Today on The Mag we have Soli Cooksey of Joonbird, a vintage inspired brand which makes absolutely stunning bedding and kidswear. Read more about Soli and Joonbird, what inspired her brand, the importance of ethical manufacturing and much more!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear a little bit about yourself, your family and your brand.

Joonbird started out as an idea when I was pregnant with my first daughter. I’m one of those people who has always been dying to be a mom, so when it came time to design her nursery I was soooo eager. As my search began I realized I didn’t really like a lot of the kids designs out there and I began to design my own based on vintage designs, which eventually became a full blown obsession. I started to create my own bedding prints, had them printed on soft organic cotton, and after some trial and error I ended up finding a cute little sewing shop in my own neighborhood in Highland Park and had them sew the pieces for me and it all started to come together from there. Joonbird has evolved into a cozy family business... my husband is a production designer in the film industry with knack for knowing how to make anything happen— he helps me with the business side. My kids are my muses. And my mom helps me sew face masks:)

What inspired you to make vintage inspired kids wear?

I can still remember colors and textiles from my childhood. I had a bedroom set that was covered in pink flowers and a drawing of a sullen ballerina on the wall. I stared at those images day in and day out. They stuck with me and now when I see similar things it evokes a rush of nostalgia. It makes me realize that the imagery around us growing up becomes a part of us. I think it is thinking back on those items that made me want all my pieces to be a nod to the past. I’ve always had a bit of an obsession with vintage textiles and have built up a lovely collection over the years. I find that they lend themselves perfectly to children’s clothing and goods— they are vibrant, fun, cheery and beautifully designed. Since I wanted the bedding collection to be super soft and on organic cotton, I designed and printed the pieces myself. For the clothes I search far and wide to find the most amazing deadstock and vintage fabrics and then turn them into new cute clothes.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the importance of ethical manufacturing and buying local/small batch.

Having my items ethically made in America is a huge deal to me for many reasons— from garment sewers being able to work in a safe environment making sure every person is paid a fair living wage, but also that all my clothing is made from deadstock or vintage fabrics that eliminates textile waste and is gentler on the environment. I hate waste. Making items in small batches means there will be no excess, and I even love that I can now turn my fabric scraps into face masks.

What is something that makes your brand so memorable?

I think joonbird is special because we are just doing our own thing. One thing that makes us stand out is the awesomeness of our vintage fabric selection. With us you get super rad, rare, quality fabrics that you for sure won’t be able to get anywhere else! Good vintage is timeless and will be good forever.

And finally, where can we find you?
o Website: www.joonbird.com
o Instagram: @joonbird.shop