Meet Ursula Recio | Founder of sustainable kids brand URSi store

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ursula Recio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ursula, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I think that there are two main ways that the business helps the community and the world. First, helping the local community is one of the missions of the brand, and this is why I produce everything locally in NY, this allows me to visit the factories, see the conditions in which the garment workers are working in and get to know the people who are actively working on the products I sell. I like to know that the money I spend on the business goes to the people I get to know in the factories. I see the direct positive impact of local business.

Another side of the business is the commitment to only use natural fibers, to reduce the microplastic problem that we had created with synthetic fabrics.
I try to educate the consumer on the importance of consuming responsibly, the products I sell are designed with the life cycle in mind. When the garments I sell had finished their life cycle, they will be decomposed in months versus synthetic fabric that take hundreds of years to decompose, for example, any polyester t-shirt that has been donated today, will be on earth for at least 400 years. The implications that this has, are tremendous for our planet and the generations to come.and I want to do my part to change that.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Ursi store is an eco-conscious brand driven by slow fashion culture. My goal is to offer my customers unique styles for the little ones, that reflect their values. This is why 98% of the collection is plastic-free, ethically, and locally produced in NY, making it as sustainable and ethical as possible.

I launched direct-to-consumer in 2020 two weeks before the pandemic lockdown, so the beginning wasn’t easy, production was frozen for months in NY so I had to find new ways of doing things but that allowed me to get creative, build community, and get to know my customers better. and despite the difficult times, I was lucky enough to be featured in VOGUE UK only a few months after the launch. It felt surreal and a dream come true!
During the past two years, I learned that there is a time for everything, a time for planting the seed, and a time to harvest, a time to walk, and a time to run. trying to do something before being ready for it can be counterproductive.

I am proud to have managed to produce in NY in alignment with my brand values. I think that this has helped me grow loyal customers that appreciate the effort I put into being ethical and sustainable so they get as excited as me with every new drop, they send me photos of their kids or grandkids and it brings me so much joy to see them grow and make memories while wearing my designs, at the same time that my business grows with them.
I really love what I do and I’m very passionate about it, I am always thinking on how to scalate my business while respecting my values, which pushes me to get creative in what I do.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Alejandro Poveda, was the photographer who helped me along the way with the amazing content I needed to show my brand across platforms.

Website: https://www.ursistore.com

Instagram: @ursi.store

Image Credits
Alejadro Poveda and Andrew Defrancesco