NAME Summer Baker

AKA Other Half of Tom Murday

TIMES AROUND THE SUN 31  

KIDDIES 1 

FROM Auckland, New Zealand 

LIVES Oyonnax, France  

ALL ABOUT BEING Loud, loving, laughable (maybe more at me) 

JILL OF WHAT TRADE/S Beauty / skin consultant  

CURRENTLY CRUSHING ON The book Sorrow and Bliss  

SUPPORTIVE WIFEY OR INDEPENDENT WOMAN I like to be independent woman, however, with Tom’s career and having us move overseas I have taken the role of a supportive wife, well for now. 

GIVE US THE LOW DOWN I started our company Paris Owen 2 years ago and a lot has happened in between. 

I was lucky enough to fall pregnant with my now 15-month-old son who was born during the pandemic. During my entire pregnancy, my partner was working amongst strict borders in Japan playing Rugby. I found myself comfortably alone with my dog in Arcachon, France. 

My first baby, Paris Owen (business) got pushed to the side as I wanted to embrace this new role of being a mother. It was a lot more demanding than I had ever envisioned. Now, I have found a new calmness in my life. 

My son is attending creche 2 times a week and I have that itch to embark on this new journey of balancing work and mum life.

As I have been sleeping in our bed sheets for the last 2 years, it has reassured me that our product is outstanding. This has given me the confidence to start and share the journey of Paris Owen.

WORK/RUGBY LIFE BALANCE Tom’s rugby journey has not been an easy one. It has come with many highs and lows. Especially with him leaving for Japan during the pandemic, just as we started a business and then finding out I was pregnant.

I have found myself putting my work on the back burner at times and prioritizing his career. I am ok with this as I know his career is a short-lived passion and my time will come. 

IMPORTANT VALUES YOU INCORPORATED INTO YOUR BUSINESS I have a passion for environmentally conscious products and wanted to make sure we were taking the right steps in reducing the negative impact. I understand that creating a new brand and producing a product has an impact on our planet.

When creating our product, the quality and colors chosen were huge factors. We focused on designing timeless pieces made to last. Our passion is to produce quality bedding you’ll love season after season, night after night. 

Even though I love bright funky colors, Paris Owen needed to be timeless to complement the longevity of our product. Our product has been designed to last for many years.

Being OEKO-TEX certified was also important.

We produce Paris Owen in the top textile leading factory in Israel, where the word fairtrade is NON- negotiable. It was a must for us to personally visit the factory and build a relationship with our supply partners. 

We are happy that we can work with a business that is environmentally friendly and supports employees by providing skills to underprivileged people. We also believe in giving back, so when we can we will donate our products across France to shelters for women.

All our packaging is reusable or recyclable. 

At the end of the day, we are a small family business striving to lead by example and make a difference.

BUSINESS GOALS 
Finding a perfect balance between work and being a mum. Being the best version of myself in both of these roles.    

BUSINESS HIGHS 
Hearing wonderful feedback about our product   

IDEA – DREAM – REALITY 
High-quality bed sheets at affordable pricing – Expanding into a well-known bedlinen company – Finding a successful balance between mum life and work life. 

FILL US IN ON SMASHING ALL THEM GOALS We are just about to re-launch our company after an unexpected 2-year hiatus.

We now have found a new sense of calm and routine with our son, Raphael. This has allowed me the time to focus on work, create content and advertise our company. 

WHAT’S YA SECRET/S I really pride myself on my son having an early bedtime. We have nailed down the routine of having him sleep between 6:00pm and 6:30pm.

This way, no matter how tired or overwhelming my day may have been, I know I have that time in the evening to indulge in my own passions, spend quality time with my partner and be productive with work.  

WHY IS BELONGING TO A COMMUNITY IMPORTANT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR/WOMAN I find myself to be quite introverted and usually prefer to work alone. However, I realised very quickly that I could not do this on my own.

I strongly believe that in order to reach our best potential with Paris Owen, we need the support of a community.

We believe that second opinions, ideas from friends and family, reassurance that we are on the right track and our product is everything we need to be successful. 

YOUR INSPIRATION I feel so grateful to have an amazing group of friends that are my inspiration. Every single one of them are extremely intelligent and stylish and have entrepreneurial minds that create so much magic. 

RUGBY LIFE MISCONCEPTION 
This life is an easy glamorous road. Hey, it might actually be for some, but it definitely has not been for me. 

RUGBY HIGHS 
Watching my partner follow his passion and being inspired by his drive for something he loves. 

RUGBY LOWS 
Being so far from friends and not being able to create our forever home.  
I believe I actually founded Paris Owen based on the notion of no matter where this life takes me, my bedroom will feel like home. 

PROUDEST RUGBY FAN GAL MOMENT There are many on the field, however it is still surreal to see the love and respect he gets off the field from fans. 

LIFE AFTER THE PITCH I wish I had an answer for that. 

WHERE TO NOW Right now we are in Oyonnax, and after this contract, who knows! For now, we will try and make the most of what this life has to offer us. 

5 YEARS FROM NOW I never know when rugby will finish for Tom. In 5 years, he will be 39 and probably still trying to push himself to play haha 

PEARLS OF WISDOM The rear vision mirror is smaller than the windscreen for a reason. You’re only meant to glance at your past to direct you for your future. 

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU 

Instagram: @parisowen.fr 
Website: www.parisowen.com