Creative Australian-at-large Hayley Parry is an eternal inspiration, whether she’s making jewellery, major international moves and now headwraps for wee ones.
Who your are and who makes up your family?
I’m Hayley, originally from Australia but currently living in San Diego, California with my husband John; 10 month old daughter Holiday and our Staffy Chester.
Hayley and Holiday
What is your creative project ?
My project is an Etsy store called Hola Tigre. I make head wraps for babies and kids. I’m looking to add some clothing items soon too.
How and when did you come to start it?
Just before I had Holiday, the company my husband and I worked for was shut down. It was a really scary time for us, there was no longer any maternity leave or job to go back to. Being 8 months pregnant was not the best time for me to look for work so I knew I had to do something creative to try and get a little pocket money in the door. I’d tried a few things but there was never really much love there.
After Holly was born, a good friend of mine in Melbourne sent me a baby head wrap. It was so adorable and cute and I had her wearing it all the time (she still wears it)! Before this, I would have never considered putting an accessory on my daughter, it just didn’t really cross my mind but it was fun and people stopped calling her a boy. Since I was jobless I couldn’t buy more so I made some from my old maternity T-shirts. Thank you high school sewing lessons!
When I was visiting the Fashion District, one of my favourite areas to visit in Los Angeles, I bought a few yards just to try out some wraps on Etsy. Turns out that people liked them, I tried out a few more fabrics and they seemed to work too, it was then that I thought I could make something of Hola Tigre.
What does it mean to you and how does it make you feel?
Hola Tigre means a lot to me, to be able to work on something that I find fun and creative that also helps us get by is really important to me. It’s really exciting for me when people tell me that they like my work. Right now, being at home is really hard financially but I feel like with some hard work I can help build a bigger future on my own terms rather than working for someone else. Being able to do all of this while being at home with Holiday is the bonus, not everyone gets a chance to do this so I don’t take it for granted for a second.
What is the hardest part about it?
The hardest part is definitely managing Holiday, she’s the boss so she makes the calls. She’s also a cat-napper so sometimes I can only get a half hour nap out of her, that can make things difficult. I have just moved my sewing table into the loungeroom so I can work while she plays, it’s not pretty but it’s made a huge difference, I can get a lot more done.
The main problem I have is that when I’m working, it’s the housework that suffers. It’s not like I feel like I should be the perfect housewife that keeps a sparkling house while husband is out working, I just feel like I should be able to do everything.
I can’t explain why I feel this way, maybe it’s because you see all of these creative mums on Instagram posting photos of their happy children in their beautiful houses. Now I try and imagine that just outside of the frame is a mum in PJ’s, messy hair, no makeup, 5 piles of dirty laundry and a sink full of dishes.
What’s your inspo?
Holly of course! I always make wraps that I would love her to wear. I like to keep a little current with trends too, it’s important for me that parents like the wraps. My favourite thing to do though, is to wander through the fashion district and pick out fabrics that catch my eye.
Check out a selection of Hola Tigre headwraps, just £8, below.
