Occupation: Founder & Owner of ISLA Berlin

Instagram Handle: @charrisla 

What did you want to be when you grew up as a child? I wanted to be so many different things (!) but I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur. As a kid I always fantasised about owning different businesses, from running a magazine, owning a hotel to a having restaurant.. 

What is the earliest memory you have? I remember going to kindergarten and playing with the other kids, and having our lunch in a circle, after singing a song. 

Do you think it is possible to be fully ready for a baby? I'm not sure if I can answer this for others but I don't think I personally would have ever been fully ready for it. I am a very restless person and there are always plans or things I am working towards, which won't be any different in 5-10 years. 

What do you look for in baby/kids clothes? As my son is only a couple of weeks old, I go for comfortable and soft outfits - oh and I love neutral colours! But to be honest, I haven't been buying much for him yet, I received a lot of clothes from my friends' babies. Which is a great sustainable way to re-use those pieces that babies only wear for such a short time. Once he gets older, I will go for statement pieces and complete every look with some cool sneakers. 

What do you like about YFY? I love that the items are made from vintage fabrics! I also think it's great that a percentage of the sales are donated to various charities that support mothers and babies around the world.

What is your favorite piece from YFY? The bucket hat! 

What type of traditions do you hope to make for your son? As me (Dutch/Italian) and my husband (British/Ghanian) are living abroad, I would love to create traditions that celebrate our family's heritage to make sure he feels connected.

What is one tradition you remember from your childhood? There are actually a couple of  things that come to mind but my two favourite traditions were Wednesday afternoons and my birthdays. Every Wednesday afternoon we would finish early from school and my mother used to make something special for lunch. We could choose whatever we wanted, think; pancakes, pizza, fries. My other favourite tradition were my birthdays, my mother always made sure our birthdays were a super special day. From a decorated living room and presents in the morning, to handing out the most creative treats in school, to house full of visitors after school. 

What is one thing you learned from your pregnancy or from motherhood? The main thing I have learned so far is that you can't plan for the unknown. You have to take things as they come and learn to let go

Where did you find inspiration for you son’s name? Being a bilingual household, living in a foreign country - we wanted a name that would work in German, as well as Dutch and English. I also wanted to give my son a short and simple name, as I know the struggle of a complicated name too well. My husband actually came up with Ace and I remember not being sure at first but after a few weeks of calling him Ace, while he was still in my belly, the name started to grow on me. At some point he was just Ace.