Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Rupeiks. Her and her team share their story with us below:
Having grown up with two immigrant and entrepreneur parents, Claudia has had being an entrepreneur in her genes. She intentionally stepped away from a successful sales career in a large online marketing company over eight years ago to raise her daughter. With both of her kids entering elementary school, it was a natural time to start her career again. The journey of motherhood is a beautiful experience and has played a large role in her growth as a person, from creating beautiful experiences for her children to the struggles that all moms face in juggling family duties and inner callings. Through it all, she has learned so much about herself. And in encouraging her kids to pursue their dreams, she’s also embarked upon her pursuit.
The world of fashion was always a whisper in her mind, and now it’s a calling that can’t be silenced. She’s combining her worlds and creating a fashion line for mothers and kids. Ellas District, as the company is being branded, is creating elegant matching outfits to enhance the family bonding experience, whether they are going to an Easter celebration, a vacation getaway, or want to get fancy for a picnic at the park.
“Part of the decision to do this was to honor my family and all moms out there. I felt the tension between working and stay-at-home moms, and I know there’s a place for all of us. We’re all doing what we want or need to do now, and I want to support all moms, regardless of that choice, because the joys and frustrations of motherhood are universal. We bring our families together. And that’s what Ellas District is about. It’s about bringing the family together in unity and complementing one another. It reminds me that we’re on the same team and supporting one another in this unique life journey.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While the business is still very new and taking form, we have come a long way. It definitely could have been a smoother road. However, that gives me the confidence and faith that I am following my purpose in life. When you decide to answer your calling, you must face a tremendous amount of struggles and challenges to push you into becoming better and greater. We certainly faced them head on even when we felt weak. We didn’t stop.
When I registered the business in November 2020, I found myself coming up against myself. Many doubts and inner negative voices told me I couldn’t do this and that no one would love our clothing and what we stood for. Every decision that had to be made, from creation to development and production, was going against the current. There are so many systems and beliefs set in place in our environment that you have to go around them to be able to move forward. While these things are needed in most cases, there are times when you have to break the rules to create something new. For example, when taking a product development and production online course, all my ideas and actions were “wrong” and went against what they were teaching. It felt very discouraging and lonely, but it was something that I felt very strongly about that needed to be done without really understanding why. I was trusting my gut and not trying to make so much sense of it. Then as time passed, I understood why and it all started to make sense.
I can tell you we have made more mistakes than not, but here we call that progress. We have embraced the struggles and doubts. We connect to them and bring light to them so we may get our answer to make the next step. We learn from them and keep pressing forward, knowing it was all part of the journey.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Ellas District is a mommy-and-me fashion brand offering timeless and modernized classic collections for women and daughters. Born out of personal experience, we tried to find fashionable outfits that allowed us to match our little ones, only to face disappointment in comfort. Our child’s sensitive skin often wouldn’t tolerate it long enough to walk out the front door! Our mothers are looking for style, but our children need comfort, so we blend the best. We bring you outfits that both of you will not want to take off! Ellas District starts with a love and passion for fashion. We want to offer a place for women to shop for their vacation wear, matching outfits for days at the park, or want to get fancy with their daughters. However, our love for fashion is much scratching the surface, as we know the deeper purpose is to become a place to honor ourselves and one another as mothers, daughters, and women. It’s about us. It’s about community and growth, and support.
The journey of motherhood is a beautiful experience and plays a large role in our growth as a person. From unbridled joy to unimaginable frustration, the highs and lows, we take a moment to honor the journey. We honor how far we’ve come and, more importantly, where we are now, wherever that may be. As a mother, we provide an example to our daughters to connect with our emotions as they can become moments that push us into more love and growth for ourselves. We become wiser as a new and better version of ourselves emerges. So, we honor all of it, and all of us: the pretty and the not-so-pretty.
We love our mothers, and we are rooting for them! We want them to go and celebrate their new selves! They do it with style, but more importantly, with honor! To further honor our journey, a portion of your purchase goes to a non-profit (selected yearly) that supports mothers in challenging situations to help extend our community support of one another.
What are your plans for the future?
We plan and pray that our mothers can find hope through our brand. We want them to connect with both sides of themselves, not just the pretty but the frustrations that come with motherhood/womanhood. Not to silence and suppress that side of themselves but to connect and release both sides. We continue to work to reflect this through our dresses.
Pricing:
- Dresses starting from $200-600
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ellasdistrict.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellasdistrict/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ellasdistrict/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EllasDistrict
Image Credits
Claudia Rupeiks Alex Espejo
