Some find it a commercial affair, others look forward to it; We are talking about Mother's Day. Every year, the second Sunday in May is dedicated to mothers. Also at Fraenck we like to put mothers in the spotlight. Ratna - one of the founders of Fraenck - together with her mother and grandmother were interviewed about their bond and how her mother inspired her.

But we are also curious about your story about you and your mother. Especially for Mother's Day, we have a contest: You and your mother can both win a bag from our collection (a white Lucy and a white Luna!) and all you have to do is let us know how your mother inspired you.

‘I got it from my momma’

As Ratna says: 'She got it from her momma'. In other words, her love for fashion and making clothes. When Ratna was eight or nine years old, she already started working with the pieces of fabric from her mother's work. She experimented a lot with this and made her own stuff at a young age. "My mother has always been in fashion. She started with studio work and then progressed to calculator/managerial assistant at a large commercial clothing company. She always brought home pieces of fabric and I used to make stuffed animals from them in the beginning, but it soon moved on to clothing."

She remembers very well what she made first. "That was a mermaid's tail. This one didn't fit, of course, but the second one was a perfect fit". While she experimented a lot on her own in the beginning, she also started making more and more together with her mother. Together they were and are a good team. "When I turned thirteen, I was finally allowed to use a sewing machine. Before that, I did everything by hand. My mother taught me everything then. She supported me in making the designs, but also showed me the technical and business side of fashion. I have therefore taken on several characteristics from her. We are most similar when it comes to coming up with logical and technical solutions.

'A day without creating, a day not lived'

The motto at home was: A day without work is a day wasted. Ratna eventually made fashion her profession and founded Fraenck together with Pascal. At Fraenck they make sustainable bags from, among other things, upcycled material. That too she inherited from home and inspired her to use sustainable materials. "My parents used to live in poverty. They have always been very frugal and waste was really not done in my parents' house. Our family goes to great lengths to achieve this. My father, for example, always thinks in terms of solutions and can repair anything. My mother has always been involved in this as well. Besides making their own clothes, working together on cuddly toys and getting behind the sewing machine, Ratna and her mother have experienced many more special moments. "One of the most special moments we have experienced was the birth of my sister. This is my mother's first grandchild and thus a moment to remember."

From an early age

Working in fashion is therefore something Ratna has grown up with. Her mother inspired her in the field of fashion, among other things. The Fraenck bags are a good example of this. Because Sunday is Mother's Day, you can win a Lucy and Luna together with your mother! Share your story of how your mother inspires you on our Instagram page. We are looking forward to hearing from you!