Hi I'm Vanessa, (a New Yorker) designer and the "Isabella" part of Isabella Oliver. Isabella is my 2 ½ year old. My business partner Baukjen (Amsterdam/London), is a marketer extraordinaire and mummy to the other part of our brand inspiration 2 ½ year old Oliver. Isabella and Oliver are actually the true founding partners so to them we are truly grateful! Isabella now has a baby brother Piers and Oliver a brother Sebastian with another sibling on the way!

Our Company has gone through such an amazing transformation and growth in its short life, its mind boggling! In a nutshell, it began when Baukjen and I were very pregnant and met on a weekend break at Babington House taking a break from London. We got talking and soon became friends. We had both left dynamic jobs that saw us travelling like single, childless people and felt the time was right for something completely different, perhaps start our own business. As we'd spent the past 9 months struggling to find something to wear that didn't resemble tents and pinafores we decided to start a stylish maternity wear company for women who loved clothes as much as we do!

Initially we set up business in Baukjen's front room where we did everything from take orders, pack and wrap and do the post. We soon crept into the next room and then the next, and then the whole ground floor..until we had taken over the entire house.

In May last year we moved into our own premises in Kentish Town - it reminds me a bit of the warehouses in Tribeca - and business has continued to grow. So far so good. In August we're launching in the USA, which is really exciting and a bit scary for me, its home country and full of family and friends - another reason for doing an online diary as they're a great way to keep in touch!