A TALENTED seven-year-old Hampshire schoolgirl and her mum have launched their own fashion brand in a bid to boost the charitable causes they care about.
Every item available through Ayaya features the designs of Ria Snaddon and Sherborne House School pupil Emaya, who live in Chandlers Ford.
Launched on Mother's Day last month, the brand is supporting the British Red Cross Ukrainian Crisis Appeal and a number of animal charities.
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Ria told the Daily Echo: "Our business is individual in that it was the idea of a seven-year-old and many of our products feature her designs.
"Emaya had only started school the year before the pandemic hit. Spending so much of her time at home, she spent a lot of time drawing and learning about animals.
"During this time she had a lot of ideas of things she wanted to do to help others, often a little more ambitious than her years, or than we could manage to support her with.
"It is amazing to finally be able to realise one of her ideas, so she can see that she can make a difference for the causes she feels passionate about. The reception has been wonderful.
"She is a very moral and caring little girl, always looking for ways to help. She has been thinking about ways she could turn her drawings into something that would allow her to make money for charitable causes she cares about. mostly animal conservation.
"Then when war broke out, it became urgent for her, so we launched her own cotton top shop featuring her designs on Mother’s Day 2022.
"I am enormously proud of her for the idea and for putting the work into drawing the designs.
"We have had so many lovely comments, with people saying how inspiring it is that Emaya is doing this and that they love the designs and how soft the tops are."
Ayaya sells print to order certified organic cotton tops featuring interesting species and helping causes close to their hearts.
100 per cent of profits from two of the designs - Ukrainian Birds and Blue & Yellow - will go to The British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
The Ukrainian Birds design is by Emaya featuring birds found in the Ukraine, including the national bird, the Nightingale.
Ria's Blue & Yellow design features animal species from around the world in blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
Organic cotton tops and totes are made in factories powered by renewable energy. They are all printed to order which means zero waste. The website is carbon neutral and all the packaging is made from plants, not plastic.
Emaya is already planning her next collection featuring sea life. She is passionate about the oceans and has a charity in mind that she wants to support!
Visit ayayathreads.com
- Ayaya is our trader of the week. If you'd like us to feature your small local business, visit dailyecho.co.uk/trader or email lorelei.reddin@dailyecho.co.uk
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