Meet Ave Lumi

The Av Norden web shop launched exactly 2 years ago with a mission to inspire a more sustainable market. On our 2nd anniversary, we're ready for the next phase, the beginning of our GLOW UP. We've broadened, expanded, and grown. Our next phase will be under a new guise: meet Ave Lumi. What began as bringing a few Nordic based apparel & accessory brands to the hands of New Yorkers is now a growing collection of treasures for the family. Ave Lumi aspires to become the premier destination for consciously sourced and curated apparel, accessories, and lifestyle.

The trip to Finland that launched the business.

The day we launched the website, we also started unpacking the Industry City Showroom in Brooklyn.

Visiting the Kivat headqurters in Tampere, Finland

Just like every product in our collection bears a deeper story, so does our name. A name carries meaning, carries a story, a vision. When the name Av Norden came to life it was a perfect fit for the work of that moment. I was diving deep into the fashion industry of the Nordic region, and finding design that was practical and beautiful. The kids clothing was fun, durable, and colorful. The women’s clothing was sensible, and above all, sustainable. I observed design elements that extended wearable life, longevity in children’s apparel, and a reverence for color despite gender. Not only did I discover fashion made of sustainable materials, but intentionally conscious design from concept. I didn’t feel I had to create my sustainable fashion collection from scratch when a whole host of brands that had been doing this for over a decade, some much longer, already existed. I recruited brands to come over the Atlantic with a warm hand to hold in NYC. October 2019, I launched them in a web shop, and in November we held a pop-up in Nolita. I was bringing it to life, with the help of a very supportive team and family.

March happened.

Lock down started with a hope of an extended pajama party that would end quickly.

But turned into months of park visits under the cover of rain to avoid other people.

You all remember March. 2020. Yeah. My husband was a medical resident at Brooklyn hospital. It was straight out of a horror film. You read the news. I’ll spare the details.

I ran, rather drove, to Industry City, not far from our apartment, and loaded as much merchandise as I could into our beloved Rav 4. I put all those boxes in my bedroom. I set up a “mailing room” in a bin on top of those boxes. I covered it by day with sheep skins. The cat loved that. At night, after the kids were asleep, I would pull everything down to pack orders and send out influencer packages. But basically, I was sleeping on inventory boxes.

We went outside to the park when it was raining or chilly so that there was less chance that we would make close human contact. By the end of May, helicopters were circling over our area during the Black Lives Matters protests. It felt like an important time, but it also felt like I was living in a pressure cooker that was ready to explode.

We moved to Jersey.

The new forested space we gained by moving to New Jersey.

We gained space, and quiet, and I closed the Industry City showroom. Somehow Av Norden was still persisting. We sold masks, we made masks. We kept ads running, and somehow we had enough orders to keep a pulse. As the holidays grew nearer, I saw tons of empty stores in my new area and thought I might have a chance at opening something to maximize holiday sales…something all retailers rely on. I opened a pop-up store in the darkness of Winter 2020. I then closed it for retail, but used the space as a balance to run my online business. In April, we reopened full time with the help of Vale. Thank goodness for Vale, our new sales associate. Month over month we started to better understand what people wanted, what I wanted for growth, and the retail experience allowed us to keep the brand relevant for customers.

We were expanding beyond Nordic design, so I knew our name was not going to scale. Sustainability has many definitions, and we were exploring a variety of approaches: made locally, made ethically, made with deadstock, more gift items, more beauty items, eco-printing techniques, and beyond. We were, and continue to be committed to independent brands…creating a destination for a unique aesthetic. I knew I needed a name to pivot the brand’s guiding north star. The name Ave Lumi came to mind, and it felt good, it felt right.

Why Ave Lumi:

Ave. “Ave” is short for avenue, and that abbreviation is something everyone in New York City is familiar with. Does anyone even say avenue? It’s only ave. The streets of New York City have always been my inspiration. Since I was a little girl of around 10, it was the streets of New York that awakened my desire to join the crazy New York fashion circus. I recall, vividly, staring out the window at The Plaza at the cars and cabs. Sitting in that window could have lasted forever, those were my favorite streets. I loved those wild, crowded, taxi packed streets. It was the streets of New York that called me back in my early 20s, and it was while walking the streets of New York that I conceived every part of the business into existence. When I was a new mother trying to solve the conundrums of dressing a baby, it was the streets AND the parks of the city that sparked my inspiration to dress my children with beautiful yet practical & sustainable clothing. 

I’ve pronounced the “Av” just as “Ave”…but now the “Ave” (as in “5th Ave”) will take the main stage. It was the streets of New York that fueled this dream into existence. Now, it is the road towards the future that keeps us inspired. This has been a journey, a path, a road. Life walks a path, and so too does our work in life. I do this work and I plod forward with passion because its my soul-fire dream of a better industry, a better future for my children, an undimmable persistence. 

Lumi. “Lumi” is a Finnish word, and as our business concept started with work in Finland, this will always tie us to our roots. Lumi is a common little girl name and it means “snow” and “glow.” It has a beautiful soft and light ring to it. It’s the glow meaning that I feel very drawn towards. 

Ave Lumi: “the glowing road.”  This meaning is synonymous to my work mantra: “follow the lit path.” Now my work mantra is woven into the name of the brand. 

And that’s the name folks. 

Along with the new name comes the future of the brand, and here is what is happening & what is changing:

• We are opening a permanent retail location!

• We have soft launched the circular program! We will take back your pre-loved Ave Lumi purchases for a future credit to use with us! Learn more about “Ave ReNew” HERE.

• We will be offering more products to serve families in the store and online, including kits for kids, and more for for men.

• We will be offering weekly in-person experiences for families.

• We will be hosting monthly trunk shows to showcase independent, local & sustainable design.

• We will be switching over to a new website.

• We are working on producing some more of our own branded designs! (this one’s the long road…)

Bare with us as we switch everything over. This is an important step in the new phase of this business, but there are many pieces still in play as we continue to conduct daily business while implementing the new name, store, collection, and more. 

Now speaking of our future, READ HERE about our NEW STORE!