QUESTION & ANSWER
WITH / HUGO LOVES TIKI
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW HUGO LOVES TIKI FIRST BEGAN ? Hugo Loves Tiki began in my mom ’ s basement . My fiancé and I moved back home to have our first child , Hugo . I needed to find a way to make money while staying at home with him . I really did not want to go back to wedding photography or a regular 9-5 job and leave Hugo with a stranger . I also knew I needed to do something creative . Once I found Instagram , a new and exciting world was unlocked for me . I was accessing so much creative content and was constantly inspired . I thought , “ How hard could it be to screen print baby t-shirts ?” I researched screen printing and Adobe Illustrator and taught myself how to do it . I knew if I could make just $ 100 a week , I would be happy . Quickly , it became so much more than I could have imagined . I love vintage silh testestestestestestestestestestestestes WHERE IS HUGO LOVES TIKI BASED ? We are based in a small town about twenty minutes south of Indianapolis , Indiana . We wanted to raise our children in a small town just as we were raised . We are about 10-20 minutes away from all our family and my best girlfriends from high school , which is an added bonus ! I love vintage d hunt for them on them on them on them on them o WHERE DOES THE COMPANY NAME COME FROM ? When we lived with my mother , she had many rescue animals . The only animal that would let Hugo pet him was a mean cat named Tiki . Those two went everywhere together ! Hugo loved that cat so much . I love ove vintage silhouettes and hunt for th them on WHERE DID YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR
LATEST COLLECTION ? I am inspired by vintage toys , ads and artwork . I love 70 ’ s and 80 ’ s cartoons , and the interests of my children are always guiding me creatively as well . My mother would always drag me to vintage shops as a kid , and she still hunts E-Bay for vintage kitchen gadgets and household decorations that remind her of her past . love vintage silhouettes and hunt for them DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PIECE ? I love our ruffled playsuit . It is based on a vintage piece I used to wear as a three-year-old in the 80 ’ s . I love vintage silhouettes and hunt for them on Etsy . I love vintage silhouettes and hunt for DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST PIECE YOU EVER DESIGNED ? WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR IT ? My first piece was a grey A . A . t-shirt with the words “ Jus d ’ Orange ” with a modernist , badly drawn orange . I wasn ’ t , nor am I now , the greatest illustrator . It works for us , though . The shirt was inspired from when my husband and I first started talking in French class . Once we graduated from college , we lived abroad in Europe for a year . I was very interested foreign language and loved teaching Hugo the French language . I love vintlove vintlo them on them on them on them on them o CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR DESIGN PROCESS ? I research vintage art and design . I look on Pinterest for color combinations and research 80 ’ s silhouettes on Etsy . I then start to envision design and color . Once I have a few ideas , I sit down for a week or two and begin drawing and putting designs together . The prep / research takes a long time , but the illustrating is quite quick . I love vintage silhouettes and
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