How My Small Independent Business Determined its Mission + Motivation

A reflection that brings me back to the start

Maybe it’s my kids being back in school that’s allowed me the time to think straight, or maybe it’s some comments I’ve received on Instagram lately (mostly positive but admittedly a few negative) that have me reflecting lately on the mission + motivation behind Vincent James.

I’ve always loved fashion, getting dressed, style + design. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up as they lived down the street from us and their values are imprinted on me now more than ever as I raise my 4 children. My grandfather, Vincent James was a pattern maker. He used to sew my designs as a 10 year old girl. He was also just the best; a creative thinker and maker who somehow made everyone better. My grandmother, a very stylish + nurturing woman who appreciated good design and made everything more beautiful, worked as a gift-wrapper at the local department store. My mom would take us to visit her there often where I would assess all the clothing designs touching the fabrics and dreaming of the ways I would style myself as a woman.

I’ve also always had a profound + innate appreciation for nature and its power. The same grandparents had a garden where we spent a lot of time watching the plants grow, harvesting, and enjoying the bounty. My grandmother would cook for us when my busy mom couldn’t always reminding us how important it was to nourish our bodies. I still remember the taste of her nightly salads- our recent trip to Rome brought me right back- and those blackberries- Driscoll’s will never hold a candle.

After undergrad I went to nutrition school, fascinated by the power food could have in health + healing, but did so with a nagging suspicion I should have gone into design. I guess those early childhood passions never die. After working for a few years as a nutritionist but not being as fulfilled with that role as I’d hoped -a long story but the conventional USDA model unfortunately isn’t about real health or healing, I started to have babies and realized keeping them healthy and nourished was a far better and incredibly valid use of my time and energy. Our third son was diagnosed at 6 months with multiple anaphylactic food allergies, including dairy. Keeping him nourished + safe was a job, and one that caused me to really dive deep into the world of all the harmful substances being put on our soil, food, water and ultimately into our children’s bodies! I look back now and realize how lucky I was to be the one to do that job, but staying home with 3 boys under 5, I also longed for the woman who went by the wayside 5 years prior.

I came out of the motherhood fog and needed that woman to have a say in the world. Creativity through design has always been a great release for me. If you asked me as a 10 year old girl what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said fashion designer. I started to play around with fabrics imagining starting my own business someday. It came down to a need I couldn’t find- clothing for myself that met the same standards I sought for my boys’ clothing- ethical, natural, organic and timeless but still really cute and special. I also longed to get my style groove back as a way of connecting with and empowering the woman I’d since become. A bit later I became pregnant with our 4th child and 1st daughter solidifying my desire to do something meaningful with this passion both for me and for her.

Since the beginning Vincent James has been about creating beautiful timeless pieces in harmony with people + planet. There are a LOT of options when it comes to clothing, and probably too much clothing in the world in general. What gives me the resolve to keep going is knowing what we’re doing helps to keep industries, jobs, crafts and SOIL alive through an artistic expression that can make our lives + our world better. Getting dressed everyday in beautiful pieces that allow us to feel like our best creative selves without exploiting others or the earth in the process matters. Clothing, like everything, has frequency. The frequency of natural fibers + fabrics made in this way raises our energy. I hope you can feel that when you wear Vincent James. I hope in some small way I’m honoring my grandparents and helping to make it all a little better + more beautiful.

Thank you for being here and for your support! We couldn’t do this without you.

Heather