About Us
Slow Fashion and Timeless Design Pave the Road to Morocco
Mushmina is an ethical fashion brand born out of a love for unique, custom-designed clothing and accessories, preserving traditional methods of skilled artisans, and a passion for world travel. Inspired by the global fashion sensibility of sisters Heather O’Neill and Katie O’Neill to create a socially conscious brand for customers who want to look good and do good, we are committed to the economic empowerment of women and employment of artisans in Morocco.
An embodiment of ethical clothing and timeless style, Mushmina means ‘little sister.’ Our mission is to create a sisterhood of women around the world who together are designing change. More than 80% of the skilled artisans Mushmina collaborates with are women, we partner with over 150 artisans to support handmade craft and small scale production in homes and workshops throughout Morocco.
Join us as we bring a more positive, sustainable future filled with vibrant ethical fashion and accessories right to your door.
Katie O’Neill
Katie O’Neill, co-founder and original creative director for Mushmina, has a BFA in Crafts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where she focused on metal and fiber arts. Katie has a strong interest in anthropology and feels a connection to global artisanal craft and hand techniques. She believes that there is energy inherent in products that are handmade and an importance in employing communities that continue to tell stories through ancient handcrafted traditions. An educational trip to Mali and Morocco in 2014 propelled her to want to create a business in support of cottage industry artisans in remote rural towns and bring awareness to the global public of their rich heritage and crafts.
In recent years, Katie has been expanding her offerings by pursuing interests in Herbalism, Flower Essence, Floristry and Medical Astrology. She feels the right tools and wellness practices are what is most needed for our evolution into this new paradigm. As a space holder and facilitator of Women’s Circles she hopes to empower women to reconnect in community and to our individual divine nature as creators. By being close to nature she believes we have the ability to strengthen our own intuitions. Katie’s love of exploration assists in her creative process to capture an ancestral nostalgia and spiritual essence in her work and designs. Katie calls Pennsylvania her home and discovery playground along the beautiful Delaware River Valley. She is currently working on her medicinal garden and healing arts as an offering in the world. Read more about Katie on the Mushmina blog.
Tara, an American-British national, is perhaps not your typical ho-hum writer. She has a passion for food (especially if someone else is cooking and cleaning up) and is even more fervent when it comes to guacamole, her favorite pastime. Yes, it can be a pastime. As a mother of three young girls (ages 8, 11, and 13), this is, however, wishful thinking. Throw in a blasé orange cat, plus one husband and this is even more delusional dreaming. As you may be able to see, Tara uses humor in her words. Her go-to mantra is, ‘Writing is cheaper than therapy.” Combining humor with a touch of poignancy is what drew Tara to writing in the first place. After all, she believes if one can laugh, one can survive. Tara and her intrepid family have lived all over the globe from Egypt, Senegal, El Salvador to Qatar. They now call beautiful Morocco their home. She and her husband met as Peace Corps Volunteers in rural Cameroon, Central Africa. Tara leans towards writing about women, particularly stories of empowering those who might not typically be able to tell their tale. She finds inspiration in real stories of real people. In her free time, Tara can be found dancing with her girls, telling bad jokes (the cat thinks she’s funny) and having a Belgian beer with her husband. She is honored to be a part of the Mushmina Team.
Read a story about Tara's experience in the Peace Corps here.
Cindi Raimondo, Sales Ambassador, mentor, and friend.
If you have visited the Mushmina shop in Wayne PA you likely have met the fabulous Cindi. Pictured here in red, Cindi is a world traveler, henna artist, boutique owner, and stylist. Always looking laid back and fabulous, Cindi owned 'Ruka' one of the first 'global lifestyle' shops in downtown Philadelphia. With a degree from Moore College of Art + Design in Philadelphia, Cindi brings her years of experience in design, retail, and global goods to the Mushmina team. We are grateful to have Cindi as a Mushmina sales ambassador, colleague, and mentor.
Allie Feldman, Fashion + Textile Designer.
Allie joined the Mushmina team as a freelance designer. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design from Drexel University, Allie is interested in global influence and unique clothing for the modern woman. She is passionate about the environment and sustainability and wants to bring people's attention to who is making their clothing. She wants people to see that it can be made in an ethical manner. Allie is a wiz at creating specs for our unique Mushmina designs. In her spare time Allie enjoys drinking coffee, reading books, getting lost in the mountains, or doing yoga. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Allie now calls sunny California home.**
Maryalice Carroll, Order Fufillment Multitasker + Sales Associate
Maryalice is the newest member of the Mushmina team. She is a ceramic artist with a degree in crafts from the University of the Arts and loves all things handmade. Originally from the Jersey shore Maryalice is now based in Doylestown PA, near the Mushmina studio.
Kari Dawson, Global Sales Ambassador
Kari was our first Mushmina Global Sales Ambassador and is currently representing Mushmina in the Denver, Colorado area. We met Kari in Casablanca, Morocco when she was teaching art at George Washington Academy. She has her BFA in Art education and ceramics and thrives best when she is traveling around the world meeting men and women seeking hope, change, sustainable income, and significance. Kari also created her own wholesale brand, Lovely Things LLC, supporting handmades from Morocco, Uganda and hopes to absorb fair trade from all over the world in the near future.
Teresa Groshans, Global Sales Ambassador
Teresa adventured with us & Aluna Adventures to Morocco for the first time on our 'Into the Mystic Retreat' in 2018 and has already returned twice since. A local pilates instructor in our old town of Wayne, PA you can find Teresa working with us as a Mushmina Sales Ambassador at Clover Market as well as other Mainline and Philadelphia markets. We are happy to have her adventurous spirit and first hand love of Morocco on our team! Come meet Teresa to hear of her travels and stories about the Moroccan culture and artisan communities.