Meet the Cartel: indikidual

Welcome back to our interview series Meet the Cartel, a spotlight on Big Cartel shop owners. For today's installment, say hello to Syreeta Johnson of indikidual, a children's clothing brand out of London, England.

How did you get into clothing design?

I have always loved design and studied textile design at Leeds University. Upon graduating I worked as a buyer for various high street fashion stores, such as TopShop. When I had my daughter in 2010, I noticed a real lack of colourful, unisex, organic clothing for her, so I decided to start indikidual.

Why did you choose Big Cartel?

I really like the look of the shop and also found it really easy to use from the start. It's also very easy to change the look of the shop and just seems to work really well!

Tell us about your most popular item in your shop.

My most popular items are anything with the banana print. This was the first print I designed back in 2012.

And what's your favorite item in your shop?

The All Over Melon Print Sweatshirt.

Why did you choose your current theme for your shop?

It's really simple and modern. It really shows off the clothing and is easy for the customer to navigate.

Check out the Neat theme for your own Big Cartel shop.

Which Big Cartel feature could you not live without?

The Bulk Edit option, it's great when launching a new collection and switching everything to "Active."

What does a regular workday look like for you?

School run, answering emails, followed by school run again! The highlights are visiting the factory in India and also designing the new collections, but that doesn't happen every day.

Who or what inspires you?

My children inspire every collection. When my daughter loved karate we had a karate themed collection. They both love drawing and often have great ideas for new prints.

What's a moment in your career, or life in general, that you're proud of?

Seeing children in my clothes makes me really proud.

What was the most unexpected challenge you have encountered while running your own business? How did you overcome that challenge?

I think I totally underestimated all the other things you do when you run your own business, for example: planning warehouse space, packing, shipping and logistics. I don't think I really thought too much about those things when I set up indikidual but I quickly had to learn. By doing everything myself I have learnt a lot.

Any advice for someone thinking about opening up their own shop?

Start with a few items and grow organically.

Give us three recommendations... for anything!

• Tacos from our local favourite Homies on Donkeys.

• Shopping vintage homewares from Homeplace.

• Watching City of Ghosts on Netflix with my kids.

Where can people find you online?

indikidual.com and @indikidual on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.