Anna Chiu - Kamperett

Mother Stories

A Baby-Wearing Mom On Juggling Two Kids, Plus A Fashion Line

Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano

Photography by Photographed by Maria Del Rio

Aug 31, 2016

It’s not easy raising two under three, but San Francisco-based mother Anna Chiu makes it look like a breeze. The co-founder of new fashion brand Kamperett (yep, that’s right, she launched a business while pregnant with her second), tells us how she “stubbornly” tries to do it all, even if she knows that reaching for that ideal is often in vain. Some of her not-so-secret weapons? Baby-wearing inside and outside the house, setting up a studio in her living room, a supportive husband, mama friends, family, and PT nanny, and an inspiring laid-back, nature-centric approach to parenting. Read about it all, including how motherhood gave her the clarity and conviction to pursue her dreams, below.

This profile is brought to you by Mother + Ergobaby

: "Our good friends were moving out of this apartment three years ago when we were living in a one-bedroom and I was pregnant with our oldest son, Kai. We took it over before the landlord listed it. It’s central and close to endless parks, restaurants, and shops. We love that we can walk everywhere."
Anna's living room, which also doubles as Kamperett's studio space.

: "It’s very personal. It’s an eclectic collection of things that have meaning to us, whether it was made by a friend, inherited from family, or picked up on a special trip. Everything has a bit of soul to it."

: "I’m not much of a decorator, but I guess we just want our home to be comfortable and to be surrounded by things that are special to us and that have a story. Maybe I’m just sentimental, but I love that these physical objects carry with them the energy and memories of family, friends, and adventures we’ve had."

: "We try to keep the kids’ stuff in the kids’ room. We rarely buy them things. Most of the toys they have were gifts or hand-me-downs, and we usually get out of the house and go on adventures in nature, to museums, or to hang with friends, anyway. They are usually the happiest outside where they can run around and be free, which is also nice because there is no cleanup that way."
Taj wears an outfit from Over The Ocean.

: "I love the large framed painting in our dining room, it was given to my great grandma and grandpa in the late 1800’s in Germany as a wedding present. It was passed down to my grandparents, then to my parents, and now us. I also love the wooden toddler bed and kids' table my dad made for Kai, and the rocking horse and illustrations he made for me when I was a little. The clock and rock collections are dear to me because my grandpa, who I had a very special relationship with, gave them to me. He was the ultimate collector and instilled in me a deep appreciation of nature, well-crafted antiques, and people."

: The sport-centric entry way.

: "We basically have our studio in our living room, and have given up our third bedroom for an office instead of a room for my youngest, Taj. We wanted the boys to share a room eventually anyways, so it wasn’t too big of a sacrifice."
Anna wears a hand-painted dress by Kamperett

: "I started a women’s ready-to-wear collection, Kamperett, with my partner Val. Together we design and manufacture subtly feminine and luxurious pieces that are effortless, comfortable, and timeless. Our goal is to make high-quality clothes that the modern woman with a busy life can easily throw on and feel beautiful in. Oh, and everything is made ethically in small, family-owned factories here in California and with sustainable materials or dead stock when possible."

: One of Kamperett's hand-painted beauties.

: "I was born in Texas, grew up in Irvine, California, and went to UCSD where I studied Biology and was pre-med. After college, I worked in a neurobiology lab while studying for the MCAT, but then decided to pursue fashion instead of going to med school. I lived in Orange County while I worked at an Australian denim company called Ksubi, then started and ran a kids' clothing company where I learned the ropes of the apparel business. My husband and I have both done some international relief work in Sri Lanka and Haiti, and wanted to do something abroad together after we married and before we had kids, so we went to Burundi, Africa, for a bit. He taught and worked at a rural hospital and I worked with the local women on economic development, teaching them sewing and helping them put on their first-ever fashion show. We then moved up to San Francisco for my husband’s residency, and I worked in product development for Restoration Hardware. I left RH after I had my first son because I wanted to spend more time with my baby. It was a hard decision that I know many mothers face, but was ultimately a blessing because I was able to spend the first sweet year with him at home, and that was where the idea of Kamperett started to brew. I had luckily saved up enough to allow me to have that time with him, and I am so thankful for that."

: "I’m only willing to give up time with them for something that I’m passionate about or believe in."
Kai wears an outfit from Over The Ocean.

: "I always thought having kids would get in the way of my career, but it has surprisingly done the opposite for me. It gave me the clarity and conviction to finally do what I have always wanted to do. I also met so many amazing moms through having a kid, who have been beyond supportive, encouraging, and inspirational. We would talk about this dream of starting a clothing line at the park, and now it’s a real live thing. It’s pretty incredible."

: "I was definitely a bit nervous because I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I was mentally preparing myself to be out of commission for a few months. But luckily Taj was a lot easier than Kai was as a newborn, and recovery was a lot faster, so I was able to jump back in pretty quickly."

: "I was back on email four days after Taj was born, and was looking at new samples a week later. It’s totally not what I expected, but he was mellow and slept so much, and Kai was in school, so I felt like I had the time. My partner Val would come over and we’d work from my living room, or I would wear him in a carrier and take him to buying appointments, meetings, parties, you name it. I was excited to get our new collection together, so it didn’t feel like work."

: Kai's toddler bed, handcrafted by grandpa and currently stashed in mom and dad's room.

: "It’s not easy, but I would say cutting out the fat in my life was step one. Having good support, whether it’s from a spouse, family, friends, nanny, school, etc. is also key. I am lucky to have a supportive husband with a flexible schedule, and have met some amazing moms that are in a similar industry, whom I can have a play date with and simultaneously talk shop. We can connect on so many levels, our kids love each other, and they have become some of my closest friends. I don’t think balancing everything and doing it all well is possible, but I’m very stubbornly trying my best every day."

: "I’m doing what I love every day and have freedom with it."

: "Expanding the collection, possibly adding a few categories to the line."

: "Before Kai was born I wanted the room to be mostly neutrals, probably because I hadn’t met him yet and didn’t know what kind of personality he would have. I was working in product development at RH Baby & Child at that time, so I have a lot of pieces from there. But he’s almost three now, he has an opinion, and he loves color (his favorite is pink), so we’re slowly changing up his room to reflect that. He loves making art and so I’ve been putting up a lot of his work. The other art in his room are all pieces made by friends or family. Over the changing table I have some old photos and a mobile that my sweet friends made for me at my baby shower. We eventually want the boys to share this room, so at the moment we are having Taj, our 7-month-old, sleep in the crib, and have a little toddler bed for Kai in our room. Once the baby starts sleeping through the night, we’ll move Kai back in and cross our fingers it works out."
Anna wears a Kamperett dress and the ADAPT carrier by Ergobaby. The boys wear clothing from Over The Ocean.

: "I love the illustrations that my dad drew for me when I was a baby. Also the fun things friends have brought back form their travels."

: "I love going on adventures with our kids, whether it's a hike in the forest close by or international travel. Sometimes I daydream about living in some far foreign country, with our boys making friends with other local boys and being immersed in new cultures. I hope that they will grow up to appreciate this amazing earth and all that it has to offer. Watching before our eyes as their personalities unfold is pretty incredible, too."

: "Hmmm…I guess I try not to think about things that make me nervous."

: "There’s nothing better than seeing how much they love each other already. Every morning Taj squeals the second he sees his Kai, and Kai is constantly kissing and hugging him (sometimes a bit too hard). Hopefully they will be good friends and be there for each other in life."

: Anna wears Ergobaby's new ADAPT 3-position carrier, which accommodates newborns to toddlers, 7-45 lbs, with no infant insert needed.

: "Their names are Kai Alexander and Taj Ellis. We liked Kai because it had so many great meanings in different languages and it exists as a German and Chinese name, which made it easy for family to pronounce. It means 'unbreakable' in Burmese, 'open' and 'victory' in Chinese, 'ocean' in Japanese and Hawaiian, and 'the one who brings the light in the dawn' in Wayuu. Taj felt like a special name, too, and just seemed right. It has an old Sanskrit meaning and the Taj Mahal was one of the most beautiful and magical places I have ever been."

: "Baby 411 was a book we found helpful when Kai was born, for times when we were like, 'Is this normal? What the heck is going on?!' Sometimes I think the more research I do now, though, the more confusing it gets because there are so many conflicting philosophies: 'Cry it out, everyone will be healthier and happier!' 'Don’t CIO because you will traumatize your child for life!' At this point I’m just doing what feels right to me, which honestly can change from moment to moment."

: "I speak German to the kids and we have a Chinese-speaking nanny, so they are exposed to both languages. I try to read only German books to them, and we take a yearly trip to Germany to visit family where the kids are totally immersed in the language and culture. We also cook Chinese food often. My husband (who is not Chinese) makes a mean fried rice at least once a week."

: The family gallery wall.

: "Immensely! They immigrated to the U.S. without much money, started three businesses on their own, and raised us with barely any support. They taught us to be independent, hard working, to take risks, that anything is possible, and that it’s the simple things in life that make you happy. They gave us endless support and love, were incredibly patient, and didn’t give us too many unnecessary rules and boundaries. They didn’t allow us to watch TV and didn’t buy us many things, but did teach us how to make boxes into castles and sticks into fishing rods. We also had dinner together every night. I aspire to be like them as a parent."

: "Time. No one gets one-on-one time, and it’s a constant juggle."
Anna wears a Kamperett overall jumpsuit.

: "Seeing how much they love each other."

: "Probably not..."

: "Just go with your heart, and surround yourself with people you love and who are supportive, positive, and helpful."

: "I often dress like a boy in jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers, but I also like throwing on a dress and feeling feminine every once in a while. I’m a bit of a hoarder and have a ton of vintage pieces or items I’ve picked up while traveling that I like to throw in the mix. I'm also a total sucker for vintage jewelry."

: "Not much, although I rarely wear heels anymore."

: "Vintage Levis and an old T-shirt, or one of our Kamperett dresses."

: "I love vintage clothing because the workmanship is hard to find in anything today and the way they patina can be so special. I’ve always loved Jil Sander and Rei Kawakubo for their modern approach to fashion. I admire Phoebe Philo because she was able to revive an old fashion house and did it while being a mother to three kids and putting her family first."

: "I don’t shop often, but I still prefer shopping in person for myself whenever that happens. I usually buy online for the kids. I love the shop Over The Ocean, which has the cutest European clothes. Le Point, Rand + Statler, and Hawthorn are also great stores in the Bay Area for women's clothes."

: "I don’t really have time for much of a beauty routine, so I try to be efficient by using only 3-4 products. I wash my face with water in the a.m. (Indie Lee or plain Dove soap in the p.m. to take off makeup), moisturize with Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Cream (tinted moisturizer with SPF 30), use a bit of Vapour Aura Multi Use for cheeks and lips, plus mascara so I don’t look like I’m a dead person. Sometimes I use some liquid eyeliner by Lancome if I feel like getting fancy."
A mini-table—with a hidden art drawer—in the kitchen, another creation of grandpa.

"Yoga and meditation make me a happier person. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time for working out, but even a 30-minute jog puts me in a better mood. And I usually come up with the best ideas doing one of these things, so it’s productive on many levels, but always so hard to prioritize. I try to meditate each night before bed, even if it’s just for five minutes."

"I love that they are exposed to so much culture, diversity, and art here. I love that my son doesn’t think it’s weird to see two men holding hands, that I can breastfeed without funny looks, and that we can walk to the farmers' market or take the bus to a museum. Also, the beach is close by, as are the redwoods, so we get the city life and nature almost every day."

"We’ve always dreamt about packing up our stuff in storage and working/living abroad with our family before the kids go to school."

"We don’t have any grandparents here, but I have my sister, who is a huge help, as well as great friends that feel like chosen family."

"With the kids: The Presidio for hikes, The Discovery Museum (in Sausalito), the California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, and the beach. We don’t get out much without the kids to be honest, but we like The Progress for drinks and dinner, Philz or Jane for coffee, Lands End for a beautiful hike, and the Kabuki Theater for comfy chairs and the bar."
Anna wears a hand-painted Kamperett top and skirt. The boys wear clothing from Over The Ocean.

To keep following Anna on her work and motherhood journey, check out her Instagram feed, as well as Kamperett's.