We chat to Millie Bellville, co-founder of Tea & Tequila; the slow fashion brand celebrating Mexico’s indigenous crafts
Friends and entrepreneurial dream team Millie and Sarah are the brains behind Tea & Tequila – a slow fashion brand celebrating Mexico’s indigenous, artisanal crafts with a contemporary twist. Tea & Tequila takes pride in its ethical practices, paying craftspeople a fair wage and working hard to be better for the planet. I caught up with Millie Bellville to learn more about the thought process behind Tea & Tequila and the duo’s refreshing approach to business.
AM: Please could you tell our readers a bit about how and why you came up with Tea & Tequila?
MB: We came up with Tea & Tequila after falling madly in love with Mexico and everything the country has to offer from the beautiful landscapes, buzzing cities and colourful towns to the incredibly fresh and delicious food to the intricate crafts, differing from state to state in style yet always carrying the vibrant colours found across the country, exuding happiness and positivity, and resonating so perfectly with the wonderful people.
AM: When you met, how did you realise you'd be great business partners?
MB: We met at university and a massive part of our friendship was built on the influence we have on each other and how we wanted to help each other grow. It was a really healthy and easy relationship where we felt like when we were and are together everything just feels simpler and easier, as if one of us was the yin to the other's yang.
We had and still have the same drive, yet our personalities have always differed in so many ways; we are so lucky that where one of us is lacking, the other is flourishing and so together we are great supports for one another and working together has always seemed very natural. We have of course had our ups and downs and over time learnt to be very upfront and honest with each other and never to let anything fester.
AM: Why Mexico?
MB: Sarah moved to Mexico after her university year abroad spent teaching English to craftswomen from an indigenous community in Mexico. Sarah has lived in Mexico for almost 10 years now and her move to this side of the world is why we started Tea & Tequila.
AM: I’ve read about your slow approach to fashion and the responsibility you take to pay your artisans and workers fairly. Why did you make this decision and how do you think the wider fashion industry needs to change?
MB: We never wanted to be a fashion brand and we have never really seen ourselves as one. We just want to do our thing, which is creating beautiful pieces championing indigenous craftsmanship in Mexico. We aren’t in a position to compete in the fashion industry as we have small margins and create in very small batches as our process is slow and we don’t want to overproduce. We just want to provide a place for conscious shoppers who are interested in pieces that have been created by hand in a fair environment by crafters who love what they do and work from the comfort of their own homes.
AM: Do you think it's possible for fast fashion to become obsolete?
MB: I think fast fashion will always be around as it is a luxury to shop consciously, which isn’t feasible for many, many people. We can only hope that the fast fashion industry starts to make smarter choices for the environment with their production for instance: creating from recycled or plant-based materials, stopping seasonal consumer sale pushes, and focuses on creating products to last all year round and for a lifetime.
AM: Have you encountered any adversity as women in business?
MB: No, we haven’t really, only ever when speaking about our business with people from older generations who have grown up in a different reality to us and perhaps don’t really understand what we are up to, but that just makes us feel grateful for the opportunity we have been given and the world we live in today thanks to all the women who have fought for this new reality before us. We have a 98% female team from all of the artisans we partner with to our small HQ team. We want to help promote women in business as much as we can.
AM: What advice would you have for other female business owners who are earlier in their careers?
MB: My advice would be that to start and maintain a business requires you to be extremely persistent and optimistic. Never let anything or anyone make you feel like you should give up, in fact, remove giving up as an option and just always look for new routes or ways to move forward.
AM: How do you stay motivated?
MB: I stay motivated because I love what I do so much, it has never felt like work and in fact I look at our business as a hobby and my passion. I find it harder to make time for myself than I do to stay motivated with Tea & Tequila. When you are passionate about something and you are building it, you receive so much satisfaction in return. I can only imagine that it must be similar to growing a child and how fulfilling that must feel.
AM: Is there anything new in the works for Tea & Tequila?
MB: Yes, we are about to launch some new clothing which we are really proud of and some bags and jewellery too! We are always creating and launching new pieces every month which keeps it all really exciting. We may also be looking into introducing baby clothes at some point in the future as the business has really grown up with the two of us and since I am now 8 months pregnant with my first baby, I can imagine this will inspire us to make little pieces for babies too!
Find out more about Tea & Tequila here:
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Abigail is a photographer, writer and mother of four based in West Yorkshire. She is keen to explore all manner of themes within human nature and history through her photographic practice, amalgamating in a dusky, decadent aesthetic. These visual characteristics are further enhanced through her use of analogue equipment. Her photographic work is informed by a unique depth of research, and she prides herself on becoming fully immersed in the intricacies of each theme that my work explores.
Whilst she specialises in editorial fashion photography, her work is also characterised by elements from a variety of photographic genres, particularly street and documentary photography. When she’s not photographing, she is writing, especially on topics such as visual arts, culture and history and is currently undertaking personal and editorial work in this field.
