Mummyista.ae is an online clothing boutique offering style, quality and trend for all stages of motherhood. With the mantra 'Motherhood in Style' , Mummyista.ae brings unique brands to the market, that make the mums who wear them feel great about themselves, throughout pregnancy, when nursing their babies and long after.
I had the idea for starting the business when I was pregnant with my first, as I found it very difficult to find stylish clothing particularly for the office or an evening out. I was used to wearing tailored suits with heels and outfits that were cut in such a way that expressed my personal style. I struggled to find anything that made me feel good, that fit well or was remotely fashionable. I believed there was a real need for a maternity and nursing clothing boutique that was different to current market offerings, however, I didn't have the courage to leave the security of my job back then.
Mummyista was born (pardon the pun), when I was on maternity leave with my second daughter. This time with the support of my husband I knew if I didn't go for it now and start the company I would always be thinking 'what if?'.
Coming from a finance background, I'm naturally risk adverse and this is reflective in my business planning. I have started small, being conscious to invest wisely e.g. the website (the window to my business) is where I focused my investment back then. I hold minimal quantities of stock to keep inventory cost low and I reinvest any earnings back into the business. This was a conscious decision as I needed to test the market – to see what works , what sells, what doesn't etc.
The brand of Mummyista has been and will continue to be key to what differentiates the business. At the core of what makes my brand is the customer journey and this is why finding unique, quality brands that I am proud to bring to the market and then how I present those brands is the ticket to making that experience one that brings customers back and gets referrals for the future.
The brand of Mummyista has been and will continue to be key to what differentiates the business. At the core of what makes my brand is the customer journey and this is why finding unique, quality brands that I am proud to bring to the market and then how I present those brands is the ticket to making that experience one that brings customers back and gets referrals for the future.
The experience of shopping online can feel quite cold on some websites. I wanted to avoid this for my customers. With this in mind, the website itself has been designed with a light and airy feel – from the first click customers are introduced to a closet with pieces curated especially for pregnancy through one door and for nursing through the other, creating a more personal online shopping experience.
In addition to this I offer a personal touch to each purchase, with each item being individually steamed and tissue wrapped along with a personal note , as I want to put a smile on the ladies faces when they receive their parcel. Collaborations with Palmers and Pureborn offer a nice surprise too as with mummyista.ae customers receive a small gift of samples so they can try the products for themselves.
The brands I offer are from all over the world and I am grateful to have exclusivity in the UAE with LEGOE an Australian premium lifestyle label, a family business which does very well here, as stylish threads for pregnancy and beyond in this market are scarce to say the least. I have also brought two new brands online in 2020; Accouchee a luxury chic brand from Turkey and Bellyvable a Dubai based brand, both headed by entrepreneurial mothers whom I am delighted to be working with and sharing the journey..
As for everyone, 2020 has not been the year that was planned. It has given cause to reflect, new commercial relationships have been forged and I will look at 2021 through a different lens. Generating awareness of 'Mummyista' on a larger scale in 2021 will be a challenge and this will require a new strategy. In addition to this, expansion to new markets and development of my own product line are all developments for the new year.
