So, maybe you've noticed I posted a few days ago about the new headband brand "Heart on your Head" by Mary (hailmary-fullofgrace.blogspot.com). So as soon as I knew about this brand I asked her if I can interview her for my blog and she kindly said yes.
Mary is a fabulous 4'9 Canadian that has inspired my style by the way she puts outfits together in her blog. Her beautiful red hair (which BTW was once black) makes the home-made headbands stand out even more. Even though nobody in her family is into fashion that dosen't stop Mary from being a fashion icon to many girls.
First of all, what inspired you to start the Heart on your Head line?
Everyone has a talent, no matter how minute. I really find myself to be a creative person, but designing big things like clothing and such were far too intimidating for me, so I focused my skills on something I couldn't find in the stores; creative headbands. I've sold them at stores around my area for a while, but I kept getting comments like "When are you going to sell them on etsy?" I thought about it, but honestly, I didn't need the money at the time, but I did want to make a difference in the world, so I realized "Why not create my own volunteer opportunity doing something I enjoy?" Constantly inspired by my lovely muses, I ended up creating my own website!
As I see the headbands are divided in three collections. What is the cause of this?
There's no symbol behind the number three, two more collections will be up shortly. But what is important are the people behind them; they are all incredibly inspirational young women who put so much effort into volunteering, yet still dress in a phenomenal way. Jennie, for example, always looks incredibly polished with cute bows and nautical buttons even when she's marching in a parade for raising awareness or undergoing a painful procedure at the hospital. I wanted something that captures both aspects of their lives and celebrated what they have done.
That's very inspiring to know. What's next besides opening two more collections?
Well, the two more collections are pretty big right now; the Erin will be very vintage inspired and painfully feminine, think the earlier 1960s and all of the proceeds will go to the WWF, while the Shaniqua is going to feature a lot of more urban, trendy pieces, and she's still deciding on her charity. I just want to keep expanding styles and being inspired by different kinds of people, and meeting new youth.
Honestly, I never even know what I'll be doing next. I'm going into Public Relations, so I can do a wide variety of things, but one minute it's writing for a magazine, the next it's making a website, so honestly, you'll just have to keep reading the blog, haha. Because I honestly never know...
Many girls left comments on your blog saying that they adored your headbands and saying that they felt inspired by you. But, what inspires you?
I love inspiration because I can never quite grasp where it comes from. The other day I was at the grocery store, and something about the whole vibe of selecting the best fruits, getting in to the music they were playing, and having a grand old time loading up my cart. When I got home, I totally channeled the whole 50s housewife look. I saw nothing visually inspiring at the store, but the whole vibe lead into a role play. Really, moods and experiences inspire me more than actual images. Images may be pretty, but when I decide what I want to wear one day, I think more in what character I would like to be today. Would I like to produce the image of a powerful CEO or Alice in Wonderland? And then I dress accordingly.
But that's not to say I like visuals any less! As cliche as it is, I will always love Audrey. She has the most beautiful face in the world and her clothes act to frame it, not distract from it. I am also a huge fan of Michelle Obama, not even for what she wears as much as how strong yet poised she appears. Like or dislike her attitude, I think she is gorgeous but intelligent, and you can tell it in the way she dresses. Honestly, I just like taking very clean, classic things, but embracing my youth at the same time. I'm not a pile it on girl, I tend to like to take the simple road, but because I have bright red hair and a lot of funny accessories, I end up looking a little different.
Reading your blog shows how much you care for fashion and style. What does style means to you?
As I stated earlier, style really is my costume for the day. Although all of the clothes in my closet are all related, they really vary piece by piece. They're like a huge family that has a lot of second cousins and different cultures married into it, but when you take the picture, they all look kind of like they belong together. So really, my style is very distinct, but really in a "I never thought you'd wear that" way.
I really feel that fashion IS superficial, but since when is superficial a bad thing? Like it or not, you will and are going to be judged on the way you look. Humans do it to everything. They do it when shopping for a new car, or to see which fruit is freshest, or even when looking at art. Visuals are important to our world, and when you work with your packaging, you start to sell your personality to all the people who will only ever see you for 5 seconds. Why should that matter? I don't know, but it sure makes looking around you much nicer...
Last question.. any comments or shout outs?
Shout outs? Of course! JUDE. LOVE YOU. Seriously, that boy is half the reason I even started my blog. Without his expert photo skills, anything I've produced would never be even half as good, and I can almost guarantee the website would not have happened. I am so useless at dreamweaver! Oh, and of course, I always need someone to be there wen my OCD self goes all crazy and tries on 267279 different things until I find my best "costume" for the day.
I'd also like to holla at my bestie Erin, she's really influenced my style even though we dress nothing alike, really. Together, we actually went out and explored the world. While other kids had their parents drive them to the mall, we were going everywhere with a few bus tickets and that's really how I got to realize what's out there, even in my own city. She has a really adventurous and thrifty spirit so I'm never alone when I'm seeking out costume jewelry at antique stores, or wanting to eat something other than fast food for lunch. She is my side kick, only a foot taller than me. I love it.
Thanks also to everyone in the collections; Emlyn, Eilidh, Jennie... they're all so fabulous, there's a reason you're featured! I also appreciate Adrian, who was the first store to accept my modest headband beginings and really encourage me to do my own thing even though my bubble of a life told me to consume rather than create.
Last but not least; both my grandmothers are named Mary, and I love them to death. They have both inspired me in completely different ways, and seeing them grow old is saddening but comforting, knowing I will always have to keep the name Mary dignified.
