Laredo and Argelia merge at the seams of a most familiar brand

Family. A word that designates one of the most beautiful facets of the human being. It doesn't matter if it's like that group that fills a restaurant at Christmas when they get together, or the 'tribe' made up of parents and their children who give each other a unique love. The fact is that the family, the Ohana, evokes those feelings of affection and joy that return us to memories that awaken our emotions.

For Kamila and Soraya Bouras Matous, family is also something very important, because being sisters and with the help of their mother, Wahiba, they decided to start their journey in the world of fashion with the creation of their own brand, Mon Little Couer. Sustainability, ethics, commitment... are values ​​that they carry as their flag, forging a philosophy that characterizes each of their garments.

They were born in Laredo, but their history in Cantabria goes back to their grandparents. Her grandmother was from Laredo and her grandfather was from Algeria, but it was in Paris where they met and decided to go to Algeria. There the love in the saga continued to feed and it was where his parents met. With the arrival of terrorism they had to return to the Pejina village. Here they got married and had the little creatives.

Balancing quality and creativity, without forgetting the importance that the environment has for everyone, Mon Petit Couer launches its clothing line one hundred percent 'made in Spain'. By granting this interview they show themselves in all their essence and give value to the designs that are born from the firm.

-What were the beginnings of Mon Petit Coeur? Whose idea was it?

-A few years ago, in 2018, Soraya was doing a Master's in Account Auditing and I (Kamila) was doing another in Digital Graphic Design. In my case, she studied from home, but Soraya had to go to the University and do an internship. She did not quite like the master's degree she was doing and, being a bit 'fly', she began to realize that it was not what she wanted to do. At that moment we began to think about the matter, because we had always wanted to undertake together. We started to look at things, to create the logo, we convinced our mother... that's when Mon Petit Coeur emerged.

-Mon Petit Coeur, my little heart, a name that is also related to family, can you tell our readers how the name came about?

-It was in a very silly way. One day we were thinking about the name of the brand, what we wanted to call it, and foolishly we put on a series and while we were both sitting on the bed Soraya said to me: "Hey, what if we call it Mon Petit Couer?" . Mon petit couer is what our father has called us since we were little. In the end we ended up deciding to put the name in January-February 2019 and then for my father's birthday, since I didn't know what the brand was going to be called, we printed a tote bag (a type of very fine cloth bag) with the name of the signature and the logo and we told him: "Look, dad, that's what the brand is going to be called!" He got quite a big surprise.

-Let's talk about your mother, Wahiba. She has been working as a dressmaker for several years in Algeria and now, although we don't see her on social media, she is present at the brand. Was it she who instilled in you the passion for fashion? What role do you have in the firm?

-I would say yes. When we were little, she made our clothes, dresses... even costumes. I remember, specifically, some super cool dresses that she made for the Carlos V festival in Laredo. He does some amazing things. In Algeria, he has dedicated himself, above all, to making wedding dresses. From the typical white dress to kaftans, Algerian outfits... She has always been very handy in that sense, she taught herself. At the brand, she doesn't feel like appearing on social networks, but at the clothing level she is very active in the product design process. It's like our 'filter', if you will. We make a battery of ideas and we say "Hey, mommy, what do you think of this?" and it guides us.

-You are a firm that is characterized by the importance it gives to sustainability and caring for the environment, with 'slow fashion' being one of its main values. Could you tell us a little more about this philosophy?

-Yes, one of our main values ​​is that, ethics when producing, but not only from a sustainable perspective, which is one of the things we wanted to take into account when opening the brand, since the fashion industry in general is one of the most polluting. A massive amount of clothing is manufactured every year and what many companies do is burn surplus clothing. For this reason, we have wanted to produce less quantity of clothing so that there is less surplus or produce what we sell to take care of the environment. On the other hand, we wanted to take care of dealings with the worker, since in the future if we expand the team it will be something that we take into account.

-'Cruelty free' is a movement against animal torture and to which many brands have joined. Is Mon Petit Coeur part of this movement?

-One thing we were clear from the beginning was that we did not want to use animals in our products. Soraya came up with the idea last year for Christmas of bringing out a collection of bags and we decided to make them out of vegan leather. Ethical fashion is defined by treating workers and valuing their work, by sustainability and by 'cruelty free', that is, not using animals in products.

-Apart from the philosophy that is embodied in your creations, what is your emblematic garment or that design that defines the brand?

-There is a very representative garment of ours that are crossed 'tops'. They were our mother's idea.

-What type of fabric do you prefer to work with?

-The fabric that we like the most is 'crepe', a lightweight fabric that has texture, drape, vaporous... We have always liked it a lot, above all, the movement it has.

-Many designers have some inspiration, who would be their muses or role models?

-Our grandmother or our mother have always been our role models. They have been hard-working women, who are very involved in what they do. For us they are a role model for everything. We are also inspired by different things, depending on the collection. We have our little muses, so to speak. We have been inspired, many times, by entrepreneurs that we have had the pleasure of meeting thanks to courses we have taken and, in the end, all these women have left their mark on us. Depending on the occasion, we have our repertoire, having things that transmit one thing or another to you.

-Let's talk in the first person. Kamila we know that she is a fan of calligraphy, something that she has made her letters are embodied in fabrics, creating scarves and unique prints, which is her favorite of hers and why?

-Kamila. One idea that we are considering, and that will probably be done, is to use calligraphy as a sign of identity. Calligraphy is a discipline that if you search the Internet it will tell you what "beautiful writing" means, but it is not limited to that. I have studied historical models and everything I have learned I can capture at a pictorial level. One thing that we would like would be for the calligraphy to be seen in different products that we are releasing. We will go, little by little, we will continue with our plain garments, but we will add products with my letters. It is something that makes me very excited and that will serve as a differential value.

-Soraya, she studied Business Administration and Management, but fate is capricious and fashion had been saved for her as a destination. How did this change come about?

-Soraya. Because the master's degree and the practices, above all, did not finish convincing me and I did not see myself working on it. It was at that moment that I spoke with my sister and we decided to set up the company.

-They will have shared many unforgettable moments. Can you find out any funny anecdote from your childhood?

-Kamila. We have too many anecdotes, because when we were little we were bugs.

-Soraya. We didn't mess it up that much, but when we did, we messed it up well.

-Kamila. Although the pranks were Soraya's ideas. For example, once we said that we were going to help our grandmother clean the balcony, and we soaped all the railings. And we both stared at each other, thinking about how we were going to clean all that up. Then Soraya filled a bucket and in between we threw the water off the balcony and all the water fell on a lady.

-Finally, what plan would you propose to someone visiting Cantabria for the first time?

-Soraya. There are many excursions to do. Our family likes to go to the Sequoia Forest. In fact, many of the photo sessions we have done there.

-Kamila. The good thing about Cantabria is that since we are by the sea, routes can be organized visiting the most natural part or, for example, visiting the most touristic sites such as Gaudí's Capricho, in Comillas, which Soraya and I always we liked a lot. Also visiting any corner of the capital, Santander, would be a good choice. It is difficult to stay with a single plan, there are many ideas to do in Cantabria which, despite being a small place, has a lot of charm.

It has been a pleasure to introduce this pair of very authentic sisters. We read each other in future articles, while I wait for you on my Instagram.