An Interview with Ashley from IceMilk Aprons

That’s Ashley in one of her gorgeous IceMilk Aprons!

To gear up for our Mother’s Day giveaway, Ashley from IceMilk Aprons and I interviewed one another. Within moments, I felt like we might just have been separated at birth. No wonder I’m so drawn to the sensibility and heirloom/old ways approach of her aprons.

Here’s what Ashley and I discussed:

For people who might not be familiar with IceMilk Aprons, would you mind explaining the origin of the name?
IceMilk Aprons was inspired by my Grandmother. When we were young, we went to visit my grandparents when they lived in South Florida and my sister and I always looked forward to several traditions she had for us.

One of our favorites was knowing that one of our dinners would consist of homemade waffles topped with fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream, or as Grandma called it, ice milk.

It’s obvious, then, that your grandmother had a big influence on you. Did she teach you to design and sew?
Absolutely. I grew up in a made-from-scratch kind of household. Our meals were always homemade, costumes hand-sewn, birthday cakes never store-bought. Everyone in my family brought this to my life at an early age, so I really never knew any other way. And Grandma truly was a masterful seamstress – she had a luxury tie business long before my time – and she always had an eye for design.

Anyone who chooses to design gorgeous aprons must love food, right? What role did your mother and grandmother play in your love of food?
Haha! Yes, of course! I do love food! I try my hand at cooking but most enjoy baking. Their biggest influence is probably the handmade aspect they brought to cooking and their knack for entertaining. I have absolutely carried that into my everyday life, and it’s something that is ever-present in IceMilk Aprons.

I am also so lucky to have both my grandmother & great grandmother’s handwritten recipe cards that were passed down to me, some of my most cherished possessions.

Do you work with family now?
When we first launched IceMilk Aprons, one of the main reasons we did was to all spend more time together – grandma brought her creative touch and sewing, mom is a graphic designer and designed the look & feel for our line, and I focused most on the apron design and heirloom concept.

I think this collection is the perfect representation of our family.

What is your favorite thing about running your own creative business? Is there only one? I’d imagine it would be hard to say, “this is the one most amazing thing about doing what I love.”
That’s a great question. And, no there really isn’t just one thing I love most.

Owning the creativity is something that is important to me, but it comes from everywhere. I love being able to take ideas and inspirations I’ve seen and make them my own, and have people connect to that creativity.

When I was younger I was drawn to interior design and event coordination but I realized that I would always end up doing designs that I loved, rather than trying to fit someone else’s style – and this allows me to do that.

And of course, the fabulously amazing people I get to work with and interact with through my business. I enjoy each & every minute of it.

What do you hope to pass on to the next generation of your family (and other families) from your experience following your dream with IceMilk Aprons?
I don’t have children at this time but certainly hope to start a family one day. One of my biggest passions is history, heirlooms, passing down traditions. I am so drawn to things that have been passed down through generations.

With IceMilk Aprons, it is my hope to inspire this next generation to make a point to learn to cook from scratch, to sew, to sit down with their family and learn where they came from. It is my hope that we all capture these little heirloom things in life so they can continue to be passed down for generations to come.