what’s blue, white, and has breton-stripes all over? we'll give you a hint: Oeuf's new “Franglais” line of children’s wear! it's no secret that we are huge fans of the french-american kids brand, who boasts a cult following of both mamans & expecting parents alike. better yet, Oeuf makes furniture, décor and clothing that's both modern, ethical and sustainable, and has been doing so since 2002 {long before it was hip!}. in celebration of the launch of the "Franglais" line {we're adding this toile romper to our cart as we speak}, we were thrilled to sit down with Oeuf founder, Sophie Demenge, to learn more about the brand, her experience as an entrepreneur, & what advice she would give to fellow female business owners.

get 15% off Oeuf's SS23 Franglais collection with code Maman15. happy shopping!

tell us a little bit about yourself! when did you start Oeuf? what made you want to launch the brand?

michael and i started Oeuf when we were expecting our first child. we had a design studio making all kinds of things, from furniture to ceramics, and it seemed obvious that we would design her crib. there weren’t many good options for kids’ furniture at the time, and it turned out that other parents looking for a more modern, minimal style were interested in the same things that we were. it grew quite organically from there — with a lot of hard work, but always coming from that very simple place of designing things for our own needs. 

where do you gather inspiration from?

for me, inspiration is what makes me smile, what gives me goosebumps, what i find intriguing. it’s a personal process, a way of seeing the world. i don't deliberately gather, it’s just omnipresent.

did you always know that you wanted to be in the fashion industry/ children’s wear industry?

not at all. my path was very nonlinear, from studying philosophy at the sorbonne, to circus school in san francisco, to studying industrial design at pratt, to meeting michael and starting a business with no clue. it was all about being open, trying new things until there was a click. i don’t think of myself as a fashion designer, but rather that Oeuf is one of the many creative expressions i’ll have throughout my life.

if you had to pick a career highlight, what would it be and why?

there are as many highlights as there are days. i think of my first trip to bolivia, working with artisans. having my kids at every meeting, tradeshow, photoshoot and taking them to bolivia and peru. i think of daily camaraderie with our team, little moments of connection. when we overcome a difficulty and find a better way to do something. getting through the frustration of the design process to when it works — it’s really a high. the highlights aren’t always in the spectacular. 

if you had to pick a role model who inspires you the most, who would you choose and why?

definitely my mother. she instilled in me a knowing that it was going to be ok, regardless of obstacles. she believed in me so profoundly, so unquestionably, it gave me the confidence to try many things, and the freedom to not be afraid.

how does motherhood collide with your work? how do you blend those two worlds?

they are so intertwined — they’ve been blended from day 1. one big tangled adventure. but my children always take priority. i’m a mother more than anything else.

what advice would you give to fellow mom-preneurs?

i’m not one to give advice, but i have learned the hard way to not underestimate the power of rest. a lot happens when you're doing nothing — that’s when the dots get connected. especially in the creative world, you don’t always have to be go-go-go.

what advice would you give to your younger self?

to my younger self as a mother and a partner, i would say: love the people who are important to you with their own love language, not yours. get on their level and love them how they want to be loved. that’s something i wish i had understood sooner. but it’s never too late. 

what quote or saying do you try to live by?

“trust the process.” it's all going to be ok — more than ok. everything is happening for the best, even when it doesn’t seem like it.

what’s your favorite item from the oeuf franglais collection?

i love the revisited toile de jouy. toile is usually super traditional, and we made our own that’s much more whimsical, playful and unexpected. (kittens, skateboards and pigeons!)

what’s your favorite menu item from maman?

croissant and cafe au lait. (may i also submit a request to please add brioche, my favorite, to your menu? ;)