Today we’d like to introduce you to Sidra Trajcevska.
Hi Sidra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2015 when I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to share the news with both our families in a way that honored our cultures (my husband is Macedonian, and I am Pakistani) and I just could not find any baby announcement onesies that said things about grandparents in our languages.
So, I created two onesies.
One that said, “I love my Baba and Dedo” (Grandma + Grandpa in Macedonian), and another that said, “I love Nana and Naani” (maternal grandparents). I still remember my mother-in-law crying when she received her onesie. And I will never forget the happiness on my dad’s face taking the onesie out of the bag realizing that I was going to become a mother — and due on his birthday no less!
She was born on January 6, 2016 — a few weeks before her due date on my father-in-law’s birthday! As any FTM, I spent most of my paychecks on baby clothing and was always sad not seeing items that represented HER identity. Christmas had just passed, and I loved the Christmas onesies I saw; Valentine’s was coming up, and they had the cutest onesies for that — and then Easter had its own!
But what about Eid in July? I saw nothing for Ramadan and Eid, and while on maternity leave, I designed some onesies and toddler tees to celebrate Eid and Ramadan and was blown away that over 100 other families felt a similar need for these items. Masha’allah!!!
I spent the summer designing more items but desperately wanted all-over print items but had no idea how to produce these. As Christmas came again that winter, I admired Alayna’s cousins’ Christmas jammies and thought about how I can bring those — not knowing a thing about garments!
The next year in 2017, as Alayna grew older, I made toddler Eid dresses, more onesies, the first Dreaming of Eid PJs, and shirts. It was so fun seeing her model my items as we sighted the moon and made memories.
In 2018, I knew we were missing gift items, so I added some stationary to our lineup and our first-ever Eid Pajamas! These were hastily designed by yours truly but were enjoyed by hundreds more families all over the US. I was so bummed I could not have all-over print bottoms but was still so determined to find a way!
I spent months researching, and my niece in Pakistan helped me find a supplier to produce our first-ever Eid Pajamas, designed by a dear friend of mine. Alayna modeled for me in my photoshoot, and I was so happy to release our first Eid Pajamas in 2019. These were 100% cotton and so soft, but I knew we could improve the fabric, I just did not know how.
That summer, we visited my husband’s native Macedonia, which used to be under Ottoman rule and located just north of Greece, so has so many influences from that region. I loved all the shades of blue, the watercolors, the evil eye was so prominent, and I realized then that my brand was missing a key part of the identity of whom it was inspired: my children’s European side was entirely missing!
In 2019, I changed my company entirely and hired a fantastic designer to create our Evil Eye collection that fall inspired by our travels to my husband’s side of the world. I also personally was scaling back and being more eco-conscious and wanted to be cognizant of what I put out in the world when it comes to fashion. I attended fashion conferences, and after sampling so many different fabrics, I fell in love with bamboo, which grows so much more sustainably than cotton, and found a phenomenal supplier of the bamboo clothing you see today. We tried out various bamboo thicknesses before using the one you see today!
In January 2020, just before the pandemic, I traveled to Pakistan with Alayna to visit suppliers, and Alayna admired the beach camels, the marigolds, and the jasmines. My jameelah and marigold lines were born through her eyes.
So, you see, as my little family grows, they inspire my brand at every single turn. As a mother, there is no greater joy than watching your little one grow and become a little person. I sincerely hope you love Jasmine + Marigold and your children celebrate their identity along with our brand!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
J+M was my side hustle while I worked full-time, so the time I was able to contribute to my business itself was very challenging!
I made a goal to quit my job and in 2020 so I worked really hard to do this by working on my marketing. Our cornerstone product is our Eid Pajamas which are like Christmas pajamas. We were so excited to have an incredible response to our pre-sale in February 2020 and couldn’t wait to get them to our customers. Then… COVID hit, and we learned that all our production overseas was completely halted to protect overseas factory workers. Unfortunately, Eid PJs are very seasonal items and used during the month of Ramadan and Eid. There is not a long period in which these items could be worn, so while we waited to hear if the factory would reopen and complete our project on time, we completely halted marketing and held off on taking new orders. I learned how valuable customer communication was during this period because we spent so much time communicating with them our updates and when the items would be shipping. Thankfully, most customers were very understanding of our delays, but we had about 10% cancel their orders, which was a deep blow.
This experience was incredibly valuable but was such a struggle for the business. We innovated our business to stop focusing entirely on Ramadan and Eid and instead focused on sharing items year-round — we began to produce Islamic-inspired items year-round and were super proud of this to keep our business sustainable.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Jasmine + Marigold?
Prior to starting Jasmine + Marigold, I worked in legal business development for over 8 years. I love marketing and business strategy, and I have a track record of helping clients bring in new business, sales savvy, and strategic thinking skills to overcome obstacles. While at my last firm, I helped one of the four offices I managed exceed revenue goals by $5M. We did this by really dialing down deep into understanding what our consumer wanted and taking the approach of serving them first.
I love my business Jasmine + Marigold which grew it over 150% from 2020 to 2021 (after I quit my job) and love looking at the problems Muslim families face and offer solutions. We know that Muslim families value good quality products, beautiful designs, and excellent customer service. J+M aims to bring products that build identity year-round with Arabic PJs, Evil Eye PJs, and more!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My customers and audience matter the most to me. The mothers are the cornerstone of the brand — we all have this deep desire to build identity within our children and increase their Muslim pride. Raising kids who will be proud of being Muslim, proud of celebrating Ramadan and Eid are so important to me!
Pricing:
- Most Bamboo PJs are $32-$44
- Most Silicone Bibs are under $15
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jasmineandmarigold.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasmineandmarigold/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JasmineandMarigold/
Image Credits
Loomis Lane
