At The Fae Poet, they are passionate about providing adorable and high-quality clothing for your little ones, understanding that dressing your baby is an expression of love and care. Their unique children’s clothing brand blends comfort, creativity and timeless style. Designed with love and inspired by the magic of childhood, each piece is carefully crafted to be both stylish and practical – perfect for little ones at every stage of life. Their gorgeous range allows kids to move freely while looking effortlessly cool. Founder Selina Turner is passionate about creating pieces that parents adore and children love to wear. Here she talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business, her biggest breakthrough, the challenges she has overcome, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I had recently moved to a new state with my partner and our 4-month-old son. We were far from family and friends, and I was adjusting to being a stay-at-home mum while my partner worked long hours. To be honest, I was struggling with my mental health. One night, after everyone had finally gone to bed and I had a rare moment to breathe, I turned on Netflix and saw a new show called ‘Next in Fashion’. It looked fun, so I decided to give it a try, and ended up binge watching the whole series in one sitting.
It may sound silly, but watching it sparked something inside me. I felt like the old version of myself, the one who would get a racing heart from a new idea I just *had* to act on. Fashion had always been one of my passions, and I’d known since I was a kid that I would love to one day open my own clothing store, I just never knew what exactly I wanted to design or if I was even ready to start, but when i thought about who I was in that moment and the sweet boy I was raising, I knew I wanted to do it for him, to make clothes for every stage of his life. What better time to start than exactly that moment. I remember staying up all night writing out my business plan and by morning, I had what felt like hundreds of sketches already draw out and it’s been a whirlwind since then.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
On the first day of my launch, I received 5 orders! I was absolutely over the moon. It didn’t take long, however, to realise that all of those orders were from my family, which made me laugh- because of course it was them; they have always been my biggest supporters no matter what crazy ideas I come up with.
A few hours later as I’m packaging up all my families’ orders, I heard that little “You’ve got an order” notification, so I went to check which other friend or family member had made an order, but I didn’t recognise the name… it wasn’t from anyone I knew. It was a complete stranger, a stranger who took a chance on my little business, which at the time had about 500 followers (which I thought was so cool lol). It completely made my day. I remember being so nervous packing her order up, trying to make sure it was absolutely perfect. I think it took me over an hour to finish it all, but I loved every second of the process.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
When I shifted my focus from designing pieces I thought others would like and what I thought would sell, to trusting my own creativity and ideas and creating collections I genuinely loved and was proud of, the response from my customers was night and day. They loved the unique and fun style of my clothes and it even increased and expanded my customer base, which was extremely encouraging, as at that point (almost a year in), I had hit a major slump in growth and was struggling to even keep going. I’m so glad I took that chance, and yes it was a gamble and a lot of money down the drain, but sometimes the best thing to do is to jump into the unknown and see where it gets you, because it could be the best decision you ever make.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I won’t lie, it’s been tough and still very much a work in progress. But after over a year of doing this, I’m definitely getting better at finding a balance. I used to stretch myself too thin, juggling work, family, friends, and trying to find “me time” (which didn’t really exist back in the day). What I’ve learned is that you can’t do it all alone, and it’s okay to ask for help. In fact, you should be asking for help if it’s available. It makes a world of difference. I’ve also started setting a time limit for myself when working to avoid being up all night and ending up a crabby mess the next day, as well as setting boundaries, such as not working on weekends so I can be fully present for family time. It’s definitely easier said than done but making time for those moments, big or small, with my family means the most to me.
