Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Drew Garabedian.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles in a supportive and beautiful family, with friends that will always feel like family. I grew up on multi-generational film sets around the world. I watched my dad pitch incredible stories and direct them with strong vision, my mom produce like a force while raising two young babes, and my grandfather, a Hollywood legend, teach at the Actors Studio and direct. They always believed in their ideas, and it really taught me to believe in mine.
I started playing soccer when I was six years old and played competitively until I was 18. I learned a very important level of discipline from playing soccer and was fortunate enough to have a coach that taught us the concept of “doing one more.” This idea pushed me to do better and work harder, and especially to lead my team with added courage and determination. I truly believe that my dedication with soccer gave me the strength and work ethic that I have today. Sadly, I ended up getting injured, but it was all meant to be because that is when my business story really began.
I was studying in Paris my freshman year of university through a transfer plan with USC. I was an au pair of three beautiful French children and fell in love with the simplicity of their clothes, the quality of the fabrics, and just the way the clothes told a story. I felt like Los Angeles was lacking that quality of baby clothes at the time, and I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it. Throughout my college experience I had many amazing internships, all of which focused on fashion, philanthropy, or both. I wanted to find a way to bring those two worlds together, and that’s when I got my idea for my business. I was inspired by the One for One model, but I wanted to create a new movement — the Mom to Mom movement. Instead of creating a new piece of clothing for a child, I wanted to reuse it and let it live on — the way stories live on — from one mom to the next. wear. grow. give. That was it. Those three words would be my foundation and my inspiration.
It took until graduating college in 2018 to finally dive deep into my business. Thanks to the endless support of my family and friends, I finally decided to “just do it,” to not be afraid of the failures, but work through them and learn something new everyday. I wanted to challenge myself to keep trusting my gut and believe that I had a good idea that could impact lives in a beautiful way.
It’s been a whirlwind of lessons, excitement, and so much love. We are gearing up to launch end of September, and I couldn’t be more excited. It feels like where I started and where I am now happened in a flash. After all my excuses, once I began doing the work, I realized how doable it all was. This is just the beginning for us, and we can’t wait to see what is next.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t really think it can just be a “smooth road,” and that’s what makes it so exciting. Everyday brings new challenges, some big and some small. As cheesy as it sounds, I think that it’s the way you choose to navigate that can make the road smoother. I try to approach everything with a positive attitude, but with that, of course, stress still comes. My dad has really helped me — whenever I let myself get stressed, he reminds me, “do everything in rest.” I think it’s some of the best advice I have ever received. It pushes me to remain calm when the sh*t storms come and to let my passion lead me without rushing into any decisions.
All that said, starting a clothing company the ethical and right way is a lot more expensive than I thought, and that has definitely been an obstacle to overcome. Some continuous struggles I face is the idea of taking a risk. I have to turn the inner voice off in my head that sometimes tries to tell me it’s not going to work. I think a lot of that comes with my lack of expertise in the apparel + manufacturing industry. I just had an idea and a vision, so all the things in between have definitely been a constant lesson. Pattern makers, cutters, sewers, grading + marking, production, fabric, fit tests — there is so much behind the scenes that goes into bringing a product to life. I guess it’s kind of like soccer — when I started playing it was a huge adjustment, a big time commitment and took thousands of hours to become an expert. I have to keep approaching my business with my same attitude for soccer. I know the road won’t always be smooth, but knowing that I am doing something I love and working towards the goal I have in my head, makes the road at least look a lot brighter.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about All The Babies – what should we know?
All the babies is a European-inspired, direct to consumer baby clothing company with a mission to give back to babies in need. We are proud to say that we manufacture and produce all of our clothing with love in Los Angeles, offer 100% GOTS certified organic cotton, use low impact dyes that are better on the environment and for the kiddos skin, have 100% recyclable packaging, operate as a sustainable business, and have competitive pricing.
We can’t wait to see these clothes live on from one baby to the next through our model wear. grow. give. Because babies grow out of their clothes so quickly in the first two years of life, we wanted to introduce a model that makes it easy for parents to get great quality clothes that can be sent back to us – free of charge – once their lil’ babe outgrows them. Once we receive the clothes, we will hand deliver them to a baby in need.
We feel like our model definitely sets us apart — because not only does it promote giving, it also promotes sustainability in a world where fast fashion is at the top of the waste list. We have big dreams for the future but are happy where we are right now as we get set for launch. We are starting small with 100% organic cotton baby basics, but will continue to grow and innovate as we expand and stay true to our core values — be inclusive, keep it simple, activate empathy, cultivate community, stay inspired.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Can I say everyone? But really I couldn’t do this alone, and it’s a slew of people that have gotten me here. It starts with my grandfather. He has believed in this idea since the beginning. Because of him, I had the opportunity to go to USC and learn from inspiring professors and see amazing entrepreneurs speak in my classes (Ariel Kaye, Scooter Braun, & many others). When I graduated and said that I wanted to pursue this full-time, he didn’t question my decision. Instead he supported and motivated me to make it happen, so I don’t take any of this for granted. I wake up grateful everyday knowing that I am making him proud.
My mom is also my co-founder, and there really is something about family that makes doing what I am doing so much more special everyday. I can wholeheartedly say that I wouldn’t be here without my family and friends who feel like family. From convincing me to just dive in and go for it, to believing in my idea, to the endless support and advice, and especially for all the unconditional love they give me — “all the babies, all the love, all the time,” is because of them.
And of course, it is the people behind the scenes that make it all come to life. My production manager who turns my vision into reality, the ones cutting + sewing the fabric so it can fit comfortably on the beautiful babes, the people that show up everyday to help push me to create the perfect brand for “all the babies.” Without them, I couldn’t be here. We are just getting started, but here’s to community, hard work, and making it happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.allthebabies.co
- Email: jennydrew@allthebabies.co
- Instagram: @allthebabiesco
Image Credit:
Vanessa Feder, Angelique Antoniou, Alex Oubari
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