The path to creating Pourquoi Princesse started in 2014 as my husband and I welcomed our first child into the world. Our daughter’s birth turned our world upside down. She created a burning, unconditional love which drove us to confront some brutal realities about the world she was entering. These realities particularly bothered my husband. He wanted his daughter to live a happy, normal life, free of prejudice. He wanted her to be strong and know she could do anything. So he set out for the truth, researching what life would hold in store for our daughter, including gender stereotypes and their effects on children. Shocked by what he discovered, he began to notice these stereotypes in everyday life. We both became passionate about the subject and constantly asked: “How can we make the world a better place for our children—a world where they can reach their full potential?” As entrepreneurs, we wanted to tackle the issue through business, but we didn’t know what business to start.

Everything clicked during my maternity leave with my son. While I was reorganizing my children’s drawers to make room for the baby, I noticed that my daughter’s pajamas were all pink and sparkles with bows, hearts and stars, while my son’s pajamas were covered with robots, cars, and dinosaurs in blue, brown and black. I thought to myself, “Girls like cars, robots and dinosaurs too, so why doesn’t their clothing reflect that?” Then, one day, my daughter, who loves princesses, dresses, and dolls, but equally loves cars, tools, and airplanes, asked for a dress with race cars on it. Just a few Google searches and store visits revealed a disappointing reality – the dress didn’t exist. I found myself gripped by the simple question: “Why not?”, and with that, Pourquoi Princesse was born.

It’s been a long road to get here, but we are so excited to share this with you and your children. We hope you become part of our community, and we can have regular conversations about gender equality and girls’ empowerment. Join the movement! Want to read more about our story? Please click here.