Christmas is a time to celebrate family! In this season of celebration, we acknowledge that very few experiences have the capacity to shift our emotional, physical and psychological state in the way that becoming a parent does. The unexplainable joy and moments of adorable serendipity that come with motherhood can change the way a woman sees the world around her forever. A great mother understands the immediacy of sacrifice! The moment she looks into her child’s eyes, she accepts that she has a responsibility to structure the socio-economic framework of a new life. For some women, that pressure is intimidating; but for Ashley Lauren Rezende – the pressure was inspiring.
Ashley Rezende is the founder and owner of Bali Baby, which is a clothing company that focuses on retailing modern, minimalist clothing for children ages 6 months to 6 years old. Even though she is fortunate to have her journey in motherhood grounded in a loving marriage with a supportive husband, she deeply empathizes with an often disenfranchised group in Caribbean society – single mothers. She ensures that the price point on all her goods are affordable without compromising the quality. Ashley does this so that single mothers (or anyone not in a super-affluent situation) can still afford to have quality clothing for their child. As the Christmas season fast approaches, parents are scrambling to find gifts for their young children. They shouldn’t have to look much further than Bali Baby.
Rezende is no stranger to the world of creative entrepreneurship. Before Bali Baby, she started and still operates a cosmetic care company called LashedbyAsh where she works as a lash technician and trainer. Not only was her company the winner of the prestigious Lash Wars Competition in 2018, but she is also ranked as the #1 volume lash artist in the Caribbean. It’s safe to say that Rezende has a touch of resplendence in everything she does, and her vivacious Trinidadian spirit is backed by solid work ethics and thoughtful entrepreneurial decisions.
Once we connected with Ashley, we knew we were in for a candid talk because she started the conversation with an assertion every good journalist loves to hear. She said : “My responses are going to be crazy, so you can feel free to keep them as authentic as you want. I am a very raw, blunt person” We started by asking Ashley to take us back to the beginning of her journey in motherhood and the moment she found out she was pregnant. She reminiscently states: “So the exact moment I found I was pregnant, I was out drinking at my friend’s Christmas party the night before. I went for my weekly massage the following day and I was severely sick… so sick I ended up throwing up in the spa. I came home and my husband was flirting with me about my physique. I’ve always had voluptuous curves and legs but that whole week I was bloating, so when he invited me to spend time with him, in that moment I got emotional and burst into tears. I just kept thinking ‘Why is my body so different? What is going on?’ I started to then wonder if I was pregnant, which it turns out I was.”
Despite being overcome with joy, Ashley was immediately cognizant that she was now faced with a new level of responsibility. She admits that having her child forced her to mature mentally and even financially, stating that: “When the reality soaked in, I had a panic attack that night. Sometimes I feel like I’m a kid, so how was I going to take care of a child? But I have blown my self away…I’m not an anxious mom or a panic mom. I just let my daughter be who she is. Having a child made me want to ensure that she has something left for her in the future – ‘Bali Baby’ is actually going to be left for Layla in the long run. I think that she made me dabble into a sector of creativity that I wouldn’t have necessarily gone into before. ‘Bali Baby’ was born in Covid-19, so the fear of the beauty industry shutting down and my lash business shutting down caused me to think differently. I figured that mothers will always need clothing items for their children, so what ‘Bali Baby’ had to offer was still relevant even in the pandemic.”
We delved deeper into the fabric choices and design style of the Bali Baby material, and Ashley informed us that the pieces were classified as Boho chic. In her estimation, Boho chic designs are: “Unconventional and artistic styles. The Boho style follows natural, nude colors. The fabric is plainer but the emphasis is on flow and movement. There is also a strong sense of minimalism. I always wanted my child to retain some of the minimalism I have in my style. I hate patterns, so I wanted to see my daughter in nude, plain colors that are still multiculturally influenced.”
Bali Baby has only been around for a few months, but has had a tremendous impact on the market in Trinidad. Ashley is still running LashbyAsh and was very transparent about how she thinks the cosmetic beauty industry can grow in Trinidad & Tobago. In closing she stated that: “In Trinidad, we need to let go of the fear of stepping on people’s toes because this fear is inhibiting us from growing. People need more bravery to do what they want to do and step outside of the box. We need more educators who are willing to share the information on relevant skill sets within the beauty industry. We also have to keep the pricing competitive as well – not completely biting off people’s heads with high prices. At the end of the day a woman just wants to feel beautiful, so if you can price your esthetic services in a way that makes a woman feel beautiful without robbing her… that shows a level of generosity. Generosity in the way you conduct business and price your services can also get you far in the beauty industry. “
