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DEALS Y WagJag l Am By Julie Slack CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF AnnaMaria Di Nicolantonio wants to dress evâ€" ery little girl in fancy clothes. And she‘s got a chance of doing just that. The Milton Mompreneur started with tutus, handâ€"sewn for her daughters, and now she‘s selling clothes to moms and their children around the world. cX Yss Olivia Rose â€" the children‘s clothing line she | launched in 2010 â€" is the quintessential sucâ€" x+ cess story. So much so, that Di Nicolantonio is now a finalist in the 2017 Mompreneurs‘ Award of Excellence as Canada‘s official Mompreneur of the Year for businesses that have been operating at least three years. The grandâ€"prize winner will be awarded cash and services valued at more than $30,000. The winners, selected by a panel of judges, will be announced at the 2017 National Mompreneurs Conference in Toronto on March 3â€"4. | After the birth of her second daughter, Julia Rose, Di Nicolantonio decided to fulfill her | dreamt; she always knew she could do it. dream of designing her own line of girls‘ and | Working in customer service for various women‘s fashions. | banks for 12 years, Di Nicolantonio felt like it | Olivia Rose‘s handmade collection of deâ€" | was time to do what she was intended to do. signer pettiskirts/petticoats and girls‘ apparel | A graduate of the technical high school St. is available at retailers across the globe and | Augustine‘s in Brampton, she‘d been studyâ€" featured at Indigo‘s 250 stores across Canada. | ing fashion since Grade 9. She said teachers The designer‘s Instagram followers number | there prepared and honed her abilities in more than 25,000. fashion and sewing. Olivia Rose specializes in creating a luxe line | Di Nicolantonio grew up dancing ballet and of baby, girls and ladies designer fashions inâ€" | has never stopped. She performed in pointe | cluding dresses, pettiskirts, Tâ€"shirts and tops, | shoes when she was five months pregnant. headbands, shoes, even ballerina dolls. Last year, she was still involved in ballet, but 4 4‘,;' of clothlng â€" 10â€"yearâ€"old OlMa (flght) and Julia Rose 7. SWM | nated for the Mompreneur award Mompreneurs was founded by Milton‘s Maria Locker â€" born into business, since her mom and dad‘s familyâ€"owned and operated busiâ€" ness is La Rose Bakery. Now a Canadaâ€"wide movermnent, Mompreâ€" 17,000 members. "I truly feel like this is my purpose in life," Di Nicolantonio said. "I love it so much." Despite a disappointing first attempt at sellâ€" ing her handmade tutus at one of Olivia‘s balâ€" let recitals â€" she didn‘t sell any â€" Di Nicolanâ€" | While stores around the world order direct from factories, online orders are personally filled right here in Milton, said Di Nicolantonio. A graduate of George Brown College‘s fashâ€" | daughters to follow suit. Needless to say, they | ion program, the Milton mom is living the dream. But for Di Nicolantonio, 35, Olivia Rose â€" the | business named after her two daughters, O | ivia, 10, and Julia Rose, seven â€" was never a 'Hl While pliance HOUSE 547 Main St. E, Unit 16â€"17, Milton 905â€"876â€"8988 ® q www.appliancehouse.ca ' ol O wu, Gam Spm | funday Closed _1 Fommmuda T CR ICLEAR A *14"“ busy schedule. It was instinctive that she‘d encourage her too are young ballerinas. | She started sewing them tutus when they were just toddlers. The rest, as they say, is history. | Di Nicolantonio, who‘s been married to Mario | for 11 years, says it‘s an honour to be noniâ€" | e it e i SAVE ‘361 ‘ "ELFH al~ admits it‘s difficult to find the time given her | tonio never let it get her down. | In fact, she credits Locker‘s Milton Mommies | Mompreneur event at the Milton Sports Cenâ€" tre as her real start because that‘s where her handmade tutus became a hit in 2010. | "I remember lugging in big black garbage | | bags of my handmade tutus," she laughed, | | adding she felt like a novice at that first show. "All I had were tutus and a few mannequins." Lo n FEL[ M\ )U LOVE FOR LESS | | | spring collection of babyâ€"wear with a keen MILTOWNE 100% Satisfaction Guaranteecd 751 Main Street East, Milton 905 â€"8 78 â€"69 19 Fashion dwgner a Mompreneurs Am of‘ Excellenoe finalist | She‘s come a long way since then. Now, from | her secondâ€"storey office, luxuriously decoâ€" rated in clean whites, she goes over the latest NVIGVNYVI NOLWUW | c TOZ ‘6T Lenuer Aepsiny} | 2¢ | eye for what will sell and what needs to be changed. Sticking with feminine colours and floral patâ€" terns intended to be whimsical, she said she | wants to ensure the clothing is both pretty â€" and practical. it has to fit the comfort test, but also must delight moms with the prettyâ€" 3 factor. . She says one piece of advice she can offer C to those considering going into business is 3 "walk in business, don‘t run." ; | Her collections can be described as timeless AnnaMaria Di Nicolantonio poses with her children â€" the inspiration behind her Olivia Rose line | neurs has chapters across the country, with | classic, and are suited to everyday fashion, dressâ€"up, parties, dance recitals, portrait sesâ€" sions, weddings and other special occasions. Despite having dozens of fancy dresses to choose from, Di Nicolantonio has no trouble narrowing down her personal favourite: the Victorian princess dream pettidress. Turns out it‘s the No. 1 seller around the world as well. "I love to be able to dress little girls worldwide and be a part of so many special moments | in their lives," she said from her office at 225 | Main St., located right around the corner | from the Olivia Rose storefront location she | opened a year ago at 6 Martin St. The Olivia Rose label is sought after. Case in | point, Di Nicolantonio‘s creations appeared in the "swag rooms" at the Golden Globes | and the Oscars, with some Olivia Rose apâ€" | parel worn by the children of celebrities such as Tori Spelling‘s daughter. | Di Nicolantonio is now looking forward to exâ€" d nnt t ' . r'«ELn . | panding her women‘s collection of designer | favourites. A selfâ€"described "girlyâ€"girl", Di Nicolantonio | said she‘s always loved fashion and is thrilled to be able to share that passion with likeâ€" minded women. For more information, visit www.oliviarose. com or the Mompreneurs‘ website at www. themompreneur.com. l MA eC nr V id _*_ELlA& i# o | ’ in | P " <A