Let it be known that from the moment we started carrying Ace & Jig, I wanted Cary and Jenna as BURU Tastemakers. As mothers, as business women, and as humans in general - you just don't get any cooler than this duo. It's no surprise that their innovative, fashion forward - yet still washable and wearable styles have created a cult following of Ace & Jig obsessed fans. (Myself included!) Read our exclusive Q&A below to learn more about their lives, how Ace & Jig came to be and their #momstyle!
Shop their full Tastemaker Sale HERE
BR: What do you love most about being a mom?
CV: The moments where you see things through a child’s eye. The way kids break it down for you to where all that remains is the simple truth. The unconditional love. And , of course, the underwear dance parties.
JW: Kids make everything fun. In a chaotic way. For example – eating peas with adults = not fun. Eating peas with kids = giant laughs. Grabbing joy in the mundane everyday stuff is awesome.
BR: What is the number one way in which motherhood has changed you?
CV: My life revolves around 2 other little people now.
JW: I used to look so rested :)
BR: Did you breast-feed? If so, how did it affect your wardrobe choices?
CV: Yes! Both kids for almost 2 years. With my first, I was all about the button downs, but by the time I had my second- I just lifted my shirt up pretty much anywhere.
JW: Yes! Both kids. I had to lay rest to the vintage dresses for a while. Lots of button ups, loose tops, and tees and flowy dresses.
BR: What are your must-haves from BURU and why do they work in your mommy lifestyle?
Skipper tee in raffia (Coming Soon) – paired back with our lattice sailor pants or anything high-waisted. A spring staple item!
Bow blouse in lattice – roomy enough to lift up and breastfeed and yet still a classic fashion piece
Terra skirt in raffia – easy breezy skirt that you can pull off in the park with the babes and also elegant enough to pull off with the dinner with the in laws
Romper in denim mosaic – because we love a one piece! Get up and go.
Sailor pant in lattice – high waisted makes your legs look long and you can def look like a hot mama in these with a vintage tee and ponytail!
Rachel Antonoff no smoking t-shirt – because its awesome
The laundress travel pack- for all our journeys!
Malene Birger Annlotti Metallic Knit Sweater – love the metallic knit!
Erin Kleinberg Iselin Dress- looks like a dress you can live in
Hello baby bag- for our friends that are pregnant. Thank you for making gift shopping easy!! This is great!
SURPRISE BONUS! All current Ace & Jig styles (not for pre-order) are temporarily marked down too! Shop them in the Tastemaker Sale HERE
BR: We are all about mama owned businesses, and we would like to share a little more of your story with our BURU moms. Can you give us a bit of background on how the two of you met and what made you take the leap to start Ace & Jig together?
CV & JW: We met working as fashion interns and we instantly clicked. We were the only interns at this place called Language, which was one of the first stores that carried high end multibrands in NYC. We have worked together pretty much since that day onward, give or take a year or two, and at this point are pretty much like sisters J Alice was 9 months old when we started working part time on ace&jig and she just turned 7! Time flies! We both have that entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to be our own boss and create textiles and clothes that we wanted to wear. Ace is Cary’s daughter’s initials and Jig is Jenna’s son’s initials.
BR: The signature Ace & Jig textiles are not only a treat for the eye, they are perfect for the mom lifestyle – washable, soft, durable, and comfortable to boot! What was the most difficult step in creating your own fabrications?
CV & JW: We want our fabrics to be signature and special. When we started this company, over 5 years ago, we felt there was a lot of knitwear lines but nothing that interesting happening in the woven fabric field. Our personal antique textile collections are mostly all wovens, everywhere from Japan to France to Morocco and we wanted to create something similar. Fabrics that had a story to tell! Finding weavers that will weave our custom creations is the hard part!
BR: The two of you travel to India several times a year to work one-on-one with the weavers. As a wearer of your garments, I love that you take such personal pride in the textiles, but as a mother, I know how stressful leaving behind or traveling with little ones can be. How do you handle this? Any tips for other working moms on-the-go?
CV & JW: We hate leaving our little ones behind and can’t wait until they are a bit older so they can come with us! We have very supportive families and they pinch hit when we are gone. It is mandatory that you bring back a little something special for them each time. We have gotten everything from little saris and Indian Barbie for our daughters to wooden elephants and tiny auto- rickshaws for our boys.
BR: What do you find is the biggest challenge of running a successful and growing business while also raising successful and growing children? How do you tackle this challenge?
CV & JW: Balance. One of the reasons why we created our own business is try to do something we love and yet also have that flexibility when we need it. It’s definitely a work in progress! We are lucky because we were best friends long before we had kids and will always support each other. So when one of us has to go in say for snack duty at school, the other one is on point. Teamwork!
BR: Your little ones are SO cute! If you wouldn’t mind sharing, please tell us a few of your favorite mommy moments. Tell us your favorite...
CV:
Bedtime Story: goodnight moon
Lullaby: Edelweiss
Vacation Spot: Belize
Restaurant: Vinegar Hill House
Children’s Brand: Baba Knitwear
JW:
Bedtime Story: A Chair for My Mother (we have a big jar and are saving for a sofa because of it)
Lullaby: Bonny Banks o’ Loch Lomond & the original Spiderman theme song
Vacation Spot: Port Townsend, WA
Restaurant: Any conveyor belt sushi
Children’s Brand: hand-me-downs
BR: What’s the one thing you wish you would’ve know before becoming a mother?
CV & JW: With childhood development, once one phase is gone, another phase happens. Don’t worry about planning anything.
