Hi everyone! :-) I am Daria (on the left) I was born and raised in the beautiful Florence, Italy, but after several years of studying both in Italy and abroad I ended up settling down in Maarssen, a very small town located between to Utrecht and Amsterdam (in The Netherlands), where I live with my Dutch husband and our daughter Mia (on the right).
Everything you see here is done by me in my often messy but cozy little home lab. I take care of everything, from finding amazing artists to collaborate with, designing or sourcing gorgeous patterns and textiles, washing fabrics, cutting, ironing and sewing, taking photos, answering your questions, taking care of social media, setting up this website and packaging the orders which will be delivered into your hands.
I've always loved reading, but as an adult I have rediscovered the love for the tales and stories of when I was a little girl. As a mom I have read these stories over and over again to my daughter for several years until I have lost my voice, or better, until she got able to read them to me.
TALES TO WEAR is my small big dream. It combines my passion for children's books, illustrations, patterns, fabrics and textures. All of my products are inspired by children's whimsical imagery and designed with the little booklover and future reader in mind. My shop offers a lovely range of handmade kids clothing and other textile products which capture children's whimsical imagery. The small collections are theme-bound rather than season-bound. TALES TO WEAR is about combining beautiful designs with kids' love for stories and classic tales. It's about antropomorphic animals, fairies, drakes, wizards and everything in between. The illustrations and designs you see on my apparel and other products have been drawn, painted and digitalized by some amazing artists and (children's books) illustrators and are exclusive to my shop. I love to arrange all the characters and tiny elements into different patterns using Photoshop. Once satisfied with the results I get the patterns printed on the desired fabrics and make everything you see here and much more :-)
My mission is to create lovely garments and accessories while minimizing waste. I only print fabric in small quantities, according to my needs and try to use every little bit of it in creative ways and I only work with Oeko-Tex certified fabrics , which are safe for your child. Also, all my products made from stretchy fabrics are organic! No water is used during the printing process of my patterned textiles and all pigment inks used are absolutely free from chemicals #greenprintingtechnology.
My goal is that every child who wears a TTW design feels proud, confident and eager to go build their very own reading nook, grab their favorite storybook/ picture book and let their imagination gone wild. The littlest ones among us will naturally find their favorite reading nook on their loved ones' lap while flipping together through the pages. I am convinced that it's never too early to start reading stories with your kids.
A dash of magic in every thread
Sometimes you just need to stop for a second and close your eyes to become a child again. The light-heartedness, endless wonder, keenest curiosity before everything around us and the immense delight in discovery. Our very own imagery cultivated over time thanks to the (fairy)tales, stories and illustrations patiently told, read over and over again and brought to life by those who take care of us: parents, grandparents, teachers and educators.
It's from the enchanted world of books that timeless characters as well as whimsical creatures of all kinds come to life: fairies, gnomes, elves, mermaids, wizards, drakes and even animals that live in houses just like ours, that dress like us, read, sip a nice cup of tea and do everything else we, the humans, do. The boundaries between reality and imagery disappear. These two dimensions blend into each other. Everything amazes us, but nothing really shocks us. In a book everything is possible and nothing is weird. Let's just get carried away by this whimsical world. We should never forget the magic of books, of the tales and characters we grew up with during our first years of life. Through the illustrations fixed in the texture of the textiles I use for my apparel, I offer your littlest ones sparkles of the magic and wonder that only books can create. How cute is it to literally be able to wear the stories you're learning to love and the characters you are so much drawn to. Kids can finally wear the magic of a story without unpractical costumes unsuited to everyday life. It's not always Carnival after all. Is it? ;-)
On this website I have been trying to describe each item as good as I could and to answer some of the most common questions. Said that, I strongly invite you to get in touch with me for any doubt, question, advice or curiosity or even just for human contact as all this online purchasing can feel strange at times. You can do this by using the Direct Message function on Instagram, Facebook, or just e-mailing me.
Till the next story!