This week on the blog we chat to sisters-in-law Lauren and Lani Levy founders of fabulous maternity style company Ani + Wren.
Their core philosophy is that pregnant women should feel confident and beautiful, rather than feeling like they’ve settled for clothes that don’t truly reflect their personal style. A philosophy Mama Mio are completely on board with.
From working with family, to beauty essentials read on for more! Plus scroll to the bottom of the page to find out how you can win a 9 month supply of Mama Mio goodies!
Your maternity wear is some of the most fashionable available for Mamas‐to‐be! How did the idea for Ani + Wren come about?
We came up with the idea for Ani + Wren when Lauren was expecting her first child 6 years ago! She really struggled to find clothes that fit her pre pregnancy style. Lani’s background is in fashion – so we came together with this concept of creating a stylish boutique that caters to expectant moms with a mix of curated contemporary brands and bump friendly non maternity brands that work before, during and after pregnancy. The whole idea behind Ani + Wren (a play on our names!) is for women to feel amazing when they are expecting – this is an exciting time but we understand that not every women feels their best when they are pregnant – we want them to walk in our store and find pieces they love that make them feel incredible!
What’s it like working together as sisters‐in‐law?
We feel so lucky we get to work with one another! Lauren is married to Lani’s oldest brother so it’s family first! We spend a lot of time together and have developed a really great working relationship. We have different opinions and don’t always agree but we respect one another and always appreciate having someone else to bounce ideas off of! Plus it would just be boring to work alone 😉
What are your pregnancy fashion staples?
For Lauren, anything that is transitional is key. She has 4 kids all very close in age so all her pregnancy pieces had to be transitional from work to school pick up, to park play dates. Investing in some really great maternity jeans (with distressing or in a cute shade of grey or white was key) –paired with a cool loose top from one of her fave brands HATCH was essential. When Lani was pregnant with Xander she really gravitated to anything fitted – staples from Isabella Oliver or our own brand that we developed Cutler were styles that she loved! She would take something basic but always top it with a cool trench or wear cute shoes or sneakers to make it a bit more fashion forward!
Do you have a style icon?
We love celebrity moms that always seem to look chic wherever they go – Blake Lively has incredible style and is such a risk taker! We also love Jessica Alba’s everyday style – she always looks clean and cool and put together.
What’s the one beauty item that you always have in your handbag?
Lani always carries Sugar lip Balm in Rose in her bag – it gives that perfect light tint of colour!
Lauren‐ always has bandaids (is that a beauty product??) … wherever she is one of her kids always seems to need one 😉
Do you have any exciting plans for the future of Ani + Wren?
We are always looking at what we can do next and how we can develop the business … we never sit still when it comes to growing Ani + Wren! We are currently looking at expanding the styles for our house brand Cutler, we are also in the process of completely re‐vamping our online site (aniandwren.com) … and we always toy with the idea of more store locations … so stay tuned!!
Want to win 9 months worth of Mama Mio goodies with Ani + Wren? Go to their Instagram here to enter!