As some of you may know, my family is mixed-race. In my view, the most challenging yet rewarding part of having a mixed-race family is that you get to experience cultural diversity on a day-to-day basis. Being able to share that with other people is a wonderful thing. There are more mixed-race families around the world than ever before and we believe that diversity both in life and at work can really open up your mind to new and exciting ideas and experiences. At FIN and ZEE, this is very much part of our brand philosophy.

 

A while back we met Doré from the Netherlands. Doré’s simple yet inspiring style has really drawn to me. It’s my pleasure to introduce Doré and her beautiful daughter Mea to you in our Journal. And get to see her beautiful family home in Den Bosch, Netherlands.

  

Doré and her family… 

I’m Doré, a 31 year old and Mom of a sweet little girl named Mea. Mea is 3 years’ old (almost 4). She has both Dutch and Vietnamese ethnicity. I am Dutch and her Daddy is Vietnamese. Her Dad’s name is Tuanny. We are living in the Netherlands, in Den Bosch. Months ago, we bought a really nice old house there. We fell in love with the old detail and character of the house and we then renovated some parts of it in the space of one month. We have a little city garden which we worked on ourselves. For us, our garden reminds us of being away on vacation in lovely Santorini!

Our everyday family life in Den Bosch, Netherlands…

When Mea wakes up in the morning, we hear her say “Mommy, Daddy!” She is always so happy in the morning. Her Dad goes to work, and we play together in her room. We have a lot of toys for her to play with and I try get her to play mostly with wooden toys. Mea has a wooden doctor set, a horse stable, wooden shop, dollhouse and a lot more. Her dolls are also very important to her. She treats them like they are real.

 

We also like books. Before bedtime, we always read a story with Mea. When she plays in her room, we sometimes even eat our breakfast in there. After breakfast, she chooses her clothes for the day. She always tells us that she is a big girl and can do it by herself! Her outfit choice can sometimes be quite funny! We like to shop together, so we sometimes go to the city and shop in small concept stores. The styles that I would choose for her are oversized sweaters and flared pants, or just wide pants that fall to the ground. We like basic items but also prints. We love a printed/basic sweat. I also shop online and I love to buy from small and emerging businesses. I really love FIN and ZEE’s style - it’s a great mix of cute and cool clothes. But it’s also a unique style, and that’s what we like. 

After Mea puts her clothes on, we would normally go outside for our daily walk. After that we eat fruit. Every day is a little bit different. We play together outside or inside. In about 2 months’ time, she will go to school. I enjoy every moment with her now but we also can’t wait for school, because she is so ready for it. Our little girl is getting big!

 

 

Learning Vietnamese…

On the weekend, my partner and I both work. So Mea goes to her grandpa and grandma’s place. She is so loved and lucky to have that. When she is with Tuanny’s parents, she learns to eat Vietnamese food, sing Vietnamese songs and talk Vietnamese. She understands the language. It’s nice to see that she is learning both Dutch and Vietnamese. We would love to travel to Vietnam together as a family one day - I think that would be such a special time together.

To follow Dore’s beautiful Instagram @dorekuppens