Sylvana Ward-Durrett
Co-Founder and CEO of Maisonette
Mother of 3
Maisonette was inspired late one night in 2016 when, like many founders, a moment of frustration led to invention. New mothers and best friends, Sylvana and Luisana hit a wall while trying to search and shop online for their children: scores of tabs open on the computer, too many brands, too many sites. They knew there must be a better way to help parents navigate, find, and choose the right products. This led to the birth of Maisonette in 2017: an expertly-curated marketplace that features the best children’s products from around the globe, for families of every kind. Together, they have grown Maisonette to be a leading innovator and the fastest aggregator of the $630 billion Children’s market.
What was the inspiration behind launching Maisonette?
Luisana and I were both working moms and found it difficult to shop for our kids. We have every category in life aggregated on the internet for adult life, but that did not exist for children. We wanted to create an expertly-curated marketplace, take the guesswork out of shopping for our kids, so we could spend more time on the good stuff!
Today, Maisonette serves as an online marketplace for high quality kids products, partnering with the best brands to create a curated shopping destination for baby and child apparel, accessories, furniture, home decor and gear. The company is touted for its designer capsule collections combined with a diverse product array across every category and price point, to make for a robust assortment unparalleled in the children’s online market.
What excites you most about raising your children right now?
My children are in an exciting new independence phase. They’re no longer babies and are starting to do things on their own. It has been so amazing to watch them flourish into their personalities. I am really enjoying this time with them.
How has motherhood changed you?
We launched Maisonette when I was 9 months pregnant. My kids have always been a part of the evolution of my life and career. As a CEO and mom of now 3, life is always chaotic! But I prioritize making time for myself, for my kids and for work. It ebbs and flows, but we just figure it out as we go.
How do you foster independence in your children?
My approach is to give them the most possible freedom, of course within reasonable and clear boundaries. At this age, those boundaries are mainly there to keep them safe! I love watching my kids try new things, experiment, and the look on their faces when they master something new is incredible to see. Kids build confidence over time, by trying and failing and pushing through that, and trying again!
Maisonette is known for discovery of lesser-known brands, as well as the impeccable taste of bigger names. Any recent favorite products we should know about?
One of my favorite things about our marketplace model is how we are able to spotlight all different brands from across the globe. It gives vendors the opportunity to hit markets they may not have been able to otherwise. Some brands I’m loving include Call it By Your Name bandana bags, children’s shoes from Dulis, Mola Mola for mommy & me swim and Bebe Organic for all things baby!
In honor of Maisonette’s Fifth Birthday, we are thrilled to offer our readers 15% off when shopping using code cmontessori15 Cloud Montessori edit on Maisonette