Maisonette Muse
Karolina Kurkova
With her own wellness brand Gryph & IvyRose plus a new collaboration with Cybex, our pal KK has gone from super-model to super-mama.
- Interview By
- John Brodie
If the last time you laid eyes on Karolina Kurkova was during her supermodel days gracing the covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, then you have missed a lot. The same energy and determination that she brought to the catwalk have made her one of Miami’s leading mom-preneurs. In 2018, she and her partners founded Gryph & IvyRose, a wellness and lifestyle brand for children that been dubbed "Goop for kids." This winter, she debuted a chic, functional and eco-friendly collaboration with Cybex that includes strollers, a car seat and baby carrier.
All of this has been done from her home base in Miami. Seven years ago, her husband, Archie Drury, floated the idea of leaving Tribeca for the Florida enclave of Fisher Island. At first, she was skeptical. “My reaction was ‘What? Are you crazy? I’m going to be trapped on an island,” she remembers at the thought of relocating to a 200-acre private island in Biscayne Bay, which once served as the winter hideaway for the Vanderbilt family and is connected to the mainland by a private ferry. But it has turned out to be the best thing for their two sons, Tobin, 10, and Noah, 3.
“When you’re in a relationship and raising a family, it is not just about you and your choices, it is also about your children and listening to your partner," she says. "I love it here now. It has been so great for the boys to grow up on this island without cars where they can ride their bikes and be on paddle boards, yet we’re just minutes from all that Miami has to offer as a city.”
As someone who seems to be able to juggle the demands of building her brand and raising a family while looking good doing it, we felt she was the perfect person for a chat — especially since we’re hosting a trunk show together at The Webster this Saturday, April 6. (Yes, that was a shameless plug, so please drop by).
How did you get interested in launching your wellness brand, Gryph & IvyRose?
When I was growing up in the Czech Republic, my grandmother had a farm where we spend time harvesting fruits and vegetables, so I was exposed to where food comes from early on. My father was a professional basketball player, and he lived very healthy and trained very hard. And I was a competitive gymnast from age 6 to 13, so I was practicing before and after school and was into health. When I became a model in my teens and was traveling a lot and dealing with jet lag, I figured out that I needed to take good care of myself to have the energy and the glow. I was vegan for a while when there weren’t a lot of great vegan restaurants. Now I eat meat too.
How are you passing your interest in wellness along to your boys?
It starts at birth. Both Tobin and Noah were water births at home. And now that they are older I’m trying to educate and empower them to make good choices on their own. We talk about how good food makes you feel and how bad food makes you feel. More importantly, when I’m home and not traveling for work, we cook together. If you just eat things that come out of a carton, you don’t have an understanding of what’s in it.
All of this has been done from her home base in Miami. Seven years ago, her husband, Archie Drury, floated the idea of leaving Tribeca for the Florida enclave of Fisher Island. At first, she was skeptical. “My reaction was ‘What? Are you crazy? I’m going to be trapped on an island,” she remembers at the thought of relocating to a 200-acre private island in Biscayne Bay, which once served as the winter hideaway for the Vanderbilt family and is connected to the mainland by a private ferry. But it has turned out to be the best thing for their two sons, Tobin, 10, and Noah, 3.
“When you’re in a relationship and raising a family, it is not just about you and your choices, it is also about your children and listening to your partner," she says. "I love it here now. It has been so great for the boys to grow up on this island without cars where they can ride their bikes and be on paddle boards, yet we’re just minutes from all that Miami has to offer as a city.”
As someone who seems to be able to juggle the demands of building her brand and raising a family while looking good doing it, we felt she was the perfect person for a chat — especially since we’re hosting a trunk show together at The Webster this Saturday, April 6. (Yes, that was a shameless plug, so please drop by).
How did you get interested in launching your wellness brand, Gryph & IvyRose?
When I was growing up in the Czech Republic, my grandmother had a farm where we spend time harvesting fruits and vegetables, so I was exposed to where food comes from early on. My father was a professional basketball player, and he lived very healthy and trained very hard. And I was a competitive gymnast from age 6 to 13, so I was practicing before and after school and was into health. When I became a model in my teens and was traveling a lot and dealing with jet lag, I figured out that I needed to take good care of myself to have the energy and the glow. I was vegan for a while when there weren’t a lot of great vegan restaurants. Now I eat meat too.
How are you passing your interest in wellness along to your boys?
It starts at birth. Both Tobin and Noah were water births at home. And now that they are older I’m trying to educate and empower them to make good choices on their own. We talk about how good food makes you feel and how bad food makes you feel. More importantly, when I’m home and not traveling for work, we cook together. If you just eat things that come out of a carton, you don’t have an understanding of what’s in it.
"My rule is: In order to be good, you have to be bad. If I want to have a French fry, I’m going to have a French Fry. If you want to have pasta from time to time, then have some pasta."
But you can’t be with them every second …
Of course, if we go to a party, and there isn’t a clean, organic option, I’m not going to say, “You can’t eat that.” My rule is: In order to be good, you have to be bad. If I want to have a French fry, I’m going to have a French Fry. If you want to have pasta from time to time, then have some pasta. I’m not so concerned about whether there’s dairy or it is gluten-free. If it is made from good ingredients and with love, then have it. Otherwise, you end up denying yourself, then overdoing it and feeling horrible about yourself.
What are their personalities like?
Tobin looks and acts like his father. Noah looks and acts like me. Tobin is like a labradoodle puppy — very happy, very curious. He can have a conversation with an 80-year-old or a toddler. He’s very well-rounded. He’s a goalie on a competitive soccer team, but he also performed in a local production of the Lion King at his school. He’s very interested in military history, which he gets from his dad who is a former Marine.
Noah is just 3, but he is very tidy and very organized. He will wipe down the table after we eat. He’s interested in fashion and has opinions about what he wears. So I have one Dri-Fit boy, and one who would wear a Fedora.
How did the collaboration with Cybex come about?
I’m someone who really gets into researching purchases and then talking to all my friends. When I was pregnant with Noah, I did all my research and bought a Cybex stroller and car seat. All the technology reminded me of a German car. And then I discovered that the founder of Cybex, Martin Pos, is Czech like me. We got connected over email and then met with our families in Berlin, and I was telling him my ideas and he suggested the collaboration.
What makes the design special?
When you have kids, you understand that you are putting your most precious thing in those car seats and strollers and that you’re living in the most beautiful time in your life and those children are the most important things in your life. So, I wanted to capture and represent that. I was looking through books and magazines and I came across the word “love,” and I wanted that to be the seed for the collection. So, you see that word, and you see red lips like they are saying the word or blowing a kiss because I’ve been known to wear a red lip. There’s also some zebra print and polka dots. It needed to have some KK Factor (positive, fun, happy and stylish). When it came to the color, I went with this beige color — something my husband would feel comfortable using too. And for the construction, I was really concerned about the plastic issue, so we worked with Repreve, a company that makes high-quality performance fiber from old soda bottles.
Do you have any good Mom Hacks for us?
This is actually one that I learned from our Dr. Stephen Cowan, who is our pediatric medical guide at Gryph & IvyRose. The same amount of time a child spends on an iPad should equal the same amount of time they spend outdoors, and that’s a cool tip that parents can use. You just make it rule. If your child wants to spend 30 minutes or an hour using a device, then they have to spend 30 minutes or an hour outside.
Of course, if we go to a party, and there isn’t a clean, organic option, I’m not going to say, “You can’t eat that.” My rule is: In order to be good, you have to be bad. If I want to have a French fry, I’m going to have a French Fry. If you want to have pasta from time to time, then have some pasta. I’m not so concerned about whether there’s dairy or it is gluten-free. If it is made from good ingredients and with love, then have it. Otherwise, you end up denying yourself, then overdoing it and feeling horrible about yourself.
What are their personalities like?
Tobin looks and acts like his father. Noah looks and acts like me. Tobin is like a labradoodle puppy — very happy, very curious. He can have a conversation with an 80-year-old or a toddler. He’s very well-rounded. He’s a goalie on a competitive soccer team, but he also performed in a local production of the Lion King at his school. He’s very interested in military history, which he gets from his dad who is a former Marine.
Noah is just 3, but he is very tidy and very organized. He will wipe down the table after we eat. He’s interested in fashion and has opinions about what he wears. So I have one Dri-Fit boy, and one who would wear a Fedora.
How did the collaboration with Cybex come about?
I’m someone who really gets into researching purchases and then talking to all my friends. When I was pregnant with Noah, I did all my research and bought a Cybex stroller and car seat. All the technology reminded me of a German car. And then I discovered that the founder of Cybex, Martin Pos, is Czech like me. We got connected over email and then met with our families in Berlin, and I was telling him my ideas and he suggested the collaboration.
What makes the design special?
When you have kids, you understand that you are putting your most precious thing in those car seats and strollers and that you’re living in the most beautiful time in your life and those children are the most important things in your life. So, I wanted to capture and represent that. I was looking through books and magazines and I came across the word “love,” and I wanted that to be the seed for the collection. So, you see that word, and you see red lips like they are saying the word or blowing a kiss because I’ve been known to wear a red lip. There’s also some zebra print and polka dots. It needed to have some KK Factor (positive, fun, happy and stylish). When it came to the color, I went with this beige color — something my husband would feel comfortable using too. And for the construction, I was really concerned about the plastic issue, so we worked with Repreve, a company that makes high-quality performance fiber from old soda bottles.
Do you have any good Mom Hacks for us?
This is actually one that I learned from our Dr. Stephen Cowan, who is our pediatric medical guide at Gryph & IvyRose. The same amount of time a child spends on an iPad should equal the same amount of time they spend outdoors, and that’s a cool tip that parents can use. You just make it rule. If your child wants to spend 30 minutes or an hour using a device, then they have to spend 30 minutes or an hour outside.
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