Tiendas de Bilbao The Bilbao children's fashion firm that breaks down stereotypes among girls and boys

MARY CALVO

Naia was pregnant with her first daughter when she realized that children's fashion was clearly segmented into opposite extremes. On the one hand, she saw a clear distinction in the colors: the pink ones were always intended for girls and the blue ones were unmistakably for boys. He detected another gap in the style of the garments, which did not quite have a balance between the most classic aesthetics and the new trends. As often happens, great ideas arise from a need, and she launched into creating baby clothes that had that restraint and neutrality that she couldn't find in stores. They say that virtue is in the middle ground and she materialized this concept in Maiuki, a minimal brand of unisex clothing with a purely timeless character.

It happened in 2013, when Naia began to knit for the first time, glimpsing the light at the end of a tunnel marked by the crisis that shook the country ten years ago. "There were two options, continue going from junk contract to junk contract or consider another option," tells us this journalist, who decided to focus her new life on creativity after doing a Master's in Marketing. This allowed him to gather knowledge and ideas to start his own company. «To prove that it is not. At first you are trapped by fears, but you have to do what you really believe will make you happy. Obviously, based on your resources and being realistic, "he confesses. She began by making women's accessories, but when her daughter was born, she realized thanks to the 'feedback' on Instagram that people were very interested in the knitted outfits that she put on little Lea. «I focused then on children's clothing. Work is a constant metamorphosis and it takes you down paths that you would never have considered”, he points out.

Her mother taught her to sew as a child and her cousin to knit when she was pregnant with Lea. Everything else has been a long road of self-learning. «Any creative discipline I like. I have always made pottery, wicker baskets... As a child I loved crafts. When I was older, I started knitting because the simple fact of learning gave me a lot of pleasure, although I admit that at first it was very stressful when a stitch came loose”, she recalls amused.

Those bonnets, sweaters, frogs or booties that she made herself with her own hands began to attract attention, even outside our borders. «They write to me from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France… even from Asia. In China, for example, they are enthusiastic about this type of clothing," he tells us. Time, perseverance and desire have led her to create a small-big community of women loyal to the brand with whom she shares values ​​and philosophy. A way of living based on the present moment, on squeezing the now, on taking advantage of resources without harming the environment and on not worrying about that future that, no matter how much it is planned, will always have something uncertain. «I have learned to live without thinking about tomorrow. I can't afford anything else because I took my biggest commitment in this life when I was a mother," she says. For this reason, the firm cane on which he always relies is on the beautiful family that he has created with his partner, whose happiness was doubled four years ago with the arrival of their second son, Lur.

Maiuki is a brand with a strong ethical and social commitment. Their clothes are capable of diluting the hackneyed barriers and stereotypes that still exist between boys and girls. They are simply beautiful garments, with clean cuts, refined silhouettes and relaxed tones that make up a quality wardrobe for any little one in the house. «That my designs have no gender for me is something very important, and more now with the issue of child transsexuality. I think we can contribute much more. I try to educate my children in those values, without influencing or sexualizing. It is one more way of understanding parenting, “he explains.

In these 8 years of life, Maiuki has evolved at the same pace as the personal life of its founder. They have adapted to the times, to changes and also to the personal taste of her clients. "And I say clients because they are all women," she smiles. In fact, after the success of his children's line, he decided to launch collections for them, always thinking of the oversized and minimalist basics that he flaunts. "I have a very defined style and a very specific target, but I am trying new ideas and things are emerging", to such an extent that he has begun to collaborate with a couple of brands, something that he could never have imagined in the beginning.

She has always sold online and releases a collection a year, "although if it doesn't arrive it's okay, it'll come out," she laughs. And it is that the immediacy from which the fashion industry feeds does not agree at all with its way of thinking. "I try to escape from this unfair system, manually making quality garments that do not harm or impoverish anyone," he explains. His orders have increased over the years, as has the variety of his proposals, which is why he has the timely help of professional workshops in Bizkaia to offer an impeccable service. In addition, starting from basic pieces, it offers the possibility of customizing the garments to the consumer's taste, something truly gratifying for her and for her faithful legion of followers, with whom she maintains direct contact despite the invisible barriers set by the Internet.

Maiuki is the reflection of Naia, of what she thinks of life and of the social conflicts that are yet to be resolved. And it is those values ​​based on respect for her that she transmits in her brand and in her family. Always with her feet on the ground, connected with herself and trying to enjoy her work as much as her motherhood every day.