I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating Father’s Day last weekend. We returned from a much-needed week away in Hawaii last week, and I am semi-energized (are you ever back to 100% charge when you have a toddler?) to get back into the swing of things and share more brands and founders with you!
The brand I want to share with you today came into my life in the most serendipitous way. Last month, there was a local event held in the Bay Area that featured a few local brands in a pop-up setting. I went to support my friend Cecilia Tse and her brand hey freya. We had just booked our trip to Hawaii a few days prior (yes, we play very fast, loose, and last-minute when it comes to vacations in our household), and I really wanted to get some cute clothes for my daughter to wear on the trip. I'm not sure why I bother because 1) I freak out she gets stains on them, 2) she hasn't posed for a picture since she started walking at ten months old, and 3) kids' clothing sizes stress me out — I don't want to buy something that looks comically large on her, nor do I want something that lasts only two weeks before it shrinks.
Anyway, I went to the event not really sure what I would find, but it turned out to be an amazing day for scoring some fab items. The highlight for me was meeting the co-founders of Spilled Milk.
📝 Quick note: This is a long post with a lot of good stuff. So if you’re reading via email, click through to the web version or read on the Substack app to make sure you get to read everything including the exclusive Spilled Milk promo code for Brands and Bobs readers!
Spilled Milk is the brainchild of two cousins and first-time moms, Sarah and Jamie. What started as a brand with a Diaper Emergency Kit in 2022 has now exploded into the cutest curation of children’s clothing and accessories from brands around the globe. They partner with brands that truly value quality over quantity, which is a philosophy we can all appreciate. Sarah and Jamie really lean into the perfectly imperfect mentality with their brand, as it truly is the mantra of being a parent today. I love every single item they have on their site and only wish I could get them in my size because I know I have maybe 8-10 years left of wearing matching clothes before my daughter tells me my style is outdated.
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The other thing I truly love about their curation is that it’s not all beige, nor is it over-the-top colorful. The collection covers a gamut of textures and tones that are so pleasing to the eye. When I saw their pop-up, I could tell that every single item was made of quality textiles, which makes it easier to purchase for picky toddlers who are particular about the feel of their clothing.
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I felt invited to explore their pop-up without feeling any pressure to purchase as you often do at these events. Jamie and Sarah were warm, welcoming and answered all my sizing questions about the clothes so patiently. I was instantly drawn to a delectable sweater, which unfortunately was sold out in the size I needed. However, as I continued to explore, I fell in love with a Liberty London printed dress and hair clip - I am a sucker for all things Liberty London and can spot a Liberty print from a mile away. The dress is absolutely darling, and I loved seeing my daughter wear it in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago.
As you will read below, the co-founders have the expertise and solid eye for merchandizing. Spilled Milk store front has everything you need from newborn to kids stage. With their exceptional curation, I am constantly adding things to my wishlist. Here is everything I am eyeing for summer and fall.
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It’s silly, but dressing up my toddler in fun and well-made clothes brings me such happiness. Even if the photos I manage to take aren’t award-worthy and are often a little hazy, I find immense joy in scrolling through them at night, seeing her living her best life without a care in the world. As you plan for your summer trips with little ones, or when you start your back to school shopping, be sure to bookmark and check out Spilled Milk. I am certain you will find some stunning pieces, whatever your color pallet or style needs might be.
Oh and here is a lovely code for you to get 15% off your first purchase: BRANDSANDBOBS15. Includes full price merchandise only.
I am so glad I met Sarah and Jamie at the event and excited to see all their continued success as they build and grow Spilled Milk. Here’s mode from Sarah and Jamie about their journey to launching Spilled Milk:
Can you share a little bit about your background?
Sure! We are a family-owned business based out of California. Sarah and Jaime are cousins who co-founded the brand about a year ago. We both have backgrounds working in DTC businesses and actually worked at Levi’s HQ in San Francisco together! Jaime has over 15+ years in the apparel industry mostly in buying and merchandising roles. And Sarah has spent her career working in different financial and planning positions. Together we felt like we both had a good amount of experience and the skills needed to run a small business!
What made you want to launch Spilled Milk?
Sarah had been gifting a diaper emergency kit to some of her friends who had recently had babies. She always wanted to be prepared when she was out and about with her small baby especially when it came to any unexpected messes and she needed a diaper, wipes or outfit change! Hence the name ‘Spilled Milk’. Jaime had just quit her job in the fashion industry and was looking to do something creative, so decided to help Sarah launch a website to sell these diaper emergency kits to other first time parents. We quickly fell in love with the baby/parenting community and decided we wanted to evolve Spilled Milk into something bigger!
What do you feel makes Spilled Milk unique?
Another one of the reasons we started the brand is because we felt super overwhelmed by all of the choices on the internet when it came to clothing, accessories, etc. for our kids. Spilled Milk is unique in the sense that it is a curated collection of items and an edit that we like to invest in! We try to keep our assortment a little more “seasonless” and have items that your kids can wear year round or hand down to other siblings or friends.
What is something you wish your consumers knew or understood about your industry?
I think with any small business, you are always having to juggle and prioritize how you’re going to get things done. And since we are both stay at home moms, we are juggling between our personal lives and the business every day. We are packing orders after the kids go to sleep, getting ready for new product launches and basically burning the candle at both ends. There really isn’t a lot of spare time leftover for ourselves. We struggle with mom guilt that we are putting our business before our families needs (and our own) sometimes. Especially when we know that these moments with our littles ones are fleeting! But also like a lot of small businesses we are very passionate and are so grateful that we have this fun creative outlet to channel some of our energy into!
Can you share a little about any exciting launches coming up for Spilled Milk?
Yes! Another one of the aspects of our business we are excited about is collaborating with other creative moms in the field. There are so many talented moms in this community who are also building their own business by channeling their talents from their past lives before they had kids! One of the collaborations we are getting ready to launch is with Little Lawless. Lynn upcycles vintage and deadstock fabrics and creates the cutest pieces of clothing that are one of a kind treasures! She sourced a beautiful americana bandana print fabric and turned it into a great little pair of pants! We have a few other launches planned that are similar to this and we are excited to collaborate with more moms in the future!
Where can consumers learn more about you/Spilled Milk?
All of the cute things are found here.
IG: @getspilledmilk
A fun one: what is something unexpected someone might find in your bag? Bonus points for a “What’s in my bag” photo!
We both have two small kids so our bags mostly consist of diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, lots of snacks + crumbs from said snacks!
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Thank you so much for reading! Please share what’s on your wishlist! Also that cute red gingham bucket hat is available 😘.
OMG I love all of this. We are headed on a family trip next week and I’m 100% buying my daughter a few pieces. And no, you’re never back to 100% charge with a toddler 😂😂
Such a refreshing new brand. Love the new collaboration to use up-cycled material in building beautiful clothing.