THE RAGS STORY I originally started this company to sell my kids' hand-me-down clothing. My husband was in grad school and we seriously had NO money. I started selling my kids’ clothing on Instagram. The stuff that was selling the fastest was the clothing I had made for them. I realized I needed to create and sell clothing for a living. As a mother of a wriggly toddler, I was over putting my little dude in a one-piece with snaps at the bottom. I loved the idea of a one-piece, but hated the hassle. So, I created my own. The Rag. I WANTED SOMETHING... 1. FASHIONABLE. Who doesn't like a well dressed little kiddo? 2. Had a comfortable FIT. I didn’t want Harrison to look like he was wearing a box. Everything he had just never fit his cute little body. 3. That was super FUNCTIONAL. I say it all of the time: Function over fashion. But the RAG was perfect. It had no snaps, it was easy on and off, and it looked amazing. Best of both worlds. These three things are the driving factors behind everything I like and there was nothing in the marketplace that had all three. I sewed the first Rag out of my husband's t-shirt! It fit the bill. It was sooo comfortable for Harry. The patent-pending neck design made slipping it on and off a parent's dream come true. I immediately shared the Rag with my instagram pals and the response was crazy. It started selling super fast and I found myself sewing around 200 Rags every three to four days. People loved it as much as I did! As far as achievements for the business go, here are a few of my faves: We were featured in the British Vogue twice. American Vogue included us in 'What the Cool Kids Are Getting This Holiday Season: The Most Stylish Gifts for Ages 0 to Preteen.' The Huffington Post nominated us for the 'Top 15 Coolest Kid Brands in America.' In 2016 we aired on ABC's Shark Tank and were listed as one of the top 10 pitches of the season. On the show, Rags received three offers from the Sharks. Shortly after that, we were featured multiple times in Forbes Magazine and have since been featured in US Weekly, Pop Sugar, Brit + Co, and more.  I started sewing Rags in my parents basement, then moved into a house, hired a couple of people, and ran the business from my garage and bonus room. Now, I have the best team ever who are helping RAGS grow even more. I am designing clothes AND raising a family. My family is most important to me and I feel like I have the best of both worlds. It has been extremely tough at times, but I am lucky to be able to pursue something I have always wanted to do. The support has been mind blowing. I lucked out with the best customers in the world. I designed the Rag to make my life easier (I was so sick of snaps and so was my little Harry). It is hard to believe what has happened since. I'm super grateful. My goal is to be more than a cool clothing line and a cool brand. I hope to inspire moms, and future moms, to not sweat the small stuff, live in the moment, keep perspective, and follow your dreams. You only have one life to live, enjoy it! Rachel Nilsson