In Good Company with Shay Carrillo

I first met Shay last fall. At TZP, we’ve long been fans of MADRE, a bespoke, responsibly-produced line of linen home goods, and have been dreaming up ways to work together for some time. She’s simply ethereal: a dreamer with a passion for working with her hands, nurturing community and family, and building something special from the ground up. Keep reading to learn more about her path to MADRE, her hosting traditions, and her favorite NA sips.

What’s your background?

Well, I originally wanted to go to fashion school – but actually ended up going to school for education. That turned out not to be quite right for me, so I pivoted to Spanish and Women's Studies, at the University of Oregon.

I grew up in Ashland, Oregon, which is a tiny little town known for its Shakespeare Festival. I grew up around artists, and, too, have always loved to make things with my hands: I've always sewn, I've always embroidered, cross stitched – like, any textile or fibers thing, I’m really into it. So I moved to San Francisco after graduating, and I taught art for a year. My then-boyfriend / now-husband was a part of the theater world – he was a prop and set master. Through this environment, I learned about a job I wasn’t yet familiar with: stylists. And I was like, what is this? This is incredible! So I started assisting, and that led me to doing my own styling work, which led me to the GAP, where I spent a few years. I kind of wore several hats.... Primarily, I was a photo producer for all online product photography. I also did art direction and some styling. Oh, my God, I was working as a full time employee at the GAP – a brand I was a huge fan of as a teenager! I learned a lot working in that role. The company at that time, from 2004 to 2007, was kind of a really intense time: everything was pivoting to being shoppable online. It was an amazing experience being a part of that.

And along came MADRE?

Well, sort of. In a way, Madre has been in existence for 16 years. It was built off the back of my former brand Non-Perishable Goods, which I started in 2010. I was doing a lot of one-of-a-kind pieces with vintage textiles – pillows and bags and things of that nature. And while that was a really beautiful brand, it's a very difficult brand to scale, because everything was one-of-a-kind. I thought about it, and decided the napkins and tableware in that collection were what I wanted to move forward with. Linen was the material that I wanted to focus on. And at that point, NPG wasn't quite telling the story that I wanted my brand to tell.

The name “Madre” came to me, which felt aligned for so many reasons: I am a mother, and that has been my most important role I've played in my life. My most beloved role. And I’m also Mexican. And overall, I think the spirit of motherhood is a really powerful one – everything from the role of Mother Earth mothering us, to us as individuals mothering each other, taking care of each other… it's not singular to people who have children.

We launched the site on Mother’s Day in 2020. We shot our signature collection in my backyard, with my lovely photographer that I've been working with for 16 years. We shot outside that day so we could stay apart from each other – this was right in the beginning of the pandemic. That’s when we launched the pre-sale of our very first true Madre collection.

And has it been going well?

It has! I've been experimenting with a different way of releasing products, between wholesale orders with hospitality clients and limited drops that are direct-to-consumer, and I'm also experimenting with some pre-order options of the bigger items. 

It seems people really resonate with not just the product itself, but the ethos of the brand. The celebration of nurturing is palpable – I think people really connect with that. That's the beautiful part of the business. 

Do you like to host?

I do love to host. I've loved it more at times in my life and less at other times, depending on the stage of life and kids and you know, life availability…. But I do love to cook, and I love sharing that with people. In my home, I like to host outside -- we have a tiny dining room, and I just always feel like outside can hold so much more, you know, energy than an inside space can. I particularly love to host in our backyard in the spring, when our cherry tree is in bloom and the whole garden is pink. I've had this “pink party” for several years, when the tree has dropped its petals, and it almost forms, like, a carpet of pink in the backyard. It's absolutely incredible.

That is truly magical!

It's been remarkable. Everything is blooming right now. The magnolia tree is the cherry trees, the plum tree. It really is like magic.

But yes, I love to host – and certainly, beverage is part of that. I don't really drink alcohol anymore, so it's been fun to have all these other options as part of that experience. I stopped drinking in 2023; I had been dealing with some health issues, and nothing was moving the needle – it felt like low hanging fruit to let that go. It was just not adding to my life. Even though it wasn't excessive, it just wasn’t adding anything. Once I stopped drinking, I pretty much just moved to sparkling mineral water and bitters – it felt festive and could be in a pretty glass and create a moment in the same way alcohol could. But I was introduced to Ghia through a partnership we did together back in the day, which I just immediately loved. Since then, it's just been so exciting to have all these other options – you feel like you get to partake in something truly special.

You mentioned you love to cook. Any favorite meals or dishes?

When my kids are around, they always want me to make carnitas. That's, like, their favorite thing. But in general, I tend to cook very simply. I eat pretty clean, so it's usually a lot of veggies – whatever is in season, and always a green salad, and some sort of protein. Like, we have this incredible sausage company here called Scratch Meats, and they make the most incredible sausages. I also love to make soups.

What are you listening to right now?

I’ve been obsessed with Hermanos Gutiérrez for a while now. I can just put that radio station on and go. It’s such good energy and background music – it’s not distracting, doesn’t take away from conversations… they’re so great.

The other band that I’m really into right now is Nation of Language. I’m a kid of the 80s and I love new wave music – New Order was my favorite band of all time – and this band just feels reminiscent in the best way. The lead singer and the keyboardist are married. You need to check them out!

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There you have it, folks! Beautiful linen homeware, pink flowered carpets, and 80s music. What more could you ask for? Follow along with MADRE on Instagram here, and shop their goods here.