It was with a passionate and passionate entrepreneur mom that I had the opportunity to chat in a small café in my neighborhood on a beautiful Saturday morning. When this native Frenchwoman arrived in Quebec just 5 years ago, I don't know if she suspected that today her evolutionary pants and boxers for children would be found in several points of sale in Quebec.

Let me introduce you to Cécile and her charming 3 ptits pea company.

A new calling

The company was created in France, but focused on jewelry and accessories. It was also during an evening with friends that the name of the company was found. Combine his love for the story of The Princess with Peas and the patterns inspired by this name and voila, 3 little peas!

Here in Quebec, it was first by working in the retail trade and then by participating in various fairs that she was able to learn about Quebec consumers and artisans. She was thus able to create contacts, but also develop important links with her clients. The human side of the shows attracts him a lot.

It was after crossing the ocean with her husband that her company changed vocation to devote itself to children's clothing. Because she couldn't find many similar products on the market at the time, she decided to develop her line of harem pants which followed the new trend of evolving pants. Children's underwear, leggings for girls and moms are also now part of what she loves to create. Now supported by a seamstress and a graphic designer to help her with various tasks, she devotes herself to what she loves the most: creating her patterns and models as well as interacting with her clients, among other things, through social media.

Do you know harem pants?

These are pants with a very low crotch which has the advantage of being able to be worn in different lengths. This type of pants is therefore very practical for children since it is thus possible to wear the same piece for much longer; 2-3 times longer than regular pants in fact. This is an aspect that will interest the mother who does not want to have to constantly renew her child's wardrobe. The evolutionary pants are therefore available in sizes 0-6 months, 6-24 months and 24 months and more (2-4 years). It is even possible to make special requests in other sizes. Two collections per year are thus launched.

For this woman who has become a mother of a little boy, the important thing is to create comfortable and stylish clothes. The harem pants are therefore her favorite product, but after seeing that the offer was unattractive also in the underwear for little boys, she decided to design her line of boxers. “My son wanted boxers like his dad and since there was no question of skimping on comfort, it took me a year to achieve the result I wanted”.

Origin and Originality

Cécile admits that at the very beginning it was not easy to adapt to the Quebec market. She no longer had her original bearings. Now her clients, some of whom have followed her since she started here, are loyal to her. She decided to assume the fact that she is French and even to put this asset to her advantage. Because indeed, having graduated in graphic design and having worked in the field of decoration, she has the advantage of having kept contacts with Europe. As she is always on the lookout for new trends, this gives her the opportunity to stand out.

On the other hand, fashion is good, but following your instincts is better! “I do what I love”, says the one who does not compromise on her tastes. Moreover, it is she who draws her patterns in her colorful workshop. She is passionate about patterns and it is important to her that they are easy to arrange. She also takes a particular interest in patterns for boys, because she knows that the offer is always less interesting for them. There are also unisex patterns in each of its collections. The comment she loves to hear about her products is, "It's cool because it's different!"

The fabric used for all its collections is made of high quality cotton/lycra and is printed in the Quebec region. An aspect of which she is very proud! "Everything has to machine wash/dry and stay super nice, that's super important." Any mom will be okay with that, right?

A story of mutual aid

She also sometimes works in collaboration with artisans, illustrators like Katrinn Pelletier or local companies to develop new patterns.

She also solicits collaborations when the demand is great for a particular product and she thinks that someone else would be better placed than her to meet this demand. "I like the spirit of mutual aid", says the one who knows how to surround herself with the right people to develop her business.

Speaking of collaboration, one of these should not go unnoticed since it is a collaboration withVeille sur Toi . Indeed, the so popular little monsters of the night lights will be found on a new collection of boxers for boys. Let's bet that they will be all the rage with our little guys!

Within family life itself, collaboration is also essential. As behind every female entrepreneur often hides a great man, there is her spouse whom she describes as being the one who does everything at home, who is very important in the creative process. “Because, thanks to him, I have time to work a lot, I can't stop creating. We certainly won't complain!

If you have children to spoil for Christmas, consider offering beautiful clothes made in Quebec. Follow 3 p'tits pois on Facebook and Instagram so you don't miss any of their news.

Refer to the Signé Local sheet for the different points of sale and for more information.