It’s Chicago North Shore Moms coveted Meet a Mom series! Happy new year everyone. After a much appreciated respite, we’re back and ready to rock 2020. It takes a village and that’s why one of our most proud features is the celebration of local moms through our once weekly Meet a Mom series. We’ve got some exciting pieces lined up for the year, and without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to German-born SAHM fashion guru and mama of three, Stefani Herzog-Koenig! Read about her journey from Hamberg, Germany to Kenilworth, Illinois and everything in between. Welcome, Stefani!
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town? What brought you to your current town?
I am originally from Germany, grew up in Hamburg, Germany. My family and I moved to the North Shore/Kenilworth in Feb. 2018 because of my husband’s job. We have certainly moved around a lot the last 11 years! We moved from Germany to the U.S. East Coast (Greenwich, CT) in the end of 2008, 2010 we moved to Mexico (Mexico City), 2012 back to Germany (Hamburg), 2016 to Ireland (Dublin), and finally 2018 back to the U.S. (Kenilworth, IL)
You’re a mama! How many kiddos do you have and how old are they?
We have three kids, two boys and one girl. Our oldest son Maximilian (11), our daughter Victoria (7), and our son Moritz (5).
What’s your favorite thing about being a mom? Please share at least one mom “hack/tip” that makes your every day life a little easier…
Being a mom is the best thing in the world. Kids make every moment special, its pure joy watching them grow, develop, and have fun.
My favorite mom tip: Like most kids my kids are not big fans of any kind of veggies and/or fruits. Rather than arguing about it I just sneak them into smoothies. Blending Yogurt with frozen fruits and some fresh veggies ….topped with some Granola is the perfect easy snack and takes just minutes to prepare. You can see my Yogurt Bar recipe on my Instagram handle, @looxery
Least favorite mom job?
My least favorite mom job is probably doing laundry. I love it to see my kids every day in a nice outfits. Keeping everything up to the high standard I have for a family of five is hard work.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I practiced classic Ballet starting when I was 5 years old and practiced until the end of high school.
For our out of town guests, what are your favorite local places to spend with the family or just you and your husband?
Our favorite local places…
- Glencoe Beach
- For me one of the most beautiful spots on the North Shore Baha’i Temple, it has a very positive energy to it. They also have performances of the Cappella Baha’i Choir or young Voices of Unity Choir. Just beautiful!
- We love sporting events and go to the United Arena a few times a year to watch basketball and Hockey Games.
Favorite family-friendly Restaurants are…
- Mino’s (in the summer)
- Fred’s Garage (in the winter)
- Graeter’s Ice Cream (anytime!)
My husband and I also like “Tao” and the Italian Restaurant “Volare” in the City for dinner without the kids.
You are a mompreneur! Tell us about your business!
Before we started moving I ran my own company and shop in Hamburg, Germany. I did fashion buying and selling, focused on high end Designer clothes. I really enjoyed working in my own business. When our first son was 7 months old (end of 2008) we moved and I discontinued my business. After I had all of my three kids and at the time we were back in Germany (2012-2016) I started to work as a fashion stylist, working on editorial shoots, film and advertising productions, before branching out to do personal styling.
What did you do from 2016-2018 for work? Stay at home mom, etc…
I took a break from working to be a SAHM. I only continued with blogging on Instagram.
Can you please speak more about your career right now and your popular Instagram handle?
I started blogging and posting on Instagram about 5 years ago, at the time I worked as fashion stylist. I wanted my Instagram page to be a destination, a place that you want to come and check out every day. I wanted it to feel warm, welcoming and hopefully to offer a little inspiration. Currently, I am posting regularly about clothing and beauty products I love. I work with sponsors and Affiliate partners, but I am very selective. When I work with a brand it’s because it’s something I really like, wear or use in my daily life. I always try to test the products I’m showcasing to give a real and clear message to my followers. So I stopped specifically blogging two years ago but my lifestyle blog is www.looxery.net. Momming is tough and I like to use my resources and energy on my little people. I hope to continue to blog in the near future but for now I hope you’ll visit my Instagram page (@looxery) and follow me for current looks and beauty inspiration.
Super cool and rewarding! So, what kind of shop did you run in Hamberg, Germany?
The shop I ran in Hamburg was a clothing store. My store was focused on high-end designers in a super premium price class. People could come to my store to buy but the majority of sales went via the internet. I was selling clothes that I purchased in one of 3 ways: 1) I bought collection overstocks from designers like Jil Sander and Strenesse, which I had contracts with; 2) Business owners who have closed their business; 3) private people/household who wanted to sell high end items.
It’s inspo time! Who or what inspires your work?
Oh yes, inspiration is so important! I get inspiration by observing my environment and being present with the details of my surroundings. But, my favorite websites and apps are: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us and https://www.whowhatwear.com/channel/trends and https://www.thezoereport.com/ and https://www.harpersbazaar.com/
Thanks! And if you listen to podcasts, what are your top 3 faves?
“Girlboss Radio”, “Life and Lipstick” and “Fashion Hags” are my favorite podcast to listen
What are some of your proudest moments with your business where you said “wow, I did that”?
Opening my first very own business was something which made me really proud. Being able to manage the complexity of running a business including managing the not so shiny things like employee pay roll, book keeping, insurance, etc. is something that really stretched by but kept me learning. I loved working long days, was still very young and realized that my greatest passion – Fashion – became my business.
Please offer advice with respect to your business….
Do what you love. We are all best at the things we truly enjoy. It is the only thing that will keep you going through long days and stressful situations. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking & trying.
Great advice for fellow mamas! How important is it for you to have a passion outside of being a mother?
I think it’s very important. A passion gives you a reason to keep learning.
When parenting gets hard, what’s something you tell yourself that gets you through?
This goes back to the question about “passion outside being a mom”. I enjoy yoga, and my focus on fashion and healthy food. It’s a great, positive distraction for me to blog about fashion and food and to help others with personal styling questions. I don’t see this as a stressful job, it’s my passion and my distraction that gets me back into my own personal balance.
What’s on the horizon for your business? Future aspirations, plans….
Continuing writing my blog as a destination for all fashion, beauty, and healthy lifestyle lovers. Increasing my presence in social media….which all just depends on the time I can find.
As our kids get older and more independent I will increase my focus back into the focusing more on fashion styling in the media, and advertising space….and also take on more requests for personal (1:1) styling.