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Spotlight on Inbar Lahav Elgarisi

Israeli designer Inbar Lahav Elgarisi grew up surrounded by her mother's beautiful collection of fabric. Over the years, she added to the collection with her own fabric purchases.

When her first daughter was born, she left her job to pursue working from home, sewing contemporary baby bedding, apparel and room decor. Thus, bouji & nouna came to life.

Her family collection of unique fabric has given her the inspiration to follow her creative dreams all while being an involved mom to two children and a wife to a husband of almost 10 years.

Through bouji & nouna, Inbar sells bold, colorful and fun fabric creations to customers around the world.

How did you first get started with bouji & nouna?

The "bouji & nouna" adventure of 2007 began when I was 7 months pregnant with Nouna. I started looking for some high quality baby products that would also be chic with a contemporary feel.

Of course, I didn't find anything to my taste... so I bought some fabric, and along with some beloved fabrics I had at home, I created my first bouji & nouna crib set.

I was amazed by the reaction of my environment, and a few weeks after Nouna's birth, I already had my first order - at first from friends and family, and later on I joined Etsy and started to get orders worldwide.

What is your inspiration for your latest work?

Well, mostly from my collection of 1950s-1960s old embroidery and applique books that have amazing colors and patterns. In fact, some of the fabrics I used for my latest bedding collection have patterns exactly the same as those in one of my embroidery books.

Also, naturally, I'm inspired by my kids and their ideas for color combinations, which aren't always the obvious ones and definitely not pastels but bold and bright.

And last is my love for quilt art that gave me the freedom and inspired me to combine different fabric patterns without any hard feelings. For my apparel collection, I find inspiration in the old classic designs that were originally for adults. Especially Chanel's early collections for women.

Who has influenced you the most, and why?

I find it hard to point at someone who I can say "he influenced me the most..." I'm a curious person who is influenced by a lot of things for different matters.

What are you most proud of?

I'm proud of myself, that I've overcome my fears and shyness and started my own company! In the past, I gave up art studies because I thought I wasn't good enough... So I've traveled a long road and arrived at a point I didn't believe I'd ever reach.

What is the biggest challenge you've faced in your work?

I think I create my own challenges all the time. The biggest one is probably being a work from home mom and juggling the home, the kids and the business.

The second big challenge is not to bore myself - I get bored pretty easily, and that's why bouji & nouna offers so many different items (bedding, apparel, toys and decor items). That way, I can always move from one project to another and always feels challenged.

Tell us a little about your fabric collection.

My fabric collection was assembled originally by my mom. She just loved fabric and collected them without knowing if she'd ever used them. I inherited her love of fabric, and because of that she gave me her collection, which I loved to play with as a child.

The collection includes some rare printed fabric, most of which are only one or two yards. But the prints are unbelievably amazing. To her collection, I've added a lot of vintage fabric I bought mostly online, and fabric with retro patterns. I admit I'm a "fabricholic," and when I find some fabric with a pattern that catches my eye, I find it very hard to resist buying it.

What is the most rewarding part of owning your own business?

Definitely the feeling of fulfillment. I'm a very creative person and finally after many years of working in an office job, I'm really enjoying what I'm doing.

Another rewarding part is getting the feedback for my work, like recently, when someone got a gift bought at my shop and wrote me a thank you card. That was a very emotional and rewarding moment for me.

Do you hope the family tradition of sewing will continue on with your daughters?

I believe in destiny and designation that everyone is born with. I never imagined that I would sew, and definitely not as profession. In high school, I studied art, but after my first exhibition, I decided to never do it again. Same with sewing.

I went to the university and studied Middle Eastern history, worked afterward as a customer service manager in several companies - as far away from creation as possible.

But the sewing found me eventually, along with the art and creativity I tried to run away from.

So I can't tell what will be with my daughter... I hope that she will find her own way, whether it's the family tradition or not. Either way, it will be her own.

Shop bouji & nouna at:

http://www.bouji.etsy.com