Misha and Puff – Nod Artist Interview
Interview with Anna Wallack of Misha and Puff
My son & me when he was little and wearing the first season’s pointy peak hat
Tell us a bit about yourself…
- CURRENT TOWN: Brookline, MA
- FAVE ICE CREAM FLAVOR: Chocolate, always
- FAVE BREAKFAST FOOD: All of them; it’s my favorite meal. I have an amazing popover recipe that was my dads. This is my favorite thing to make.
- FAVE HOLIDAY: Thanksgiving and Passover. Both are good excuses to get together with large group of friends and family and sit around the table for hours.
- FAVE COLOR: Red-orange
- FAVE MOVIE: It’s so hard to choose one. Right now this is my list: I love Jacques Tati – faves are Les Vacances de M. Hulot and Mon Oncle, and Woody Allen. The early, funny ones. And lastly, I could watch The Shining and Rosemary’s Baby a million times!
- FAVE DECADE: 1970s. movies, music, clothes. All good.
TELL US HOW YOU STARTED YOUR COMPANY: I had been working as a stylist for 10 plus years when I had my son (5 years ago) and wanted to take a year off to be with him. I had been knitting for him all his first fall and winter (he was such a cute, big baby that looked adorable in knits!) and by summer, I decided to start Misha and Puff.
IS THERE A STORY BEHIND THE NAME? It’s me and my husband!! I know everyone names their companies for their kids, I mean I LOVE my kids, but it’s Mike and I who run this business! The truth is, the name came long before the company. I always thought it sounded cute, like two Russian woodland animals.
WHAT ARE THE MOST REWARDING AND THE MOST DIFFICULT PARTS OF RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS? I love being my own boss but I hold myself to really high standards! A blessing and a curse. I have learned what matters and what to relax a bit on, for sure. I really love making things, and always have. I can’t believe I get to do it for work now.
My daughter, Izzy, in this year’s zigzag cardigan with the same colorwork motif that I used for Nod
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE? Messy, artsy, mom-wear. And then a statement earring. Everything I own needs to be washable. Best if it hides dirt.
IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE? I’m dying to take the kids to see Machu Picchu in Peru.
IF YOU COULD POSSESS A SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Stop time. I would stop time and have a nap.
Swatch board
TELL US ABOUT THE RAINBOW POMPOM HAT & BOOTIES YOU DESIGNED FOR THE LAND OF NOD. HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? The hat silhouette has been a signature piece since our first collection, so I thought it would be nice to use that one, but really impart some of that Mod whimsy. The zigzag and pompom motif is one that features in our Autumn/Winter 2015 collection. The tall booties are a total favorite for us. This was a style I found when researching vintage knitting patterns, and I thought how cute and practical! It serve the purpose of a bootie and a legwarmer in one, and is so great for babies in carriers whose pants tend to always ride up. It’s really cold her in Boston in the winter, but we are always out walking around, so it’s important to have the right gear. Booties and hats are a total must have!
Sketch of the Pompom Hat & Booties for Nod
Final version of Pompom Hat & Booties for Nod
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