up in Des Moines. They had some great stuff but it was really expensive and everything was too big for us. So for Christmas in 2005 I bought Joshua a sewing machine because he said he was going to make his own designer t-shirts. He made one for himself, the first one was hand dyed, bleached, distressed and had patches sewn on it... no screen printing. He wore that shirt to work and everyone who saw it wanted one. So I helped him make a small run of this shirt. My brother wore one into a local boutique and they had to have it. That's where we started. We made small runs of designer tee's that retailed for $88. After a few designs I started screen printing on the shirts and eventually the demand was growing and we decided to stop doing the designer tee's and just focus on our simpler screen printed tee's. That shift coincided with me opening up Vitae Design Collective. So for the past 6 years we've continued to put our graphics on comfortable apparel. Baby, kid and dog apparel have also been added to the line up. 

Can you tell us a little bit about the process of making one of your shirts?

The process starts with an idea that either Joshua or I have. Next Joshua will take the idea and do some drawings until we get the perfect one that we both agree on. Joshua makes the screens and then after that his job is pretty much finished. I take over and do all of the printing. I pick out what we print on and pick the print colors. I try to keep on top of the latest trends. After printing the shirts I sew in an Acanthus label. We've always had some type of sewn in label which I think has set us apart from other local t-shirt companies. Then the shirts are ready to sell.

What/who is your biggest inspiration?

My inspiration is always changing and for the past year or so I felt like I was in a rut, I just wasn't being inspired. Isla has been my inspiration lately. I get so many ideas for our kid and baby line when I'm looking for outfit ideas for Isla on blogs or instagram feeds. These ideas are now starting to evolve into the adult fall/winter collection.  We are about to do something completely different for Acanthus and it's all because of my little muse, Isla. I can't wait for everyone to see what we've been working on!

how are you managing motherhood and your business now?

It's been a challenge! Before she was born I thought I had it all figured out. I was wrong. My main job is mommy and I wouldn't have it any other way. So I've had to find areas in my life where I could make some changes. I hired someone at Vitae to work most of my shifts. This allows me more flexibility when I'm at Vitae and also gives me a couple of days a week to work at home while Isla is being cared for by Grandma or Dad. I'm also looking into hiring a nanny a couple of afternoons a week, then Isla can still be home with me. She recently started going to the gym with Joshua in the mornings and that has given me a little breathing room. I get an hour or two to myself to print or ship orders. We are making it work and I'm grateful that I have such a wonderful husband that supports my decisions and helps me whenever he can.

Tell us your top mom "essentials"-

These keep changing as Isla grows but here are my essentials right now... At almost 7 months old she is always on the move and most of the time she requires my constant attention but the joovy spoon walker has been a life saver! When she is in it it's really the only time of day I can get a minute to myself. Plus I love the clean aesthetic of the walker. We have a small house and most of her toys have to stay out in the open so I get pretty picky about what we buy. See it here.

Next on the list is a good bag. I love the diaper bag we bought her but lately I've been getting sick of switching bags when we run errands or have to stop into my store. I recently purchased a great bag from Apolis to use as a spring/summer tote. It's design is meant to be a market tote but the slots for wine bottles work great for her bottles and toys. And it still fits all of my work stuff. You can buy the tote here.

Another thing I find essential are blankets... lots and lots of blankets! My husband would completely disagree. I think my new obsession would be purchasing blankets with cool patterns. We have wood floors throughout our house so I'm always throwing blankets and quilts on the floor for Isla to play on. And if they are not on the floor we are using them to snuggle with. Isla is such a little snuggler! Plus, they make great backdrops for photos and I love taking photos of Isla. A couple of my favorite blankets came from Vonbon Apparel, LWPH Sews and Spearmint Baby

My Vitamix is another essential. I love making food for Isla and the vitamix has made that so easy. It purees the food so much better than my food processor. The food processor still works so I wouldn't run out and buy one. They are pricey and I got lucky when a friend saw an old one at a garage sale for 50 cents.

And the last thing is the one thing I always have in my bag... Kind Bars. With a busy baby and always trying to get things done I sometimes miss meals or have to wait to eat. They fill me up until I get a chance to eat and they are nutritious. Mom's will completely understand this!

Any advice you would like to share with someone dreaming of starting a business or following their passion?

Just do it. Don't get overwhelmed. Take things one step at a time and before you know it you'll be doing what you love. Ask for advice. Use people as a resource. Even if you don't know someone, introduce yourself, you'll be surprised at how many people will offer their advice and guidance. 

-Alyssa


Isn't Alyssa awesome? thank you so much Alyssa for taking sometime to answer my questions.

You can find updates about Acanthus on Alyssa's IG and you can buy their designs here or if you are a local in Des Moines you can buy them at Vitae.

I hope you guys like this new feature on the blog , Amner and I have been working in a couple of very exciting projects and trying to manage family at the same time so we tough it would be great to find other parents that have been doing this for a while so they could share some tips with us and we find The Bowers to be the perfect family for our first post.

The last week has been kind of exhausting at least on my body but with the help of Amner that change a couple of days of his work schedule to take care of the kids for a couple of hours in the morning also Bella is been helping me out by teaching me everything she has been learning in yoga and it has been making a lot of difference already and of course my monsters for clapping every time I make a new design, you know that saying "It takes a village to raise a child,"  well my new saying is "It takes a family to start a business" 


Have a fantastic week!!

Laura.